Eleanor Lambert was a fashion publicist in the 1930s, a time when American fashion struggled to gain recognition compared to its European counterparts. In 1943, during World War II, she organized Press Week in New York City, which served as a precursor to what is now known as New York Fashion Week. She has played a vital role in establishing the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, which became a leading institution for the preservation and exhibition of fashion history. The creation of the new Institute compelled Lambert to organize a benefit, which eventually led to the birth of the Met Gala in 1971, when Diana Vreeland joined the museum and shifted the fundraiser to the "First Monday in May," an expression that became synonymous with the Gala. Lambert was also responsible for helping build the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Whitney Museum of American Art with Gertrude Vanderbilt in 1930, in addition to organizing "The…