“Fashion Is Art” – But What Does That Actually Mean at the Met?

For every lover of fashion, the first Monday in May is our Super Bowl. There are no words to describe the amount of excitement we feel tuning into “E! News Live from the Red Carpet” and refreshing our Instagram feeds to see what every celebrity is wearing to the Met Gala. 

This year is particularly exciting because, for the first time, the exhibit will be hosted in the Met’s brand new 12,000-square-foot Condé M Nast Galleries, named for the organization’s late founder. What was once housed in the museum’s basement is finally being recognized as a popular and important exhibit. 

The theme of the exhibition is Costume Art, but the gala’s dress code is “Fashion is Art.” 

Now, what does that actually mean?

Of course, fashion is art. We have known this for years. But how do you showcase this through clothing?

The Metropolitan Museum of Art describes the dress code as “inviting 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.” This opens the door for some of the most interpretive outfits we have seen on the Met steps in years. 

Instead of referencing a single era, like 2016’s “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology” theme, or a specific designer, like the 2023 theme, “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” attendees are encouraged to treat their bodies as living canvases. 

That could mean gowns inspired by classical sculpture, tailoring that echoes Renaissance portraiture, silhouettes drawn from Surrealism or looks that blur the line between garment and installation piece. The installation will display body types that have been pervasive in art throughout the museum like  “Naked Body” and “Classical Body,” as well as “Pregnant Body.” 

This theme also signals the return of one of the gala’s strengths: storytelling. When fashion is framed as art, clothing becomes more than beautiful — it becomes expressive. Every texture, silhouette and accessory becomes part of a larger narrative about identity, history and imagination.

And perhaps most importantly, this theme recognizes what the Costume Institute has always argued: fashion does not belong hidden in the basement. It belongs in conversation with painting, architecture, performance and design. This year’s red carpet will not just be about who wore what — it will be about the meaning behind why they wore it. 

If the theme succeeds and guests actually follow it, on May 4th, we can expect an evening of bold risks, museum-worthy craftsmanship and unforgettable moments that remind us exactly why that first Monday in May is fashion’s biggest night.