The Met Gala returns today (May 4), the first Monday in May at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, launching the Costume Institute’s 2026 exhibition.
This year’s gala centers on the theme "Costume Art," with the Costume Institute newly installed in the Condé M. Nast Galleries. This is a prominent, nearly 12,000-square-foot space in the Great Hall. The show opens to the public May 10 and runs through January 10, 2027. If you’re looking to tune into the highly anticipated affair, Fandom Daily has you covered! Keep reading to learn more about the star-studded event.
The "Costume Art" exhibit explores how clothing and the human body interact across cultures and eras, pairing garments with artworks from The Met to show their dialogue. Organized around different body types and body parts, the show highlights how clothes can accentuate, hide, or reshape the body and traces how these ideas repeat and change throughout history.
With an official dress code of "Fashion Is Art," guests are encouraged to treat fashion as an embodied art form and draw inspiration from art history. Expect bold, theatrical, art-referential looks that nod to movements and masters like Mondrian, Picasso, and Dalí, as well as historic silhouettes reinterpreted with sculptural tailoring and experimental, body-focused design. Given the exhibition’s focus, anticipate looks that celebrate a wide range of body types, emphasizing inclusivity in cut, fit, and concept.
Regular Met attendees expected on the carpet include Kim Kardashian, Hailey Bieber, Julia Garner, Alexa Chung, and Gabrielle Union, among other staples. The guest list traditionally mixes designers, celebrities, models, entertainers, artists, and major donors. This offers a combination of established icons and rising stars, likely to present diverse interpretations of the theme.
Reported pricing this year shows individual tickets up to $100,000, an increase of roughly $25,000 from previous reports. With tables starting around $350,000. Proceeds support the Costume Institute and its programming. The 2025 Gala raised a record $31 million, underscoring the event’s major fundraising role for the museum.
This edition is notable for the Costume Institute’s new permanent home in the Condé M. Nast Galleries, granting higher visibility and a larger footprint for longer-run exhibitions. With a nine-month public run, “Costume Art” will reach a broader audience and have a greater institutional impact than recent shows.
Fandom Daily Live Coverage
Expect round-the-clock coverage from Fandom Daily. We will be offering live updates and timely recaps for fashion-forward readers. Follow our official channels for immediate reactions and behind-the-scenes clips. Celebrity arrivals are staggered, so tune in at 6 p.m. ET on Vogue’s digital platforms and E!.
This Met Gala promises high-concept, art-forward fashion that centers bodies and inclusivity from a newly prominent Costume Institute home. For anyone who loves fashion as storytelling and spectacle, follow live coverage, including Fandom Daily’s updates. To catch first looks and deeper analysis as the night unfolds.
Virgil Abloh’s Off-White is a streetwear-inspired collection that
continues to break away from the conventions of mainstream fashion. Made in
Italy, these black and brown Odsy-1000 low-top sneakers.
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