Who founded the Met Gala, originally called the Costume Institute Benefit, in 1948?

Eleanor Lambert founded the Met Gala, originally called the Costume Institute Benefit, in 1948. Lambert was an influential American fashion publicist who helped establish fashion as a major part of New York’s cultural and media landscape.

The first benefit was created to raise money for the newly formed Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Unlike the modern event, the early benefit was a dinner held at different New York venues rather than a globally watched red-carpet spectacle at the museum.

Lambert’s role is sometimes confused with that of Diana Vreeland, who became a major creative force behind the Costume Institute’s exhibitions after joining the museum in 1973. Anna Wintour later transformed the gala’s scale and celebrity profile, but she was not its founder.

The event gradually developed into the Met Gala as audiences know it today: an annual benefit linked to a major Costume Institute exhibition and attended by leading figures from fashion, entertainment, business, and politics.