Do Attendees Have to Dress in Theme?It isn’t stated that attendees have to dress like the exhibition, but it is encouraged. This can sometimes backfire. In 2015, the exhibition was “China: Through the Looking Glass,” and it created some politically incorrect moments when celebrities and the designers who dressed them got their Asian references muddled. (Lady Gaga, for example, wore a Balenciaga kimono-like look, which seemed to actually lean toward the Japanese; ditto Georgia May Jagger in Gucci.)

In 2016, the show was “Manus ex Machina,” which meant almost the entire Jenner-Kardashian clan was in sparkling Balmain motherboards. And last year, for the Kawakubo exhibition, Helen Lasichanh, wife of Pharrell Williams, gamely entered into the spirit of the evening in a red Comme des Garçons jumpsuit that flattened and haloed the body, but had no armholes. The whole eating thing was a little complicated.

This year’s dress code is “Sunday Best,” which is a witty way to acknowledge the church while remaining open-ended enough to allow guests to just choose really great party dresses. Ms. Wintour tends to always go with Chanel, though Rihanna loves a theme: In 2015, she modeled a golden cape by the Chinese designer Guo Pei to “China Through the Looking Glass” that inspired a thousand sunny-side up memes, and last year opted for chintz boa constrictor ruffles in straight-from-the-runway Comme.

So we could see a lot of very severe priestlike robing, or bejeweled crosses — or angelic iconography. Hopefully not too much of it. If Madonna attends (and really, how could a brand resist that invite), Heaven only knows what she will choose.

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What About Celebrities?If celebrities are invited to the gala by a brand, it is an unspoken rule that they have to wear clothes from that brand. This encourages said brands to get the best stars, because they can act as something of an advertisement for a house. It is also why, whenever designers are photographed on the red carpet, their dates are almost always famous people. In 2017, for example, Stella McCartney brought Kate Hudson and Naomi Watts.

If I were reading the tea leaves, and given that Ms. Versace pretty much broke the internet last year when she recreated a supermodel tableau in her spring show with Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Carla Bruni Sarkozy, Claudia Schiffer and Helena Christensen, I might put money on some of the above making an appearance in their gold goddess Versace chain mail. (Well, it has to do with worship.)

In the past, Beyoncé was famous for making the final entrance, but she skipped last year’s gala because she was pregnant with twins. Whether she makes a return this year will be the question of the evening.

So just keep reading…

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What Happens When Guests Get Inside?It’s a secret! For the last three years, posting on social media has been banned after the red carpet. What I can tell you is this: There is a receiving line inside with the hosts, and guests have to file by and air kiss them. Then guests tour the exhibition (or at least, the part in the Met) on their way to the cocktail party, so they are theoretically forced to experience some culture.

After cocktails, they are called in to dinner, and there is always some form of entertainment. (Last year, it was Katy Perry.) This is good, because as the red carpet part of the evening has become a giant marketing event — Vogue even does a special stand-alone issue — the fact that the main part of the event is private allows guests to relax and have fun.

Content Courtesy Of New York Times & Nairobi Fashion Hub