WhileThe Devil Wears Prada 2 opening this weekend will no doubt be fashion’s top drama at the box office, Monday night’s Met Ball will have plenty of its own. Sure, its theme “Fashion Is Art” is true — but lest we forget, it’s also commerce.
This Monday’s Met Gala — “fashion’s biggest night of the year,” as the cliché goes — will deliver beaucoup theatrical looks, with Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and of course Vogue’s Anna Wintour as co-chairs, and a host committee that includes Saint Laurent’s Anthony Vaccarello, Doja Cat, Elizabeth Debicki, Teyana Taylor, Lena Dunham and Zoë Kravitz. But the intrigue off the red carpet runs just as hot, with billionaires Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos as co-chairs and Amazon as lead sponsor. That’s the commerce part. The Bezos pair are being accused online of “buying their way into culture.”Whatever worksis no doubt their sentiment.
The first question: will Amazon’s involvement drive celebrities away? With the anti-oligarch/anti-tech activist group Everyone Hates Elon (@everyonehateselon) papering New York for the past month with “Boycott the Bezos Met Ball” — and social media speculation that celebs who do show up might get “Bezos-listed” — the pressure is real. Of course, some famous faces have never needed a political reason to skip: Jennifer Aniston, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling and The Rock have never attended. But Zendaya, after seven straight years as Met Ball star, is sitting this one out. Is it a political boycott? Or is she simply feeling a little overexposed, with four movies out in 2026? Lady Gaga’s name has also yet to appear on any confirmed list.
The biggest name not attending is Wintour’s onscreen doppelganger, Meryl Streep — who was set to co-chair a number of years ago, before she backed out. Word is she was invited to co-chair again this year, and her well-documented friendship with Wintour certainly seems to suggest an offer was made. But Amy Odell — who wrote the book on Anna Wintour, literally — and many social media talking heads believe Streep is flatly opposed to Bezos’ involvement, and passed on Wintour’s invitation. Since she’s never actually set foot in the place, hard to say. One thing we know: Streep has never been shy about her politics.
A few rumors circulating: Emily Blunt is attending, though husband John Krasinski is skipping. Krasinski was meant to wear an important L.A.-based menswear designer — as was Seth Meyers, who is also going. Blunt is reportedly seated with what may be the evening’s star guest outside of Beyoncé: Tom Ford, making a rare public appearance since selling his brand. So naturally she’s wearing an original Tom Ford — not a design by Haider Ackermann, his recently appointed successor — a runway sample that was never produced.
Many of the brand allegiances will be no surprise: Kidman is contracted to Chanel, Kravitz to Saint Laurent, Anne Hathaway to Prada — and with Vaccarello as one of the hosts, expect more Saint Laurent on the red carpet than at any Met Ball in recent memory.
Will celebs dress in homage to art-world fashion history: an Elsa Schiaparelli surrealist number? A Mondrian-inspired YSL dress? A Versace/Warhol collab? “Fashion Is Art” is open to a lot of interpretations. As for the tech bros: Mark Zuckerberg and his wife attended a recent Prada show; Silicon Valley billionaire Bryan Johnson hit the Paris shows — expect a contingent of their peers Monday night. Not in their usual jeans and hoodies, but in whatever Anna Wintour has selected for them. Despite being kings of the world, in this world, Anna still reigns.