All you need to know about the 2026 Met Gala dress code
On Monday, May 4, guests at the 2026 Met Gala will celebrate “Costume Art,” the spring exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. But what will they wear? Today, we at least have an idea: The Met Gala dress code for this year is “Fashion is Art.”
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The directive perfectly reflects the ethos of “Costume Art,” which explores the “centrality of the dressed body” through depictions and interpretations of the human form in the Met’s extensive collection. Made up of nearly 400 objects, the show—set to occupy the Met’s new Condé M. Nast Galleries, adjacent to the Great Hall—pairs garments from the Costume Institute with paintings, sculptures, and other works spanning some 5,000 years of art history. In turn, the dress code encourages attendees to consider the many ways that designers use the body as their blank canvas.
“What connects every curatorial department and what connects every single gallery in the museum is fashion, or the dressed body,” Andrew Bolton, the curator in charge of the Costume Institute, has said. “It’s the common thread throughout the whole museum, which is really what the initial idea for the exhibition was.”
Suit, Glenn Martens (Belgian, born 1983) for Y/Project (French, founded 2010), fall/winter 2022–23; Gift of Y/PROJECT ARCHIVES, 2025 (2025.854.10a–c, f–g). . Photo: Paul Westlake, image courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Marble statue of the Diadoumenos (youth tying a fillet around his head), Roman, 1st–2nd century CE; Gift of Mrs. Frederick F. Thompson, 1903 (03.12.8a). Photo: Anna-Marie Kellen, image courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Ensemble, Rei Kawakubo (Japanese, born 1942) for Comme des Garçons (Japanese, founded 1969), spring/summer 1997. Photo: Paul Westlake, image courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Figure in Rotation, Max Weber (American, 1881–1961), 1917; enlarged 1947–48; cast ca. 1947–48; Gift of Carl D. Lobell, 1994 (1994.341.5), © Estate of Max Weber. Photo: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
So who should we expect to see at the Met in their artful best? Though the gala’s complete guest list remains a carefully guarded secret until the first Monday in May, we do know a few big names in the mix.
As previously announced, the co-chairs for the 2026 Met Gala are Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour, and 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.
“Pregnancy” dress, Georgina Godley (British, born 1955), fall/winter 1986–87, edition 2025; Purchase, Isabel Shults Fund, 2025 (2025.712a, b). Photo: Paul Westlake, image courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Pregnant Woman, Edgar Degas (French, Paris 1834–1917 Paris), modelled probably ca. 1896-1910, cast 1920 H.O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H.O. Havemeyer, 1929 (29.100.384). Photo: Anna-Marie Kellen, image courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Jacket, Madame Grès (French, 1903–1993), Alix (French, 1934–1942), fall/winter 1939–40; Purchase, Irene Lewisohn Bequest, 2002 (2002.366). Photo: Paul Westlake, image courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Ecorché: Torso of a Male Cadaver, Eugène Delacroix (French, 1798–1863), 1828?; Gift from the Karen B. Cohen Collection of Eugène Delacroix, in honor of William M. Griswold, 2013 (2013.1135.23). . Photo: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Now joining the host committee as well 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.
Should any of them need a little direction, we’ve already gathered some dress code-appropriate options for Met Gala Monday. Otherwise, we can’t wait to see how attendees embody the theme.
Originally published on Vogue.com