NEW YORK, USA (AP) — Last year it took 275,000 bright pink roses to adorn the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the Met Gala, the biggest night in fashion and one of the biggest concentrations of star power anywhere.

It remains to be seen how the museum’s Great Hall will be decorated on Monday, but one thing is not in question: Those entering it will look spectacular.

The theme centres on the late designer Karl Lagerfeld, who made an indelible mark on luxury fashion in his long career at Chanel, Fendi, and elsewhere. It is a theme not without controversy — Lagerfeld was known for contentious remarks about everything from #MeToo to curvy bodies.

The Met Gala started in 1948 as a society midnight supper, and wasn’t even at the Met.

Fast-forward 70-plus years and the Met Gala is something totally different, one of the most photographed events in the world for its head-spinning red carpet — though the carpet isn’t always red.

We’re talking Rihanna as a bejeweled pope. Zendaya as Cinderella with a light-up gown. Katy Perry as a chandelier morphing into a hamburger. Also, Beyoncé in her “naked dress”. Billy Porter as an Egyptian sun god, carried on a litter by six shirtless men. Lady Gaga’s 16-minute striptease. And, last year, host Blake Lively’s Versace dress — a tribute to iconic New York architecture — that changed colours in front of our eyes.

It’s important to note that the party has a purpose. Last year, the evening earned US$17.4 million for the Met’s Costume Institute, a self-funding department. Yes, that’s a heckuva lot for a gala. It also launches the annual spring exhibit that brings hundreds of thousands of visitors to the museum.

But it’s the carpet itself that draws the world’s eyes, with the guest list.

This year’s five hosts are drawn from television Emmy-winning writer, actor and producer Michaela Coel; Oscar-winning actor Penélope Cruz, who has worked with Chanel for more than 20 years; recently retired tennis superstar Roger Federer; and Grammy-winning songstress Dua Lipa. Finally, there is Vogue’s Anna Wintour running the whole thing as usual.

This year there will be roughly 400 guests — similar to recent years, but still lower than pre-pandemic highs of 500-600.

The guest list is still a secret, but you can count on various celebrity Chanel ambassadors showing up. Lively left some fashion fans disappointed when she revealed she’s not attending this year.