New documentary The First Monday In May charts the ever-fashionable story of the Met Gala. Rebecca Gonsalves examines the most sartorial social event of the year

To us Brits, the first Monday in May is a significant date – as the first bank holiday of the summer, it is to be spent in a pub garden, having a nosy around a country estate or trying not to bicker in the garden centre. It is tradition, and long may it continue. But in recent years, this special day has become inextricably linked with an altogether more fabulous event across the Atlantic, namely the Met Gala, the annual fundraiser for New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.

Arguably the fashion world’s most important social event, the Met Gala doesn’t disappoint where it matters – on the red carpet – which has provided some of the most memorable fashion moments of recent years. Little wonder: the event is overseen by Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of American Vogue and co-host of the Met Gala since 1999. She is, undoubtedly, the fashion world’s finest party planner.

And Wintour, whose exacting standards and no-nonsense demeanour were chronicled in 2009’s The September Issue, is once again the focus of the camera lens. Last year, film-maker Andrew Rossi was granted unprecedented access to the Met Gala: the night itself and the months of meticulous planning that go into it. His resulting film, The First Monday In May, documents the power struggles and political manoeuvres that go into both the gala and the fashion exhibition that it opens, on this occasion China: Through The Looking Glass.

“Anna is in no way some capricious devil who wears Prada,” says Rossi, referring to that other infamous, albeit fictionalised, portrayal of Wintour on the big screen. But those hoping for more of The September Issue’s tense, bordering on hostile, conversations won’t be disappointed; as Rossi diplomatically puts it, “[Wintour] is not conflict averse and not afraid to challenge any of the people that she works with. She has high, and clear, standards.”

We learn in the film that she vets every single detail of the event, from the floral arrangement to the guest list and even what – or rather who – many of the guests will be wearing. The latter is perhaps the most important element of all: the Met Gala has been dubbed the fashion industry’s Oscars, but where the Oscars’ red carpet has become increasingly sanitised and safe, the Met’s is a breeding ground for experimental design.

Take the robe by Chinese designer Guo Pei that Rihanna wore for the 2015 gala: canary yellow and with a seemingly endless train, it’s the gown that launched a thousand omelette memes. Or Madonna’s controversial interpretation of this year’s ‘Manus x Machina’ theme – black Givenchy lace, with sheer panels over her breasts and buttocks, a fashion statement if ever there was one. Designers seem to approach it in the same way they do couture, relishing the ‘costume’ part of the Costume Institute.

Inside the Met set: a closer look at fashion’s biggest social event – the Met Gala