Celebrities prepare for Met Gala red carpet

1. What it is really like inside the secretive Met Gala

   

   Brandon Drenon

   Reporting from the red carpet

   Very few people, excluding the invitees, have been inside the Met during the Met Gala – but I have.

   I moved to New York City from Los Angeles, in 2013, called here – like many others – in hopes of becoming a fashion model.

   The modelling agency that represented me partnered with a catering company that hired models for its high-profile events, like the Met Gala.

   I was part of a vast network of servers, handing off bottles of booze and plates of food to one server, who would hand it to another server, who would gently put it on the table between chattering celebs.

   At the end of the night, one thing that struck me was that most of the food on the plates appeared untouched.

   The champagne bottles, however, were mostly empty.

2. Buzz builds behind the scenes

   

   Brandon Drenon

   Reporting from the red carpet

   

   BBCCopyright: BBC

   It’s like a mini Met Gala back here in the holding area for the press.

   Well-heeled TV correspondents are draped in sparkling gowns.

   Camera men are dressed in black suits, black ties and black shades, the same colour as the tripods and cameras perched nearby.

   It’s the buzz before the buzz.

   “I’ve been writing the story for this from the desk for 15 years,” one journalist ecstatically told another. “This is my first time actually here.”

   We're being led out to the red carpet now to find our places.

3. What is the Met Gala’s place in pop culture?

   

   Steven McIntosh

   Entertainment reporter

   The Met Gala has been running annually since 1965 - with the exception of 2020 due to Covid lockdowns.

   Since 1995, the gala has been chaired or co-chaired by Vogue editor Dame Anna Wintour, one of the most powerful and influential figures in fashion.

   The purpose of the gala is to raise money for the Costume Institute, the fashion wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

   But the Met Gala is primarily seen as a highly exclusive social event, as well as the biggest night in the fashion calendar.

   A magnet for A-listers, the gala has wider reach than ever in the age of social media, as fans pore over the outfits - with the most outlandish ones often going viral.

   Regular attendees include Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Billie Eilish.

   This year, Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny and Chris Hemsworth are co-chairs of the event.

4. Welcome to fashion's night of nights

   

   Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

   It’s the first Monday in May, which means it’s time for the Met Gala - the biggest night in fashion.

   This year’s theme is the Garden of Time, a dress code inspired by the Costume Institute’s exhibit on at the Met this evening: Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.

   The red carpet kicks off at 18:00 local time (23:00 BST) and some of the most famous celebrities in entertainment and fashion will grace the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

   Follow along as we bring you pictures of the best dressed, and interviews live from the red carpet.