The Met Gala is without a doubt the most hotly-anticipated event on the global fashion calendar.
The event was started by US Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour as a charity benefit held to raise funds for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Each year, celebrity guests dress according to the theme, and their outrageous and fabulous outfits, designed by the world's most notable designers, serve as a fashionable feast for the eyes.
READ MORE: Why the 'Karl Lagerfeld' Met Gala theme is so controversial
As this year's gala creeps closer, let's take a look at all the details we know so far.
The best Met Gala looks of all time View Gallery
Who is invited?
Until the evening before the Met Gala, the guest list is top-secret. However, we already know one major star is going to be absent from the event, and it's come as a huge disappointment to fans.
Deep breaths: Blake Lively will not be at the 2023 Met Gala.
Yes, the Blake Lively who has worn some of the most jaw-dropping looks in recent Met Gala history will not be on the red carpet.
The Gossip Girl star broke the sad news during the recent re-opening of the Tiffany & Co. Fifth Avenue, telling reporters they wouldn't be seeing her on the First Monday in May.
"But I will be watching," she added, though didn't explain why she's giving the event a miss. (It could be related to the fact she recently welcomed her fourth child?)
There are also claims on social media that Anne Hathaway won't be there either; the star hasn't attended the Met Gala since 2019.
At the other end of the spectrum, one star will be making their debut this year: Paris Hilton.
READ MORE: Every Aussie celebrity to have scored an invite to the Met Gala
The socialite will be gracing the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the first time, as confirmed by TMZ and Page Six.
Hilton reportedly received the invite from Vogue and the designer of her look for the event, who has yet to be revealed.
The heiress was well acquainted with the late designer Karl Lagerfeld, whose life and work is the focus of the 2023 Gala's theme.
Hilton has long collected Chanel bags and Lagerfeld was the creative director at the fashion label for years.
The starlet even posed with Lagerfeld at a Dom Perignon party in 2006, along with her friend and former assistant Kim Kardashian, who has also confirmed her attendance at the Gala.
Kardashian surprised everyone when she lay the rumours to rest with a simple series of pictures featuring none other than Choupette Lagerfeld, the late designer's cat.
The star spent time curled up with the kitty before taking to Lagerfeld's offices in Paris to get some inspiration for her Met Gala outfit, straight from the source.
"Had a date with @choupetteofficiel in Paris. We then spent some time at @karllagerfeld's office to get a little inspiration for the Met," she posted alongside several images on Instagram.
Kardashian's attendance was initially up in the air, with rumours Anna Wintour would be snubbing the SKIMS founder and the rest of her family at this year's event.
This may have been in part due to the controversy Kardashian caused at last year's Met Gala, choosing to wear the late Marilyn Monroe's dress.
The event's purpose is to raise funds for the Met's costume department, which is dedicated to the preservation of historical fashion – something Kardashian seemingly ignored with her outfit choice.
It was later revealed the dress also sustained significant damage while she wore it.
However, Page Six later reported that a source confirmed Kim Kardashian had been invited to the coveted event, despite previously being told otherwise.
She is expected to be attending with another member of her family, with many speculating that her younger sister, model Kendall Jenner will be the other lucky attendee.
As for the rest of the Kar-Jenner brood – though they all made an appearance at last year's gala, the other reality TV sisters and 'momager' Kris Jenner may have been unceremoniously snubbed from the 2023 invite list entirely by Anna Wintour herself.
There was speculation this was due to the other Kardashians' declining popularity after previously being hailed as 'taste-makers' in the fashion and beauty space.
Other stars who've confirmed they're attending the Met Gala include Elle Fanning and Rita Ora.
Where can I watch the 2023 Met Gala in Australia?
There is generally a complete social media ban during the Met Gala, however the livestream of the arrivals will be hosted on Vogue's website.
You may also be able to catch the coveted event as it's live streamed to Vogue's social media pages.
For those with access to Foxtel, the E! Entertainment channel will be airing the event too.
The gala is due to begin screening on Monday May 1, 2023 at 6:30pm EDT, which will be Tuesday May 2, 2023 at 8:30am AEST in Australia.
How much does a ticket to the event cost?
Tickets historically cost upwards of US$30,000 (approx. $44,700) a head, meaning the invite-only gala is a major source of funding for the Costume Institute. In 2019, the event raised US$15 million (approx. $22,4 million) for the museum, according to the New York Times.
In 2023, however, the ticket price has increased significantly, and it's reportedly left some of the wealthiest elite balking, with some opting out of attending the event all together.
A deep dive into the Met's most memorable looks of all time View Gallery
According to Page Six, this year it costs $US50,000 (approx. $75,000) per person to attend, and not everyone is happy about the $US20,000 (approx. $30,000) price increase.
"These people are already donating so much, to then ask for that amount is a lot," an insider told the outlet.
It seems even the richest of rich pinch pennies in a cost-of-living crisis, but not everyone is worried.
"For every person that decides not to go, 20 people will line up behind them and beg to come," one source said.
"Will Anna want those people? Maybe, maybe not."
When is the 2023 Met Gala?
The annual event will take place on May 1 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, whose Costume Institute serves as the beneficiary of the exclusive fundraiser.
Who are this year's co-chairs?
Singer Dua Lipa, tennis star Roger Federer and actors Penélope Cruz and Michaela Coel will join Wintour as co-chairs of the 2023 Met Gala.
What is this year's theme?
This year's gala coincides with a major new exhibition about the life and work of fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, who died in 2019 aged 85. Attendees will be asked to dress to the theme "in honour of Karl."
The four co-chairs, all of whom have attended the fundraiser in recent years, took to social media in January to acknowledge the announcement. Federer wrote on Instagram that he was "so excited" to join his "dear friend" Wintour at the event. Cruz, who walked the runway at Lagerfeld's last Chanel show, meanwhile posted the news alongside the caption "Karl" and a heart emoji.
This year will mark one of the few occasions since Wintour began overseeing the event in the mid-1990s where no fashion designers are among the chairs.
While the past two years have seen appointees hail from other industries (the previous lineup comprised Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Regina King), American designer Tom Ford served as honorary chair in both 2021 and 2022.
What will the Met Gala's accompanying exhibit showcase?
Open from early May until mid-July, the event's accompanying exhibition, "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty," will bring together around 150 designs that "explore the designer's stylistic language."
Among the items on display will be creations from his time as creative director of Fendi, Chloé and Chanel, as well as pieces from his stints at Balmain and Patou and designs from his eponymous label.
Speaking to CNN in the previous American autumn, when 2023's theme was first announced, the Costume Institute's head curator Andrew Bolton said the late Lagerfeld "would have hated a retrospective" but that the show will be more akin to an "essay" about his work.
The last two galas, which were held within eight months of one another amid disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, were both themed around American fashion: "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion" in 2021, and last year's "Gilded Glamour and White Tie."
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