Each year, fashion enthusiasts eagerly await the announcement of the Met Gala’s theme. And tough the event will not take place until May 4, 2026, a theme has already been announced. The theme for the 2026 event is short and simple: “Costume Art.” As explained by curator Andrew Bolton, who chooses the gala’s theme each year, the theme takes inspiration from “the centrality of the dressed body in the museum’s vast collection.” He added that fashion “has the status of art because of, and not in spite of, its relation to the body.”Â
The theme comes alongside the arrival of a large fashion exhibit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where the Met Gala is hosted. The “Costume Art” exhibition, opening May 10, will display around 200 garments and accessories, each paired with artwork like paintings and sculptures.Â
Consequently, fashion lovers can expect to see a focus on art in the outfits of the 2026 Met Gala attendees. Maybe, keeping with the museum’s exhibition, we will see gowns and suits inspired by other pieces of art. Additionally, expect to see emphasis on bodies and the human form on the red carpet. Sheer fabrics or mesh seem very likely, keeping with the connection between fashion and the body as explained by Bolton. Also, French luxury designer label Yves Saint Laurent will be the event’s fashion sponsor, so they will likely be dressing several guests.Â
The theme for the 2026 Met Gala is particularly notable because it’s the first theme Bolton has planned that doesn’t include a subtitle. He explained that while an additional description to “Costume Art” was originally included, it was ultimately left out. “I thought, this is exactly what it should be. It’s bold, it’s strong, it’s a statement of intent. [The goal] is not to create a new hierarchy. It’s just to disband that hierarchy and to focus on equivalency — equivalency of artworks and equivalency of bodies.”Â
Since there’s no subtitle, next year’s theme is pretty open-ended, giving designers a lot of freedom for interpretation. In other words, there will almost certainly be a wide variety of looks at the event. While past galas have also included a diverse array of outfits, they’ve had more descriptive and specific themes. For example, 2025 brought “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” and before that was 2024’s “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” and 2023’s “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.”Â
The dress code for the 2026 Met Gala hasn’t been announced yet, as dress codes are usually announced a few months after the theme. Though, they’re typically pretty open-ended, too. In 2025, the dress code was simply “tailored for you.” There’s also no word on the guest list yet, as it’s normally kept top-secret until the night of the event. Though, as always, expect a star-studded lineup for the biggest night in fashion!