On Monday, May 4, guests at the 2026 Met Gala will celebrate the Costume Institute’s spring exhibition, “Costume Art.” But what will they wear? We now have an idea: this year’s dress code is “Fashion is Art.”

This theme perfectly mirrors the exhibition’s focus, which explores the “centrality of the dressed body” through interpretations of the human form drawn from the Met’s vast collection. Featuring nearly 400 objects, the show will be held in the museum’s new Condé M. Nast Galleries, next to the Great Hall. It pairs garments from the Costume Institute with paintings, sculptures, and other works spanning about 5,000 years of art history. In turn, the dress code invites attendees to consider how designers use the body as their canvas.

“What connects every curatorial department and every gallery in the museum is fashion, or the dressed body,” said Andrew Bolton, curator in charge of the Costume Institute. “It’s the common thread throughout the whole museum, which was really the initial idea for the exhibition.”

So who can we expect to see at the Met in their most artistic looks? While the full guest list is kept under wraps until the first Monday in May, a few big names have been confirmed.

As previously announced, the 2026 Met Gala co-chairs are Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour. Members of the Gala Host Committee—co-chaired by Anthony Vaccarello and Zoë Kravitz—include Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Gwendoline Christie, Alex Consani, Misty Copeland, Elizabeth Debicki, Lena Dunham, Paloma Elsesser, LISA, Chloe Malle, Sam Smith, Teyana Taylor, Lauren Wasser, Anna Weyant, A’ja Wilson, and Yseult.

New additions to the host committee are Adut Akech, Angela Bassett, Sinéad Burke, Rebecca Hall, Aimee Mullins, Tschabalala Self, Amy Sherald, and Chase Sui Wonders. As this year’s lead sponsors for the gala and exhibition, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos will also serve as honorary chairs.

If anyone needs a little inspiration, we’ve already gathered some dress code-appropriate ideas for the big night. Otherwise, we can’t wait to see how attendees bring the theme to life.

Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about the 2026 Met Gala theme Fashion is Art designed to cover a range of curiosity levels

Basics Theme Interpretation

Q What is the official 2026 Met Gala theme
A The official theme is Fashion is Art Its a celebration of the creative intersection between fashion design and the fine arts

Q What does Fashion is Art actually mean
A It means viewing clothing and accessories not just as practical items but as creative expressions equal to painting sculpture or performance art It asks attendees to embody a living artwork

Q Who chooses the Met Gala theme
A The theme is chosen by the Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in collaboration with the events chairpersons

Q Is there a specific dress code or is it totally open
A While open to interpretation the dress code will be Fashion is Art Guests are expected to create looks that are conceptual avantgarde and directly reference or embody artistic movements specific artists or the very idea of art itself

Inspiration Examples

Q Where can guests get inspiration for their looks
A They can look to
Art Movements Surrealism Pop Art Impressionism Cubism Renaissance painting
Specific Artists Think Piet Mondrian Vincent van Gogh Frida Kahlo Andy Warhol or contemporary artists like Yayoi Kusama
Art Forms Sculpture performance art or even the materials and textures found in mixedmedia art

Q Have we seen Fashion is Art on the red carpet before
A Absolutely Many iconic Met Gala looks already fit this theme Examples include Rihannas 2015 Guo Pei yellow cape Blake Livelys 2022 Versace statue transformation or Jared Letos 2019 Gucci head carryall treated fashion as conceptual art

Q Will we just see replicas of famous paintings as dresses
A While literal interpretations are possible like a dress printed with