With global crises ever-present in the headlines, fashion’s top minds are currently focused on a different kind of urgent calculation: who gets to sit next to whom at a $75,000-a-plate fundraiser.
As the Met Gala approaches on the first Monday in May, the spotlight has turned to the most strategic spreadsheet in fashion—Vogue’s closely guarded seating chart. The woman behind this high-stakes game of couture musical chairs is Met Gala organizer Eaddy Kiernan, who, per Architectural Digest, oversees the complex task of placing models, movie stars, musicians, and influencers at precisely the right tables—like a diplomatic summit, but with more feathers.
“We start with a seating document when the names come together in December,” Kiernan told Vogue. “The actual seating chart doesn’t come together until about a month before the event, when we get a sense for the layout of the room, and the flow of the evening.”
Throughout April, the Vogue office becomes mission control for social engineering in silk.
Ostensibly a fundraiser for the Anna Wintour Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Met Gala has evolved into something closer to the Olympic Games of attention economies. But the real currency isn’t dollars—it’s status. And few things secure one’s place in the social ecosystem like a well-positioned seat between an A-list actor and a legacy designer.
“Our ideal pairing would maybe be two people who we think will just get on like a house on fire, but who may not even realize that they have a lot in common” Kiernan said.
Fashion, of course, remains the main event. This year’s theme, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” celebrates the rich legacy of Black dandyism and the role of fashion in Black self-expression, resistance, and identity. According to the Associated Press, the Costume Institute’s exhibition traces this history back to the 18th century, spotlighting the global influence of Black men’s tailoring—from Harlem jazz legends to the flamboyant sapeurs of the Congo.
The official dress code, “Tailored for You,” invites guests to interpret classic menswear through a personal lens. Expect everything from zoot suits to custom nods to Congolese elegance, all reflecting the breadth and creativity of Black fashion.
Yes, the headlines may be heavy, but inside the Met on Monday night, the climate will be set to “air kiss.” And if Kiernan does her job right, every guest will leave having shared a canapé, a conversation, and maybe even a brand partnership—with exactly the right person.
