09 May 2012 by Zoe Beaty

Prada Power at The Met Ball: Is This Fashion’s Biggest PR Event Ever?

Beyoncé in Givenchy, Rihanna in gothic Tom Ford – even Sarah Jessica Parker in that floral Valentino number – it'll take us a long time to stop drooling over the dresses at this year’s Met Ball. It’s not hard to see why it’s considered the fashion world’s best red carpet event. And what’s more, for the first time in its history, fashionistas, bloggers and adoring fans alike were able to watch the A-listers arrive live at the event in New York as it was live-streamed across the internet. Very. Exciting. Stuff.

So what was the first thing on everyone’s twitter feed lips? The frocks, of course. And with so many amazing outfits uniting and dividing opinion, it was inevitable that a monumental fashion discussion would erupt all over the internet. And it did. Within minutes, the Met Gala hashtag was trending on Twitter and fashion watchers were desperate to get their opinions out first *raises hand*

It’s no secret that the back of a Hollywood starlet is the best, and most coveted, place for a brand to be seen – but since Anna Wintour took the Met Ball affair under her wing, its PR appeal has sky rocketed to the same league as the Oscar Awards. Coupled with the addition of live-streaming, live-tweeting and blogging, featured brands can now see their looks go viral, around the web and the world, in minutes.

And it’s not only the established fashion houses hoping to make an impact at the event. Even brands such as Amazon.com coughed up a whooping $1million to sponsor the Ball. Cathy Beaudoin, president of the company’s new venture, Amazon Fashion, told the Business of Fashion that their sponsorship has nothing to do with raking in appeal for their new brand. ‘We actually don’t look at it that way – this sponsorship is a sign of our support and commitment to the industry,’ she said *ahem*

Of course, Prada dressed over 40 of the A-list attendees (check them out in the gallery above), including host Anna Wintour, in honour of this year’s exhibition at the Met - Elsa Schiaparelli & Miuccia Prada: Impossible Conversations – and the brand has made the most of the attention by releasing a 're-edition' collection of their most iconic bags. Meanwhile, the legendary Parisian fashion house Schiaparelli is being relaunched.

So it's clear that the fashion event is seriously big business but, as long as we can still ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ over the latest red carpet moment, does it really matter to the consumer? We’d love to hear your opinions! Get involved by commenting below, or join the debate on Grazia UK’s Facebook page.