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- Anna Wintour, Vogue’s editor in chief, has been attending the Met Gala for nearly 40 years.
- As event chair, Wintour, 75, calls the shots, including who gets invited.
- Take a look at how Wintour’s Met Gala style has evolved since the 1980s.
It’s hard to picture a Met Gala without Anna Wintour.
Vogue’s editor in chief has played an integral role in organizing the most talked-about fashion event of the year for 30 years, as she first co-chaired the fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in 1995.
The gala has become more extravagant with Wintour, now 75, at the helm. As the guest list became increasingly star-studded, the cost of a Met Gala ticket skyrocketed from around $2,000 to $75,000.
Author Amy Odell, who wrote “Anna: The Biography,” told the Italian women’s publication Grazia in 2016 that Wintour doesn’t choose the theme. Still, she wields considerable control over how it runs. Importantly, Wintour decides who gets an invite — and is known to approve almost every outfit worn on the Met Gala red carpet.
Take a look back at every look Wintour herself has worn for fashion’s biggest night.
Wintour wore a sparkly gold top for the 1989 Met Gala, which was themed “The Age of Napoleon: Costume from Revolution to Empire, 1789-1815.”
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Wintour became the editor in chief of Vogue in 1988, a little over a year before the 1989 Met Gala.
The silhouette of Wintour’s statement top nodded to the event’s theme, as her pearl necklace and double-breasted top resembled the jackets soldiers wore during Bonaparte’s reign.
Wintour let her top be the focus of her ensemble, pairing it with a black skirt and tights.
Wintour kept her outfit simple for the 1990 Met Gala.
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The Met Gala theme in 1990 was “Théâtre de la Mode — Fashion Dolls: The Survival of Haute Couture.”
Some attendees wore funky looks to the event, but it wasn’t common for people to dress to theme at the time. Wintour kept her look simple in a silky minidress and trench coat.
Wintour attended the 1993 Met Gala in a purple gown, which honored former Vogue editor Diana Vreeland.
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Wintour stepped out at the “Diana Vreeland: Immoderate Style” gala in a silky purple dress with an asymmetrical hemline and a white cardigan.
Wintour’s dress for the “Orientalism: Visions of the East in Western dress” gala in 1994 featured lace detailing.
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Wintour’s silver, silky dress hit her mid-thigh, and the bodice was covered in sheer lace. She paired the daring dress with a fuzzy coat featuring black and white stripes and a yellow necklace.
Wintour co-chaired the Met Gala for the first time in 1995, attending the “Haute Couture” event in an ivory halterneck gown.
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For her debut as a Met Gala co-chair, Wintour nailed the straightforward theme of the night in a sleek, silky-looking floor-length white gown with matching opera gloves and minimal jewelry.
The look was refined and elegant, encapsulating the “Haute Couture” theme of the 1995 Met Gala, sponsored by designers Karl Lagerfeld and Gianni Versace.
Wintour wasn’t co-chair in 1996, but she attended the “Christian Dior” event in a floral gown.
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The 1996 event paid tribute to Christian Dior, and Wintour arrived in a dress designed by John Galliano, who started his 14-year tenure at Dior later the same year.
The figure-hugging dress had a floral pattern and delicate spaghetti straps. She also wore a statement necklace and her iconic sunglasses.
Wintour became co-chair again in 1997, arriving in a gold dress for the Gianni Versace-themed Met Gala.
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The 1997 Met Gala paid homage to Gianni Versace, who had died after being shot in Miami months prior.
The late designer was known for his love of working with metal embellishments and gold tones, so it’s no wonder that Wintour took that on board with her look for the evening: a shimmery, liquid-like gold gown with thin spaghetti straps.
She paired it with coordinating stilettos and a sparkly silver necklace.