The Met Gala 2026 theme has officially been announced and we’re already excited for fashion’s biggest night of the year.
On Monday, November 17, Vogue announced that the 2026 gala will be themed “Costume Art” with an accompanying exhibit. The gala will, as always, take place in New York City at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 4, 2026
Museum curator Andrew Bolton told Vogue that the theme is a “huge moment for the Costume Institute.”
“It will be transformative for our department, but I also think it’s going to be transformative to fashion more generally — the fact that an art museum like The Met is actually giving a central location to fashion,” he added.
Bolton, 59, shared that the event addresses “the centrality of the dressed body in the museum’s vast collection, adding that it is what connects every single gallery in the museum is fashion, or the dressed body,”
“It’s the common thread throughout the whole museum, which is really what the initial idea for the exhibition was, this epiphany: I know that we’ve often been seen as the stepchild, but, in fact, the dressed body is front and center in every gallery you come across. Even the nude is never naked,” Bolton elaborated. “It’s always inscribed with cultural values and ideas.”
Because the exhibit is focused on “the indivisible connection between our bodies and the clothes we wear,” fans are likely to be blessed with a number of naked dresses from their favorite celebrities next year.
Bolton noted, “The idea was to put the body back into discussions about art and fashion, and to embrace the body, not to take it away as a way of elevating fashion to an art form.”
Vogue has not yet announced what the dress code for the event will be, or who will serve as the co-chairs of the night. The invite list is also kept tight-lipped until stars hit the red carpet.
In 2025, the gala was themed “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” with a “Tailored for You” dress code. The exhibit celebrated the influence of Black dandyism. The co-chairs who joined Anna Wintour were Pharrell Williams, ASAP Rocky, Colman Domingo and LeBron James, who served as an honorary chair.
Wintour, 76, stepped down as Vogue’s editor in chief in June, but is remaining as the brand’s global editorial director and global chief content officer for Condé Nast. She’s also remaining as the Met Gala Chair, which she’s served as since 1995.
Celebrities including Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Hailey Bieber and more attended the event in May.
Kardashian, 45, for her part, looked chic in a Chrome Hearts look featuring a crocodile-print leather bustier top finished with an off-the-shoulder neckline. She teamed the top with a floor-length skirt with a glamorous train. Kardashian accessorized her look with silver chains draped from her skirt, layered diamond necklaces and a dramatic hat that partially covered her face.
Zendaya, 29, also stunned in a classy white look by Pharrell Williams. Her look included a tailored blazer and fitted vest, as well as flared pants and a floppy hat.
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