What does the Met Gala 2026 dress code mean?
What's the story
The 2026 Met Gala will be held on May 4 with the dress code "Fashion Is Art," inspired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art's upcoming exhibition, Costume Art. This year's dress code focuses on how designers use the body as a canvas for fashion. The announcement was made by Vogue on Monday, February 23. Following the Met Gala, the exhibition will run from May 10 to January 10, 2027.
Exhibition details
'Costume Art' exhibition will be 1st of its kind
The upcoming exhibition is a significant milestone for the Costume Institute. It will be held in the new Conde M. Nast Galleries, which are the first permanent galleries of the Institute inside The Met. Curator Andrew Bolton had earlier said, "It will be transformative for our department, but I also think it's going to be transformative to fashion more generally."
Exhibition concept
Bolton's vision for 'Costume Art'
Bolton's exhibition will explore "the centrality of the dressed body in the museum's vast collection." It will feature historical and contemporary garments from the Costume Institute alongside paintings, sculptures, and objects from 5,000 years of art history. He said, "What connects every curatorial department and what connects every single gallery in the museum is fashion, or the dressed body."
Exhibition structure
How the exhibition's themes could influence red carpet fashion
Bolton has structured "Costume Art" around three thematic body types: bodies commonly represented in art, those historically overlooked (such as aging and pregnant bodies), and universal bodies (like the anatomical body). This organization signifies inclusion and could inspire red carpet interpretations that explore "maternity couture, aging as glamor, or hyper-anatomical silhouettes." According to People, one can expect "conceptual fashion" that references "Renaissance portraiture, anatomical drawings, or contemporary performance art."
Gala leadership
Meet the co-chairs of Met Gala 2026
The 2026 Met Gala will be co-chaired by Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour. This is particularly significant as it marks Beyoncé's return to the event after a decade-long hiatus. Her last appearance was in 2016 at the Manus x Machina gala, where she wore Givenchy Haute Couture. The co-chairs represent performance, film, sport, and editorial power converging in one event.