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Everything You Need to Know About the 2018 Met Gala — Including Its Divine Theme!

Style

May 5, 2018 11:00 am·

By Dan Clarendon

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The 2018 Met Gala is nearly upon us, so it's time to gear up for the biggest night in fashion and all the watercooler moments it inspires. Remember Rihanna's mile-long train? Sarah Jessica Parker's flaming headdress? Madonna's butt-baring mesh? Solange Knowles' satellite dish dress? Kim Kardashian's head-to-toe floral fabric? All these head-turning looks hit the Met Gala red carpet in recent years, with Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour presiding over it all.

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The Met Gala is now in its 72nd year, and this year's soirée will be held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 8. Though most of us aren't invited — and, if you're like us, couldn't afford to go anyway — we'll be able to scope out all the haute couture on television and online. Here's all the info you need to know about this year's festivities, including details on the theme, the TV coverage, and the guest list…

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What is the Met Gala?

It's officially called the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit, but that's kind of a mouthful, so people just call it the Met Gala. Held the first Monday of May, the Met Gala is a black-tie fundraiser for the Costume Institute of New York City's most prestigious art museum. Because of the star-studded guest list and the high fashion on display, some people refer to the gala as the "Oscars of the East Coast."

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What is the theme of this year's Met Gala?

Break out the habits and cassocks! The 2018 Met Gala's theme is "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination," which is the title of the exhibition — a "dialogue between fashion and medieval art from The Met collection" — hosted at the Met Fifth Avenue and the Met Cloisters until Oct. 8.

"Fashion and religion have long been intertwined, mutually inspiring and informing one another," says head curator Andrew Bolton. "Although this relationship has been complex and sometimes contested, it has produced some of the most inventive and innovative creations in the history of fashion."

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What channel is the Met Gala on?

E! News will broadcast a live stream of the red carpet from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET, according to Elle UK. Last year, E! covered the fashion, the trends, the attendees, and the after parties both on air and online (via a concurrent Facebook Live show).

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Who gets invited to the Met Gala?

Around 600 people get to attend each year's Met Gala, and most are A-listers. Last year's guests included Thandie Newton, Gwyneth Paltrow, Frank Ocean, Michael B. Jordan, Janelle Monáe, and Reese Witherspoon. But as StyleCaster reports, you can also snag an invitation by being a big-ticket donor, a corporate sponsor, a performer, a Vogue editor, or a child of Anna Wintour.

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How do I attend the Met Gala?

Unfortunately for us mere mortals, the Met Gala is invite-only… And crazy expensive. Tickets go for $30,000 a pop, and tables cost $275,000. It's no wonder one publicist called the annual event "an ATM for the Met." (2019 resolutions: Win the lottery and/or become Anna's bestie.)