Anna Wintour Talks Met Gala, Confusion On Theme

Fashionistas know that when the first Monday in May rolls around, there's only one thing on their minds: The Met Gala, the biggest night in the fashion world. Orchestrated by Vogue's Global Editorial Director, Anna Wintour, the evening is a night of high-stakes fashion risks—and rewards, usually in the form of a show-stopping photo on the museum's iconic red steps.

Wintour: Met Gala Is 'Incredibly Exciting'

Wintour sat down with The Today Show's Jenna Bush Hager to talk details of the star-studded event.

"It's actually incredibly exciting," Wintour told Hager about the big night while donning her signature bob hair style and sunglasses. "We're able to enjoy these days before the madness starts... If we're not relatively calm at this point, we're in big, big trouble," she said.

Wintour Admits This Year's Theme Can Be Confusing

The theme is always hotly debated, with celebrities donning garments that play on the theme and being judged based on how well they stuck to it. This year's theme is, "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion," but the dress code is Garden of Times, which Wintour admitted can be a bit confusing.

"Well, this exhibition broke my cardinal rule, which is that when we came up with the title Sleeping Beauties, it's wonderful, and poetic, and romantic, but it actually could be many, many things. Andrew [Bolton, the curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art] also thought of the dress first, what are we going to say to people to wear to this night? And he said, 'Well, what about Garden of Times?' I fear that we've unleashed a lot of confusion out there, for which I deeply apologize," Wintour, 74, said with a smile.

Wintour Declines To Name What She'll Be Wearing

The Met Gala is actually a fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's also where the gala takes place. The event raises money and awareness for future exhibitions.

As for predictions about what attendees will be wearing, Hager suggested florals would be a major trend, since the theme references a garden.

"Will you be wearing flowers?" Hager asked Wintour. Of course, Wintour wouldn't confirm her sartorial plans. She simply responded, "Possibly."

Met Gala's Celeb-Studded Co-Chairs

The co-chairs for the 2024 event, aside from Wintour, include Jennifer Lopez, Chris Hemsworth, Zendaya, and Bad Bunny.

"We have Jennifer Lopez. I believe this will be her 14th visit to the costume institute opening. And then we have Benito, Bad Bunny, who is obviously such an extraordinary lover of costume and fashion."

"Zendaya, everyone always looks forward to what she's going to wear and I know she will not disappoint... She's such an icon for so many generations," Wintour said.

"And then, who would be a better prince than Chris Hemsworth to wake up the sleeping beauties? And I can only talk for the corridors of 'Vogue', but the level of excitement when his name was mentioned rose several degrees," she revealed.

Rumors Of Met Gala Revealed

The much-fabled night includes some rumored touches, all by Wintour's design. The guest list, for instance, is kept strictly confidential until the gala occurs.

"Is it true that you have banned chives, onion and garlic off the menu?" Hager asked the Vogue editor.

"Well, those are three things I'm not particularly fond of, so yes, that's true," she replied with a laugh.

"There's a cell phone ban," Hager said. "You're a traditionalist when it comes to people actually sitting down at a table."

"Yes. And it's often wonderful to hear after dinner, people say, 'Oh, we had the most wonderful conversations.' That's the idea, that life can exist without a picture on your cell phone," said Wintour.

Wintour's Secret To Success

Hager also took the time to ask Wintour her secret to success for anyone who may be watching.

"I think there's nothing worse than indecision," said the fashion icon. "Even if sometimes you're not completely sure, it's better to fake it and pretend that you are because I think teams work better with clarity.