April 13th, 2016 — Opening to throngs of adoring fans, The First Monday in May kicked off the Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) in true form with a culture-centric cinematic foray into a hallmark NYC institution: the star-studded Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual Costume Institute Gala. Paralleled by an equally star-studded red carpet to match, festival co-founders Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal attended the inaugural screening, alongside famous faces such as Donna Karan, Lauren Hutton, Thakoon Panichgul, Zac Posen, Chloë Grace Moretz, Jane Fonda, Rose McGowan, Francisco Costa, Thom Browne, and Karolina Kurková at the John Zuccotti Theater.
More than what initially meets the eye, Director Andrew Rossi devoted a year to delving into the complex processes, bureaucracies, and tension met by Andrew Bolton, Curator in Charge at the Costume Institute, that lie at the core of the Gala with unprecedented transparency. Despite the drama-laden events that lead up to it, year after year, the meticulous detail that goes into its preparation culminates in a seamless and synergistic climax where art, fashion, and celebrity collide the first Monday of each May. Rossi attempts to shift the audience’s interest however, emphasizing last year’s exhibit, China: Through the Looking Glass as a focal point, rather than the fame-fêted gala itself. Distilling the significance of the social affair from its muse after which it is themed, he seeks to reconcile the two. He further alludes to the intersection of fashion and art, suggesting that the dueling expressive forms are inextricably intertwined, continually underscoring his thesis of fashion as art throughout the film.
With this year’s gala only weeks away, The First Monday in May opens at the peak of anticipation for the Met’s upcoming 2016 signature ball.
