All the Met Gala Co-Chairs Who Set the Tone on Fashion’s Biggest Night

Toast of the town! The annual Met Gala has been the biggest night in fashion since the 1940s — and being a co-chair for the event has become a coveted title. The Met Gala was established in 1948 to raise money for then-newly founded Costume Institute. With the help of Vogue , which is a longtime partner for the event, the gala has evolved into the most talked-about night in the fashion industry.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute has housed the gala and the corresponding fashion exhibit since the early 1970s, but before that the Met Gala was held at a variety of New York City venues, including the Waldorf-Astoria, Central Park and the Rainbow Room. The role of celebrity and socialite co-chairs dates back to 1973. That year, there were two events: one in March and one in December, with Phyllis Ellsworth Dillon helming the second bash (the theme was “The 10s, the 20s, the 30s: Inventive Clothes: 1909–1939.



”) Philanthropist Jane Engelhard was the co-chair of the “Romantic and Glamorous Hollywood Design” event in 1974 and the “American Women of Style” fete in 1975, before Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis took on the role in both 1976. It wasn’t until 1995 that Vogue’s editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour , came on board as the chairperson for the Costume Institute. Since 1997, she has been a co-chair for every Met Gala held in New York City.

In 2021, however, the fashion icon stepped back and took on the role of honorary co-chair for the first time. “I was very honored when they first asked me to become involved [with the gala] because there was such a tradition of Vogue always supporting the Met,” Wintour told the Business of Fashion in April 2017. “I thought of it with great affection and connection [when I first started at the magazine] and I think obviously we have opened it up to maybe a larger world than the society world that it was when Mrs.

[Diana] Vreeland was there. It was more society and fashion, and we broadened that.” In the early 2000s, Nicole Kidman found herself among the first Hollywood A-listers asked to be a co-chair by Wintour.

The honor has evolved over the decades that followed, with the 2021 list of co-chairs including actors, athletes, and designers. Poet Amanda Gorman joined Timothée Chalamet , Billie Eilish and Naomi Osaka as co-chairs at the return of the gala in September 2021, as the 2020 event was canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (The 2021 soiree was pushed to September as the virus continued to spread worldwide.

) “We really want people to have fun and enjoy dressing up again ,” Wintour said during a Good Morning America appearance that month. “We also want to see a lot of independence and individuality. And a different kind of spirit, something that breaks the rules a bit.

” You have successfully subscribed. By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive emails from Us Weekly Check our latest news in Google News Check our latest news in Apple News Ahead of the 2022 event, Wintour reminisced about the Met Gala and its legacy . “To me, what’s wonderful about the Met is that it’s such an incredible mix, and maybe there are some outlets to tend to the fantastical creations that you might see Monday night, but if you are a true fashion follower and you look at the carpet, you will see there is the most amazing mix,” she said during an April 2022 interview with the Washington Post .

“In that mix, are truly exquisite, couture or ready-to-wear by wonderful designers. Not everything at all, by any means, is a chandelier or a teapot or whatever it may be.” In January 2023, it was announced that Dua Lipa , Penélope Cruz , Michaela Coel , Roger Federer and Wintour would serve as co-chairs for the event on the first Monday in May, which would honor late Chanel and Fendi fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld with the theme “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.

” Scroll down to see all of the celebrities who have helped Wintour host and chair fashion’s biggest night of the year: Credit: Shutterstock (2) Met Gala Co-Chairs Through the Years: Dua Lipa, Blake Lively, Timothee Chalamet and More Toast of the town! The annual Met Gala has been the biggest night in fashion since the 1940s — and being a co-chair for the event has become a coveted title.The Met Gala was established in 1948 to raise money for then-newly founded Costume Institute. With the help of Vogue , which is a longtime partner for the event, the gala has evolved into the most talked-about night in the fashion industry.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute has housed the gala and the corresponding fashion exhibit since the early 1970s, but before that the Met Gala was held at a variety of New York City venues, including the Waldorf-Astoria, Central Park and the Rainbow Room.The role of celebrity and socialite co-chairs dates back to 1973. That year, there were two events: one in March and one in December, with Phyllis Ellsworth Dillon helming the second bash (the theme was “The 10s, the 20s, the 30s: Inventive Clothes: 1909–1939.

")[ami-related id="1508579" url="https://www.usmagazine.com/stylish/pictures/couples-who-made-red-carpet-debut-at-met-gala-pics/" title="Couples Who Made Their Red Carpet Debut at the Met Gala" target="_blank" thumb="false" imgsrc="https://www.

usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Kylie-Jenner-Travis-Scott-Couples-Who-Made-Their-Red-Carpet-Debut-at-the-Met-Gala.jpg?quality=86&strip=all" imgid="2314822" format="gallery" flag="" channel="33"]Philanthropist Jane Engelhard was the co-chair of the “Romantic and Glamorous Hollywood Design” event in 1974 and the “American Women of Style” fete in 1975, before Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis took on the role in both 1976.

It wasn’t until 1995 that Vogue’s editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour , came on board as the chairperson for the Costume Institute. Since 1997, she has been a co-chair for every Met Gala held in New York City. In 2021, however, the fashion icon stepped back and took on the role of honorary co-chair for the first time.

“I was very honored when they first asked me to become involved [with the gala] because there was such a tradition of Vogue always supporting the Met,” Wintour told the Business of Fashion in April 2017. “I thought of it with great affection and connection [when I first started at the magazine] and I think obviously we have opened it up to maybe a larger world than the society world that it was when Mrs. [Diana] Vreeland was there.

It was more society and fashion, and we broadened that.”[sendtonews type="float" key="kCYS80zwds-2831708-14453"]In the early 2000s, Nicole Kidman found herself among the first Hollywood A-listers asked to be a co-chair by Wintour. The honor has evolved over the decades that followed, with the 2021 list of co-chairs including actors, athletes, and designers.

Poet Amanda Gorman joined Timothée Chalamet , Billie Eilish and Naomi Osaka as co-chairs at the return of the gala in September 2021, as the 2020 event was canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (The 2021 soiree was pushed to September as the virus continued to spread worldwide.)[ami-related id="604" url="https://www.

usmagazine.com/stylish/pictures/best-met-gala-dresses-of-all-time-2015294/" title="See The Best Met Gala Dresses of All Time" target="_blank" thumb="false" imgsrc="https://www.usmagazine.

com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Look-Back-at-the-Most-Major-Fashion-Moments-in-Met-Gala-History-1.jpg?quality=86&strip=all" imgid="1507285" format="gallery" flag="" channel="33"]“We really want people to have fun and enjoy dressing up again ,” Wintour said during a Good Morning America appearance that month. “We also want to see a lot of independence and individuality.

And a different kind of spirit, something that breaks the rules a bit.”Ahead of the 2022 event, Wintour reminisced about the Met Gala and its legacy . “To me, what’s wonderful about the Met is that it's such an incredible mix, and maybe there are some outlets to tend to the fantastical creations that you might see Monday night, but if you are a true fashion follower and you look at the carpet, you will see there is the most amazing mix,” she said during an April 2022 interview with the Washington Post .

“In that mix, are truly exquisite, couture or ready-to-wear by wonderful designers. Not everything at all, by any means, is a chandelier or a teapot or whatever it may be.”In January 2023, it was announced that Dua Lipa , Penélope Cruz , Michaela Coel , Roger Federer and Wintour would serve as co-chairs for the event on the first Monday in May, which would honor late Chanel and Fendi fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld with the theme “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.

” Scroll down to see all of the celebrities who have helped Wintour host and chair fashion’s biggest night of the year: Credit: Anonymous/AP/Shutterstock 1976 and 1977 The former first lady served in the role for the “Glory of Russian Costume” gala and the “Vanity Fair: A Treasure Trove” event. Credit: Marzullo/Mediapunch/Shutterstock 1978 to 1994 Beginning in 1978, socialite Pat Buckley co-chaired the Met Gala. She holds the title for most helming the most events in the gala’s history with 17 total.

She was joined by Oscar de la Renta and Bill Blass for her final Met Gala in 1994, “Orientalism: Visions of the East in Western dress.” Credit: Shutterstock (2) 1995 The “Haute Couture”-themed night marked the first Met Gala that Wintour co-chaired and hosted. She worked alongside Annette de la Renta and Clarissa Bronfman .

Karl Lagerfeld and Gianni Versace were honorary co-chairs for the evening. Credit: Shutterstock (3) 1996 Elizabeth Tilberis, Marie-Chantal, the Crown Princess of Greece and Helene David-Weill took on the duty for the “Christian Dior”-themed event. Credit: Shutterstock (2) 1997 Wintour was back for the “Gianni Versace”-themed evening alongside Julia Koch and Patrick McCarthy .

The magazine editor has since been a co-chair at every Met Gala. Credit: Shutterstock (2) 1998 Miuccia Prada , Paula Cussi and socialite Pia Getty split the co-chair duties while celebrating “Cubism and Fashion.” Credit: Shutterstock (2) 1999 Wintour enlisted Tommy Hilfiger and Aerin Lauder to assist with the “Rock Style” event.

Credit: Shutterstock (2) 2001 Christina and Lindsay Owen-Jones , Annette and Oscar de la Renta and Carolina Herrera were co-chairs when the gala returned after one year off in 2000. Caroline Kennedy , the daughter of Jackie O. and John F.

Kennedy , was, fittingly, an honorary co-chair alongside her husband, designer Edwin A. Schlossberg , for the event, which was centered around “Jaqueline Kennedy: The White House Years.” Credit: Matt Baron/Shutterstock (2) 2003 Kidman and Tom Ford joined Wintour to ring in the “Goddess: The Classical Mode” theme after the a one-year hiatus.

Credit: Alan Davidson/Shutterstock (2) 2004 There were no co-chairs for the “Dangerous Liaisons: Fashion and Furniture in the 18th Century” event, but Jacob Rothschild and Jayne Wrightsman served as honorary chairs. Credit: Shutterstock (2) 2005 Kidman and Lagerfeld were co-chairs for the “House of Chanel” event alongside honorary chair Caroline, Princess of Hanover . Credit: Matt Baron/Shutterstock 2006 Sienna Miller and Christopher Bailey took the reigns for the “AngloMania: Tradition and Transgression in British Fashion” them.

Rose Marie Bravo and The Duke of Devonshire joined them as an honorary co-chair. Credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock 2007 Cate Blanchett and Nicolas Ghesquière were co-chairs with François-Henri Pinault as the honorary guest as celebrities celebrated “Poiret: King of Fashion.” Credit: Matt Baron/Shutterstock 2008 Ocean’s Eleven costars George Clooney and Julia Roberts split the duties for “Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy.

” Designer Giorgio Armani was the honorary co-chair. Credit: Matt Baron/Shutterstock (2) 2009 Kate Moss and Justin Timberlake took the helm for “The Model As Muse: Embodying Fashion” event with the help of designer Marc Jacobs in the honorary helper role. Credit: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock 2010 Oprah Winfrey and Patrick Robinson aided Wintour as the world of fashion honored the theme of “American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity.

” Credit: Shutterstock (2) 2011 Co-chairs Colin Firth and Stella McCartney were met by honorary co-chairs designer Pinault and Salma Hayek to embody the “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty” theme. Credit: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock 2012 Carey Mulligan co-chaired the “Schiparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations” event alongside designer Prada. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was an honorary guest.

Credit: Shutterstock (2) 2013 Wintour enlisted Rooney Mara , Lauren Santo Domingo and Riccardo Tisci as co-chairs, dubbing Beyoncé an honorary co-chair. The night toasted “Punk: Chaos to Couture.” Credit: Shutterstock (2) 2014 The “Charles James: Beyond Fashion” event was co-chaired by Bradley Cooper , Sarah Jessica Parker , Lauder, de la Renta, and Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch .

Credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock 2015 Jennifer Lawrence was joined by actress Gong Li , businesswoman Marissa Mayer and entrepreneur Wendi Murdoch while celebrating the fashions associated with “China: Through the Looking Glass.” Silas Chou was the honorary co-chair. Credit: Shutterstock (2) 2016 Taylor Swift and Idris Elba served alongside industrial and product designer Jonathan Ive when the “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology” even took over the Met.

Designers Ghesquière, Lagerfeld and Prada were all on hand in an honorary capacity. Credit: Andrew H Walker/Shutterstock 2017 Gisele Bündchen and husband Tom Brady co-chaired the “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology”-themed night with Katy Perry and Pharrell Williams . Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo made the group complete as the bonus chair.

Credit: Shutterstock (2) 2018 Amal Clooney , Rihanna and Donatella Versace joined forces to oversee the “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination”-inspired fete. Christine and Stephen A. Schwarzman were there in an honorary capacity.

Credit: Shutterstock (4) 2019 The “Camp: Notes on Fashion” event was co-chaired by Serena Williams , Harry Styles , Gucci’s Alessandro Michele and Lady Gaga . Credit: Shutterstock (4) 2020 Meryl Streep , Emma Stone , Lin-Manuel Miranda and French designer Ghesquière were named the co-chairs for the May occasion, which was ultimately canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic. The theme was set to be “About Time: Fashion and Duration.

” Credit: Shutterstock (4) 2021 “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion”-themed night was held in September amid pushbacks during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Poet and activist Gorman stood alongside Chalamet, Eilish and Osaka as co-chairs. Wintour, for her part, stepped back as an honorary co-chair with Ford and Adam Mosseri .

Credit: Matt Baron/Shutterstock (2) 2022 Blake Lively and husband Ryan Reynolds were named co-chairs with Regina King and Miranda as the gala returned to its place on the first Monday in May. The “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” centered night also had Ford and Mosseri and Wintour as co-chairs. Credit: Shutterstock (4) 2023 In addition to Wintour, singer Lipa, actresses Coel and Cruz and tennis player Federer were announced as co-chairs for the 2023 gala.

The event’s theme, “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” served as a tribute to the late Chanel designer, who died in 2019 at the age of 85. Credit: Kevin Mazur/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue 2024 For 2024's "Garden of Time" dress code, the co-chairs were quite a varied but equally stylish group: Jennifer Lopez , Zendaya , Bad Bunny and Chris Hemsworth all joined Wintour in hosting the annual affair — and their red-carpet looks pushed the sartorial envelope in more ways than one. From Lopez’s sparkling Schiaparelli Haute Couture confection to Zendaya’s three wardrobe changes of the night, which include the ocean blue gown by Maison Margiela's John Galliano and headpiece, seen above.

Credit: Getty Images (4) 2025 The theme for the 2025 costume exhibit is “Tailored for You.” The evening's co-chairs bring together a diverse mix of luminaries from the world of fashion, the arts, music and sports: Louis Vuitton Men's Creative Director Pharrell Williams , rapper ASAP Rocky , actor-playwright Colman Domingo and Formula 1 racecar driver Lewis Hamilton , while LeBron James has been named honorary co-chair. Chosen to set the tone at the Oscars of fashion, naturally, every 2025 co-chair has consistently landed on all of the best-dressed lists from Met Balls of the past.

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