The annual Met Gala is regarded as one of the most significant sartorial fixtures of the year.
On the first Monday of May, A-listers from the worlds of entertainment, politics, fashion and beyond grace the red carpet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York City for the event.
This year, Lady Gaga, Serena Williams, Harry Styles and Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele have been made co-chairs at the event, alongside Vogueeditor-in-chief Anna Wintour.
The theme for the 2019 Met Gala is "Camp: Notes on Fashion", taking inspiration from an essay on the topic penned in 1964 by writer Susan Sontag.
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Welcome to The Independent's live blog for this year's Met Gala, following every update from the biggest fashion event of the year.
The Met Gala takes place at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York City on the first Monday in May.
This year, the theme for the sartorial spectacle is "Camp: Notes on Fashion".
While the Met Gala is a night of celebration and frivolity, the high-profile guests who attend the event are expected to adhere to a certain set of rules.
These include being mindful of the amount of time they spend on their phones scrolling their social media during the evening, and refraining from smoking in the museum's bathrooms, as several celebrity attendees have done in the past.
This year, the Met Gala co-chairs are Lady Gaga, Harry Styles, Serena Williams and Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele.
The quartet are serving as co-chairs alongside Anna Wintour, who has been a chair of the event since 1995 (excluding 1996 and 1998).
Styles is the only one of the co-chairs to have never attended the gala before.
Meanwhile, over the years Gaga and Williams have worn a variety of dazzling designs on the Met Gala red carpet, by designers including Versace and Oscar de la Renta.
On Saturday, Lady Gaga shared a photo on Instagram revealing that she's on her way to the Met Gala.
The singer showed off the "camp" outfit she wore on her journey, which consisted of a Marc Jacobs lemon-patterned dress and a green, checkered shirt tied around her waist.
"Met Gala here we come. Destination 'Camp', so excited to co-chair Anna's event," Gaga wrote in the caption to accompany the picture.
"And I didn't shave my legs for four days which really completes the look," she added.
Actor Laverne Cox has arrived on the red carpet. wearing a black ruffled Christian Siriano gown “inspired by fantasy".
She finished the look with pastel green hair and matching eyeshadow.
Model Ashley Graham is wearing a custom Gucci blazer designed in collaboration with Dapper Dan for the Met Gala 2019
On Sunday, Met Gala co-chair Serena Williams released a video on Twitter discussing the upcoming event.
The tennis player revealed that she's actually going to be training on the morning of the annual Costume Institute benefit.
"This year's theme is 'camp'. Camp is avant-garde, it's extreme," Williams stated.
Williams said she's been going "back and forth" with her chosen fashion designer planning her outfit for the gala.
The first Monday in May has become known as the date on which the Met Gala is held every year.
However, many people may be unaware of how this came to be.
While the Met Gala has taken place on the first Monday in May for the past 14 years, the annual benefit for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute used to be held in winter.
To find out more, click on the link below.
One individual who has made her mark at the Met Gala on multiple occasions is singing sensation Rihanna.
While rumours are circulating on social media that Rihanna may not be attending this year's fashion spectacle, we've taken a look back at all of her extravagant looks over the years.
From the papal-inspired ensemble designed by John Galliano to the ornate yellow gown created by Guo Pei which took two years to make, take a look at the eight times the star graced the Met Gala red carpet:
While the actual Met Gala is not televised, outlets will be live-streaming the red carpet as stars from the worlds of entertainment, fashion, politics and beyond arrive at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York.
For everything you need to know about how to watch the annual fashion spectacle, click on the link below:
Met Gala co-chair Harry Styles was photographed in New York on Sunday evening as he attended Anna Wintour's pre-Met Gala dinner.
This year will mark the first time the singer has attended the annual Costume Institute benefit event.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute has released images from its new exhibition, "Camp: Notes on Fashion".
The exhibition will be open to the public from Thursday 9 May until Sunday 8 September.
"The largest section of the exhibition is devoted to how elements discussed in Sontag’s essay—including irony, humor, parody, pastiche, artifice, theatricality, and exaggeration—are expressed in fashion," the museum states on Twitter.
Lady Gaga made a bold fashion statement as she arrived at the pre-Met Gala dinner in New York on Sunday evening.
The star wore a black and white striped ruffled dress by Marc Jacobs, which she paired with an extravagant fascinator by Philip Treacy.
"Met Gala countdown," the singer wrote on Instagram.
Kim Kardashian has shared a throwback picture from last year's Met Ball, where she wore a dazzling, gold gown embossed with crosses by Versace.
"Happy Met Monday!!!" the reality star wrote in the caption.
Singer Kacey Musgraves has hinted at her Met Gala outfit, sharing a picture on Twitter of a pair of miniature sunglasses.
"YOU BETTER WEAR THOSE," one fan tweeted in response.
Model Irina Shayk is set to appear at the Met Gala wearing a dress specially made for her by Riccardo Tisci, chief creative officer of Burberry.
Mindy Kaling shared a throwback to every one of her Met Gala looks throughout the years, including one from the 2018 film Ocean's 8.
Ahead of the Met Gala, model Karlie Koss has shared glimpses into her pre-gala preparation, which included a facial she called the "craziest and fastest facial ever".
Kim Kardashian has shared her Met Gala looks from the past five years on Twitter, as well as how she felt about each outfit.
Starting with her first time attending the Met Gala in 2013, the reality star and makeup mogul, dressed in Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy, recalled she was "so nervous" because she didn't know anyone.
The 2014 Met Gala was the first time Kardashian was invited on her own and she wore Alber Elbaz for Lanvin.
For her third Met Gala in 2015, Kardashian wore Peter Dundas for Roberto Cavalli - Dundas first dress designing for Cavalli. According to the reality star, she was two months pregnant with her son Saint and "desperately trying to hide it".
