At the 2026 Met Gala, 'Fashion is Art.' Here's what to expect

Zendaya attends the 2025 Met Gala in New York City. Savion Washington// North America hide caption toggle caption Savion Washington// North America The first Monday in May means one thing: the Met Gala, fashion's biggest night. The annual fundraiser supports New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. But it's also an opulent, invite-only, celebrity-filled pop culture spectacle that raised a record $31 million last year — before the exhibit even opened. Here's what to expect as camera batteries charge and carpets are swept in preparation for the glitzy evening. What's the theme and dress code? The Met's spring 2026 exhibition is titled "Costume Art." It will open to gala attendees on Monday night and to the general public on May 10. The corresponding dress code for the gala is "Fashion is Art," which references the exhibition's pairing of garments with art objects. According to The Met , the dress code "Fashion is Art" invites guests to "express their own relationship to fashion as an embodied art form and celebrate the countless depictions of the dressed body throughout art history." "Costume Art" will be the first exhibition to call The Met's new gallery spaces home. The new Condé M. Nast Galleries, named after the late magazine publisher, will house the annual spring Costume Institute shows, as well as exhibitions from other departments at the Met. …