It’s Called the Met Gala, but It’s Definitely Anna Wintour’s Party
Attendance at the gala “is something you now have to consider as part of a strategy for any designer in the world,” said Ed Filipowski, co-president of the public relations and production firm KCD. “No other international event even comes close.”
.. And, given the shadow economy of Hollywood fueled by beauty contracts and brand ambassadorships, celebrity guests have their own compelling business reasons to attend, according to Bryon Lourd, chairman and managing director of Creative Artists Agency.
.. “A lot of actresses aspire to the cover of Vogue,” Mr. Lourd said. “It’s the gold standard. And Anna absolutely controls that.” As a result, he added, “There are a lot of people who would like her to like them.” And not just actresses.
.. The evening represents an enormous investment of time and manpower as well as money on the part of Condé Nast. “It positions them as the classiest publishing company in the world,” David Patrick Columbia, editor of New York Social Diary, said. “You can’t fault it as a business decision.”
.. “When it comes to increasing name recognition and profile, nothing compares,” Mr. Filipowski said. “The effect lasts far beyond one evening. A dress gets associated with a celebrity, and then becomes known as the dress XX wore to the ball, and becomes part of history.”