Every year the first Monday in May is a very special day for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. That date is the grand opening of a new major fashion exhibition and the biggest fundraiser for the costume institute. The MET has been working towards proving that fashion is in fact an art form and not just simply consumerism. This idea was frequently dismissed until the early 2010s when the Alexander McQueen exhibit rocked the fashion world, touched peoples’ hearts, and populated the museum. Although this idea has still not been completely accepted the MET is making large advances. The First Monday In May is documentary that explores the 2014 exhibition and the MET gala. Lets discuss the highlights below.

      Andrew Bolton and Harold Kota, two curators at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, worked very closely with Anna Wintour and the entire vogue team to build this great event. The exhibition for 2014 was called “China: Through The Looking Glass” and it combined Chinese artifacts with couture garments from Chinese and western designers inspired by China. The goal was to make an exhibit so grand that explored the history of china without seeming inauthentic. There were many challenges they had to overcome like social opinions and political approval.  About eight months before opening day serious planning was underway and the storyboard with all the different sections of the exhibition was coined “The Great Wall of China.” They included a section on the traditional blue and white porcelain (which was my favorite) and some color specific rooms like gold and red and many more. Inspiration was drawn from Chinese history and films like In The Mood For Love and actress Anna May Wong. The exhibition in total was three times the size of any previous exhibit encompassing the basement of the museum and part of the second floor. 150 costumes created by over 40 designers like John Galliano and Yves Saint Laurent were displayed and over 800 thousand people traveled to see China: Through The Looking Glass.