Image courtesy of vogue.com
Happy Met Gala Monday, Fashion Reverie readers! The long-awaited first Monday in May is here, and the theme is “Costume Art,” with a dress code described as “Fashion Is Art.” This year’s theme is especially apt, and perhaps the most meta, as it marks the opening of the Costume Institute’s first permanent galleries. Tonight’s co-chairs are Beyonce, Venus Williams, and Nicole Kidman.
Anna Wintour, Vogue’s Global Editorial Director of Vogue and Chief Content Officer for Condé Nast, is at the helm of fashion’s biggest night year after year. This year marks her first Met Gala since stepping down as Editor-in-Chief of American Vogue after 37 years holding that position. Chloe Malle has since taken over as head of editorial content.
Image courtesy of vogue.com
The intersection of fashion and art has been the silent thesis of the Met Gala for decades, and that is being realized tonight. Costume art, in essence, is categorized by clothing or accessories designed with a story in mind. It can be traced for centuries through the folds of history of performance, and was there from the very beginning, innate, and essential. Think of theater, opera, and ballet long before cameras and red-carpet moments. Costume art treats fashion as a medium above all. Tonight, fashion is art, but it always was and always will be. Vogue and The Met shines light on that juxtaposition this evening.
Tonight, the Met Gala red carpet is a stage, as celebrities pay homage to their crafts in performing on and off screen, referencing iconic art pieces and moments of performance. Some of the most iconic looks from galas of yesteryear that draw on fashion as art include Rihanna’s Heavenly Bodies look from 2018, rich with religious symbolism. She wore an encrusted Bishop’s hat to reference the theme. Zendaya embodied a film character at 2019’s “Camp: Notes on Fashion” gala when she made a nod to Cinderella with her princess-like gown. That same year, Lady Gaga quite literally turned the Met steps into her stage, transforming before the eyes of the audience as she shed a layer of her look as she ascended the steps. The 2026 theme is a celebration of all bodies, as told by Vogue’s red-carpet co-host, Ashley Graham, alongside Cara Delevigne, who reminded the audience on the evening’s livestream on YouTube.
The joy that is found in the Met Gala comes from the interpretation, which both comes from embodying the theme, designing for it, and as we know it, spectating. Year after year, this event rewards the boldest, most adventurous of interpretations. Fashion as art as a theme shows the most impactful looks are not simply worn but performed, and tonight, the steps are the stage.
Marley Gifford
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