May in Events
Announcing a virtual MET Gala debrief and a special Substack reading party
Coming in hot on the first Tuesday in May (see what I did there), join me as I moderate a virtual MET Gala debrief with fashion historians and critics Kimberly Jenkins, Jonathan Michael Square and Darnell-Jamal Lisby.
The Costume Institute announcing “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” as its 2025 focus is a big moment for Black history, marking the first time the museum has ever dedicated a fashion exhibition to Black culture (since 1937!)
I think it’s fair to say that there is quite a bit of apprehension within the Black community, which Robin Ghivan eloquently articulated on The Washington Post, “The exhibition will have to contend with the tension between performance and caricature, theatrics and minstrelsy.”
I will expand on this sentiment and the Black dandy theme in an upcoming essay, but the Costume Institute has our curiosity piqued and I’m willing to bet the viewership/attendance will reach a new record this year.
For context, this was the last MET Gala in numbers:
Condé Nast says that the Met Gala livestream had 74 million views across its owned platforms (i.e. Vogue.com) as well as on YouTube and TikTok, up 30 percent from a year ago. And it had 2.1 billion total video views in its first seven days across all video content made for the Met Gala, including livestream, replays, clips on its owned-and-operated platforms, social and YouTube, up 73 percent from last year.
More eyes will be on the event this year than ever before, and it will raise questions that will need to be addressed. Get into it!
Register for the virtual event here.
Next weekend, I will be hosting a Substack reading party to celebrate Market Appointment’s one-year anniversary. There will be live readings, copious amounts of wine and cheese, and a surprise performance 👀
This event is exclusively for paid subscribers ♥️ Details and RSVP info below.