It may not be the first Monday in May, but the second Monday in September is shaping up to be pretty spectacular.
Sixteen months after the 2020 event was canceled, the 2021 Met Gala is taking place at long last on Sept. 13, the photogenic steps leading into the Metropolitan Museum of Art being readied right this minute to become the most exciting, celebrity-packed runway in the world for one special night.
The theme for the Costume Institute's almost-annual benefit and accompanying exhibit is "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion," which in two parts (the first on display now, the second coming next May) will examine how the country's ever-evolving social tides have influenced fashion—and vice versa. Billie Eilish, Timothée Chalamet, Amanda Gorman and Naomi Osaka are this year's co-chairs, along with perennial chairwoman Anna Wintour, who's been overseeing the event since 1995.
Arrivals begin at 5:30 p.m. ET, the menu will be plant-based and the looks promise to be epic.
And with the world still only inching (millimetering?) toward a semblance of normalcy, feel free to let everything the Met Gala has to offer, from the over-the-top couture and the fierce people wearing it to the many stars caught in candid moments of glee, celebration and side-eye, be a balm for your weary soul.
It is, after all, the closest thing New York has to a fairy-tale ball: It's the hottest ticket in town, guests must find something suitable to wear and Zendaya let one of her glass slippers slide off for effect while channeling Cinderella in 2019.
But even at an event where almost every arrival makes headlines, some memories linger for a reason. So to help get your pre-party (and your weekend, happy Friday!) started, relive these 15 unforgettable Met Gala moments:
And we can't wait to make some new memories on Monday.