Anna Wintour’s Met Gala rules that A-listers break year after year

The first Monday in May marks the annual Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit, and while the fashion extravaganza boasts one of the most star-studded red carpets of the year, the high-profile event isn’t exactly a wild party.  

Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour has chaired the black-tie fundraiser for the museum’s Costume Institute since 1995 and is meticulous in her planning of the event, which is understandable considering a single ticket costs a whopping $35,000. 

Despite the hefty price tag, she expects her A-list Met Gala guests to follow a strict set of guidelines while attending the exclusive bash — though there have been plenty of rule breakers over the years. 

In charge: Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, 69, has chaired the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit since 1995, and she has set plenty of rules for the event 

The annual event, which has been dubbed the ‘Oscars of Fashion,’ corresponds with the opening of the museum’s new spring fashion exhibit. Fittingly, the dress code always pays homage to the exhibition, which often leads to unforgettable red carpet looks.  

Not a fan: Gwyneth Paltrow once dubbed the Met Gala 'un-fun,' 'crowded,' and 'boiling'

Not a fan: Gwyneth Paltrow once dubbed the Met Gala ‘un-fun,’ ‘crowded,’ and ‘boiling’

This year’s theme is ‘Camp: Notes on Fashion,’ a nod to Susan Sontag’s 1964 essay ‘Notes on “Camp.”‘ In the essay, the writer explains ‘the essence of Camp is its love of the unnatural: of artifice and exaggeration.’ 

Wintour signs off on every single guest, including those invited by designers who buy tables. She approves every detail including the seating charts and has been known to ban certain celebrities.

Some celebrities, though, decide not to attend on their own. Gwyneth Paltrow dubbed it ‘un-fun,’ ‘crowded,’ and ‘boiling,’ while Amy Schumer called the ball ‘punishment.’

Wintour recently admitted that she has ‘no idea’ what people will be wearing when the show up to the Met Gala on Monday evening. 

And while she may admire guests who break the rules of fashion, there are specific guidelines attendees should follow if they want to stay in her good graces. 

Can't be tamed: The editor has banned cellphones at the Met Gala since 2015, but that didn't stop Kylie Jenner and others from snapping selfies in the bathroom at last year's bash

Can’t be tamed: The editor has banned cellphones at the Met Gala since 2015, but that didn’t stop Kylie Jenner and others from snapping selfies in the bathroom at last year’s bash 

Rebels: Kylie and her half-sister Kim Kardashian also broke Wintour's strict no-selfie rule

Rebels: Kylie and her half-sister Kim Kardashian also broke Wintour’s strict no-selfie rule 

Have to post: Kim couldn't resist snapping a selfie with Sarah Jessica Parker in 2018, even though Wintour is known to hate them

Have to post: Kim couldn’t resist snapping a selfie with Sarah Jessica Parker in 2018, even though Wintour is known to hate them 

No selfies 

In a world where publicity is of the utmost importance, it is hard to believe that celebrities would be discouraged from sharing selfies and personal photos from inside the Met Gala, but Wintour had done just that. 

Since 2015, the editor, who is known for hating selfies, has banned attendees from taking photos and videos on their cellphones in an effort to keep them from posting them on their social media pages.  

Of course, there are plenty of celebrities who break the rule year after year. Taking a bathroom selfie has become somewhat of a right of passage for the A-list attendees who are looking to give their fans a behind-the-scenes look at the gala. 

Kim Kardashian, her half-sister Kylie Jenner, and Ariana Grande were among those who couldn’t resist posing for selfies at last year’s event, and it’s likely that many people will be ignoring the unpopular ban on Monday evening as well.  

No cellphones 

Not only has Wintour banned her Met Gala guests from taking photos, but she has also forbidden cellphones all together because she wants her guests conversing. 

‘Anna is sort of an old-school traditionalist. She likes a dinner party where people are actually speaking to each other,’ former Met Gala planner Sylvana Durrett explained in ‘The First Monday in May,’ a documentary about the 2015 event.  

Durrett admitted that staffers will even go as far as checking on people’s cellphone usage throughout the night.  

‘We aren’t sitting over people’s shoulders, but if it’s an obvious thing we might gently remind them,’ she said. 

Law breaker: Smoking inside is illegal in New York City, but that didn't stop Dakota Johnson (pictured) and others from lighting up inside the museum in 2017

Law breaker: Smoking inside is illegal in New York City, but that didn’t stop Dakota Johnson (pictured) and others from lighting up inside the museum in 2017 

Time out: Bella Hadid puffed away near Lara Stone, Paris Jackson, and Ruby Rose (left to right) that year

Time out: Bella Hadid puffed away near Lara Stone, Paris Jackson, and Ruby Rose (left to right) that year 

Lighting up: Behati Prinsloo (center) also smoked near Taylor Hill (left) and Hailey Baldwin (right). At the time, donors wanted the smokers to be fined by the city

Lighting up: Behati Prinsloo (center) also smoked near Taylor Hill (left) and Hailey Baldwin (right). At the time, donors wanted the smokers to be fined by the city 

No smoking

It’s no secret that smoking indoors is illegal in New York City, but some celebrities acted like they were at a private house party when they lit up in the bathroom at the Met Gala in 2017.

Bella Hadid, Dakota Johnson, Behati Prinsloo, Marc Jacobs, and Frances Bean Cobain were among the stars who were photographed puffing away inside the event, much to the displeasure of museum donors. 

‘As a donor to the Met, I was so insulted to see all these “celebrities” smoking and taking selfies of themselves in the bathroom,’ one person told Page Six. 

‘Mostly, it’s disrespectful to the art collection, which needs to be kept 100 per cent smoke-free. I would honestly like to see these people fined by the city.’ 

No minors: Dancer and actress Maddie Ziegler, now 16, surprised people last year when she revealed she wouldn't be attending the Met Gala because she was too young

No minors: Dancer and actress Maddie Ziegler, now 16, surprised people last year when she revealed she wouldn’t be attending the Met Gala because she was too young

Last year’s invites specified that smoking was banned inside the museum, and there were also ‘No Smoking’ signs inside the venue. There were also reportedly staffers sniffing for smoke outside the bathrooms, according to Page Six. 

No messy foods or garlic breath 

Wintour takes great care in choosing the menu for the Met Gala, and she is quick to nix any foods that can get stuck in people’s teeth, cause bad breath, or are too sloppy to eat. 

In ‘The First Monday in May,’ one former Vogue spoke of the vast number of demands Wintour placed on the organizers in 2015. 

She banned parsley from served at the party ‘because you don’t want that stuck in your teeth.’ Dishes were also to be prepared without onion and garlic, which gives bad breath.  

Appetizers like bruschetta were also off the menu for fear of the difficult to eat dish landing on someone’s dress.

No minors 

Dancer and actress Maddie Ziegler, now 16, surprised people last year when she revealed she wouldn’t be attending the Met Gala because she was too young. 

‘I can’t go, because I’m not old enough!’ she told the Hollywood Reporter. 

Although Jaden and Willow Smith were underage when they attended the Met Gala in 2016, the rules have since changed. 

Planners confirmed to the Hollywood Reporter last year that minors will no longer be allowed to attend the extravaganza, saying ‘it was not an appropriate event for people under 18.’

Hands on: In 'The First Monday in May,' a documentary about the 2015 Met Gala, Wintour took great care when making the seating arrangements

Hands on: In ‘The First Monday in May,’ a documentary about the 2015 Met Gala, Wintour took great care when making the seating arrangements 

Sorry: Spouses aren't typically seated together because Wintour wants guests to mingle

Sorry: Spouses aren’t typically seated together because Wintour wants guests to mingle 

No publicists 

Most guests aren’t allowed to bring their personal publicists on their red carpet with them or inside the venue, according to Page Six. 

Without their publicists to help them navigate interviews, photo ops, and wardrobe malfunctions, celebrities are left to fend for themselves, which can add to the stress of the night. 

No spouses seated together 

The documentary ‘The First Monday in May’ reveals the level of tedious planning that goes into the seating arrangements a the gala. 

Can't say no: More often than not, celebrities who skip the event are not invited back unless they are Beyonce level famous. She singer is pictured at the Met Gala in 2016

Can’t say no: More often than not, celebrities who skip the event are not invited back unless they are Beyonce level famous. She singer is pictured at the Met Gala in 2016

‘A lot of thought goes into who sits next to who, if they sat together last year, if they’ve sat next to each other at other events, so much goes into it, it’s shocking,’ Durrett said. 

In one scene, it was revealed that Wintour seated George Clooney’s wife Amal several seats away from him at the 2015 Met Gala. 

The editor-in-chief was also less than pleased that another guest asked to bring her husband, but she relented on the condition that he didn’t spend the entire night on his cellphone.  

Durrett explained that Wintour doesn’t like to seat spouses next to each other because it prevents them from mingling. 

‘The whole point of these things is to meet new people, and to be interested in what others are doing. What’s the point if you come here to hang out with your husband?’ she said. 

Never refuse an invite — unless you are super famous 

It’s considered an honor to be invited to the Met Gala, and it has been reported that Wintour does not react kindly to those who turn her down. 

More often than not, celebrities who skip the event are not invited back unless they are Beyonce level famous.  

‘I know people who decided not to go one year because they weren’t around or didn’t like the theme,’ a socialite told Page Six in 2017. ‘Once you do that, you’re not invited back unless you’re triple A-list.’ 

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