9 Ways To Get An Invite To The Met Gala

Yes, this one is easier said than done and may require serious prior planning, but the vast majority of Gala tickets are allocated to genetically blessed types who, in the immortal words of Zoolander, are so hot right now: from models and muses to major level talent from the words of film and music, Vogue's staffers are tasked with compiling a list of everyone who's anyone. They'll then ever-so-casually suggest that fashion brands bring said talent along as their guests. Expect designers to take stars with whom they have a pre-existing relationship: think the Kardashians and Balmain, Kate Hudson and Michael Kors and Jennifer Lawrence in Dior, but don't discount a few wild cards either…

The Met Gala is, in the first instance, a charitable event, originally launched to raise money for the Museum's Costume Institute, so parting with some serious cash will always be looked upon favourably by the organisers. We aren't talking, however, about throwing a few dollar bills into the 'suggested donations' box at the door. Long-time benefactors (typically uber-rich American royalty with the sort of Upper East Side surname you'd hear dropped in an episode of Gossip Girl) who have donated their time and their money to the Museum over many years can always expect a repeat invite. Then, there are the fashion houses and big brands who will pay anything from $75,000 to $250,000 (according to a StyleCaster report) to bag a table. The exact amount reportedly depends upon the size and clout of the brand in question, as well as its relationship with Vogue.

Again, this isn't one you can really plan for, but the nearest and dearest of Vogue editor Anna Wintour are regular fixtures on the Met's famously long red carpet: daughter Bea Shaffer (who will doubtless attend this year's event with her fiancé Francesco Carrozzini, son of the late Vogue Italia editor Franca Sozzani) and son Charlie can depend upon a ticket. Call it nepotism, but if your mum's work do was this fancy, you'd pull in a favour, too...

One major perk of having your name on the masthead of US Vogue is the fact that, at editor level, you're almost guaranteed to get a ticket to the Met Gala. Unsurprisingly, positions at the fashion bible (on both sides of the Atlantic, and around the world) are hard to come by...

Not every star on the Met Gala guest list will be blessed with a plus one, but a lucky handful of Wintour favourites will be allowed to bring along their current bae of choice. Naturally, though, it helps if you're a double threat power couple (see Gisele and Tom Brady, Kim and Kanye and Blake and Ryan). Time to start curating that Raya application for next year?

Remember the big brands that we talked about before? As well as allocating some table space to A-listers, they'll leave seats for top tier employees, too. Admittedly, we're talking CEO of Apple or creative director of Burberry rather than entry level positions, but reach for the stars… Last year's sponsors included Apple, Condé Nast, H&M and Farfetch.

It's only fair that the high-profile performers get to stick around for the rest of the evening. In 2017, co-host Katy Perry was on music duties, The Weeknd stepped up for 2016 while Rihanna did a greatest hits-style set in 2015 (after changing out of her now-iconic 'omelette' dress by Guo Pei). Plus, the performer typically gets to bring a date of their own: Kim Kardashian was reportedly 'banned' from the event by Anna Wintour in 2012, but attended as her then-fiancé's plus one the following year when Kanye West headlined the proceedings.

It's not as glamorous as attending as the guest of Burberry or YSL, sure, but from waiters to bartenders to PRs, staff will get an unrivalled view as proceedings play out on the first Monday in May. Publicists and assistants will even get to walk the red carpet with their charges, on hand to hold bags and assist with unwieldy trains (remember Beyoncé's 'dress guy' from 2013?)

Where possible, always be Beyoncé.