This illustrious annual fundraising black-tie event was begun in 1948 and, since then, has always been held on the first Monday in May. It was started by publicist Eleanor Lambert and has been organized by chairwomen Anna Wintour, who is also Condé Nast’s artistic director and Editor-In-Chief of American Vogue, since 1999. This “party of the year” or “super bowl of fashion” benefits the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City and becomes more fantastic every year. This international party cocktail consists of famous celebrities, politicians, and successful business people mixed with the top people in the global fashion industry who all come together to raise money for the Costume Institute.

Last year, the event raised more than $12.5 million which is not surprising considering this year individual seats cost $30,000 apiece and tables can range anywhere from $75,000 to $250,000, often depending on the size of a brand and their relationship with Vogue. There is also always a major corporate sponsor; this year it was Apple. This exclusively elite extravaganza also marks the grand opening of the Costume Institute’s annual exhibit which is why there is a different theme for the guests’ attire every year.

This year’s exhibit is Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology and guests are often suggested to comply with the theme and appear in amazing one-of-kind, avant-garde, haute couture pieces. The exhibit itself features over 170 pieces and includes both handmade haute couture and machine-made ready-to-wear from the early 20th century up to the present; you can view it now until Aug. 14 in the Robert Lehman Wing at the Met in NYC.

Since this is the fashion event of the year, top designers go all out and bring several celebrities and models to show off their works of art and promote their brand or design house. Correspondingly, many of these top designers and celebrities are asked to be co-hosts and honorary chairs. This year the co-hosts included the chief design officer of Apple, Jonathan Ive, the actor Idris Elba, and musician Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift was also on the cover of Vogue's May issue in which an article promotes the exhibit and the event. The honorary chairs for this year included Louis Vuitton's artistic director Nicolas Ghesquière, Chanel's head designer and creative director Karl Lagerfeld, and the businesswomen behind Prada and Miu Miu, fashion designer Miuccia Prada. Side note: It is worth remarking that Karl Lagerfeld did not attend this year’s gala because he was preparing for his groundbreaking Chanel Cruise show in Cuba.

This year’s gala held on the second of May included 610 invitation-only guests, all hand-picked and approved by Anna Wintour. It is so exclusive that there is a wait-list to get onto the invitation list, so don’t even think about buying your way in either. This gala is so exclusive that usage of social media post red carpet is banned, along with taking selfies throughout the entire event. Due to the ban, what happens inside is kept a secret; however, I have found the basic information on what the world’s most famous guests are entitled to once they receive the coveted invitation via New York Times writer Vanessa Friedman and her article, "What Is the Met Gala and Who Gets to Go?" After walking down the meticulously timed incredibly long red carpet, guests greet the hosts down a receiving line.

They then tour the exhibit on the way to a cocktail party. Once dinner is served, everyone gets treated to a performance by a famous musician; this year The Weeknd performed. Besides being a huge marketing event for Vogue, the Met, and top fashion designers, the gala is also a huge networking event and if you have had a chance to view the newly released documentary "The First Monday in May" then you are aware that the color-coded seating chart is everything.

One can only dream of attending this marvelous ball. If you are honored with the prestigious invitation, what you choose to wear can either make you a fashion legend for all time or hauntyou forever. Everyone agrees that Cher was absolutely iconic at the 1974 Met Gala in Bob Mackie; however, can you remember what Lindsay Lohan wore to the 2006 Met Gala? No! Because it was irrelevant. Designers have to bring their A-game in order to dress the beautiful celebrities otherwise the Internet will troll the garments and people will only remember the memes, if anything at all. In order to be one of the best dressed of the night, the attire should comply with the theme of the exhibit and be beyond fabulous. Some highlights from this year’s gala included actress Claire Danes in Zac Posen. Can you say Cinderella from the future? Posen created one of his signature show-stopping princess-esque gowns for his longtime friend and the best part of this creation is that it illuminates! This whimsical pale-sky-blue gown took the Posen team 600 hours to complete! It is a one-of-a-kind, hand-sewn masterpiece, crafted from organza and fiber-optics.

Another favorite was supermodel Karolína Kurková in a Marchesa collaboration with IBM's Watson. Together they created a “compassionate dress” using cognitive technology that analyzed the tweets from the night using the #MetGala and the actual emotions of the fans as the night unfolded. Kuková’s work of art included gorgeous flowers each imbedded with an individual LED light and the gown lit up in real-time with different colors depending on the mood of fans’ interactive tweets. This unparalleled futuristic collaboration showcased the ability of technology to enhance imagination and the unique creative potential of building with IBM's Watson.

Essentially, Zac Posen and Marchesa collectively won. Louis Vuitton was an epic fail and I won’t even talk about Moschino. Prada was just nada, and Gucci wasn’t particularly impressive either. The same goes for Givenchy who created some interesting pieces; however, I am personally not a fan. Balmain dressed about a third of the guests in basic metallic sparkle gowns that poses the question, “Does Olivier Rousteing actual have any creativity left?” The answer is no by the way. Everyone else looked nice and put together, like beloved couple, actor Jason Statham and model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, both dressed in Ralph Lauren, actress Amber Heard in Ralph Lauren or actress Amandla Stenberg in Calvin Klein, which was good but not extremely memorable. Others tried to comply with the theme but it wasn’t the best we’ve ever seen. For example: Sarah Jessica Parker, who is usually on point, in the emerging brand Monse. Or the guests went along with the theme but failed like the new It couple, Gigi Hadid in custom Tommy Hilfiger and Zayn Malik in Versace. The rest of the guests either looked awful or ridiculous.

Everyone has their own personal favorites but, in my individual opinion, maybe 10 percent of the guests were the entire package of majestic and on theme, about 40 percent looked great but they were nothing special, and the rest of the 50 percent was a ridiculous absurdity. It’s not really surprising though considering who Anna Wintour actually approved. For example, all the Kardashians, minus Khloe and Kourtney, were in attendance. On a serious side note, the fashion industry needs to stop using them for more attention, coverage, and click bait. Additionally, Kylie Jenner’s boyfriend rapper Tyga made the cut. Really Anna? In what world? Kayne West has been approved for several other Met Galas before and I’m disgusted by the fact that he came in jeans, which is the complete opposite to this year’s white-tie dress code. It was truly appalling. Cameron Dallas, a totally irrelevant vine star who happened to land a Calvin Klein campaign, which looks awful by the way, was also invited, but (surprise!) didn’t receive that much attention.

At this rate, I might get invited to the 2018 Met Gala. I can picture it now, once a highly prestigious event taken over by the irrelevant wannabe fashionistas, models, or celebrities who were invited based on their millions of social media followers. Is Anna not aware that a lot of those accounts are run by robots? I might have to start dating a celebrity or model so I can attend it and check it off my bucket list. However, we must all pray to the fashion gods, consisting of some of the greats like Coco Chanel, Alexander McQueen, and Yves Saint Laurent, in hope that someday the fashion industry will return to its original glory and in turn the Met Gala will shine bright once again.