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\u201cThe First Monday in May<\/a>\u201d is one of the most important days of the fashion year \u2014 it marks the night of the Met Gala. This themed and exclusive event welcomes creatives from different walks of life <\/strong>into the Metropolitan Museum of Art<\/a> to celebrate fashion. Whether that celebration be in honor of the career of Alexander McQueen or the history of dandyism<\/a>, the Met Gala\u2019s mission is to enlist the aid of fashion-forward socialite sponsors to fund the Costume Institute \u2014 simultaneously satisfying the public\u2019s desire to access fashion, with both couture and historical pieces made available to view for each year\u2019s exhibit.<\/p>\n Most adoring fashion fans, like myself, watch the event from behind a screen. Even from my small town, I prepare my critical eye as if I were Miranda Priestly in \u201cThe Devil Wears Prada,\u201d absorbing everything unfolding from the Vogue livestream. As each look stuns on the carpet, we anxiously wait to see which star will grace our eyes next. I like to call it the \u201cSuper Bowl of Fashion\u201d because no one dares to change the channel while the Met Gala is on. Anna Wintour and Cond\u00e9 Nast<\/a> have done a marvelous job over the years, continuing to excite us with a fashion media event fit for the masses. According to Vogue<\/a>, this past year\u2019s livestream captured 74 million views, generating $1.4 billion in online coverage and social media advertisement value alone.<\/p>\n But what happens when the camera cuts and the last star disappears? I\u2019m not talking about when the last look is posted on Instagram. After each star glides up the stairs \u2014or in the case of Tyla, is carried in a custom sand Balmain gown<\/a> \u2014 they will enter the museum to begin the most mysterious portion of the night, which takes place out of the eyes of the public: The actual gala. Usually, the evening the public gets a view of consists of content creation, a group dinner and a major performance<\/a>, but the private tour that guides each guest through the Met\u2019s Costume Institute is the more important event of the night, and one that we don\u2019t get invited to.<\/p>\n I\u2019m mesmerized <\/strong>when archival pieces are brought back to life on the red carpet or when my favorite celebrities model custom haute couture garments, but we cannot let the true purpose of the event be lost among the noise of the media. Viewers at home often forget that the Met Gala\u2019s main purpose is to unveil the Met Costume Institute\u2019s annual exhibit, which has undergone a year of curation and research by the Met\u2019s historians and the entire Vogue staff. Our favorite Met Gala attendees may walk the carpet and earn the title of best-dressed, but a select few can also act as co-chairs<\/a> to help fund the Costume Institute. Past stars that have held this co-chair title include Zendaya, Bad Bunny and Rihanna.<\/p>\n