From beyond the museum walls Monday, works of art will move and take shape as the glitterati of guests from Beyonc茅, Nicole Kidman to Venus Williams will fashionably ascend the Metropolitan Museum of Art鈥檚 steps and exhibit their creative interpretations of this year’s dress code, 鈥淔ashion is art.鈥�
The question of whether fashion is art has long been topic of conversation for fashion insiders, and this first Monday in May the dress code is leaving nothing up for debate.
The dress code for the starry fundraising event calls for guests to 鈥渆xpress their relationship to fashion as an embodied art form.”
Fashion has long drawn inspiration from works of art, leaving guests with no shortage of artistic references to show off.
Embodying art
But will guests pull from the fashion archives on Monday or wear custom artistic creations from fashion houses?
Archival fashion looks have become a red carpet phenomenon with fashion savvy stars wanting to get their hands on some of the rarer pieces of fashion history.
Designer Elsa Schiaparelli famously collaborated in 1937 with Spanish artist Salvador Dal铆 to design a white silk dress with a lobster printed on the front. Years later, Yves Saint Laurent would design shift dresses filled with Piet Mondrian鈥檚 blocks of color in 1965, and more recently, Marc Jacobs collaborated with artist Takashi Murakami in 2002 to add his designs to Louis Vuitton.
Monday鈥檚 carpet is also chance for celebrities to deliver their own performance art.
The late designer Alexander McQueen was heavily regarded by fashion insiders as an artist. He closed his Spring 1999 show with a piece of performance art when machines sprayed Shalom Harlow鈥檚 white dress with black and yellow spray paint as she posed on a rotating turntable.
Past Gala dress codes have honored designers and pulled from literature. Last year, the art of tailoring was center stage with the dress code The high-profile event raises money for the museum’s , and each year the dress code for the gala takes cues from the Costume Institute鈥檚 spring exhibition.
On display this Spring, the 鈥淐ostume Art鈥� exhibit will 鈥渆xamine the centrality of the dressed body.鈥�
The relationship between fashion and art has not always been embraced. Art historian and author Nancy Hall-Duncan writes in her book, 鈥淎rt X Fashion: Fashion Inspired by Art鈥� that in the 19th century, art was perceived as classical and fashion was frivolous.
When Yves Saint Laurent held the Met鈥檚 first fashion exhibit in 1983, the exhibit was met with heavy criticism. Since then, the museum has held countless fashion exhibits throughout the years with museums around the world following suit. The Louvre put on its first fashion exhibition 鈥淟ouvre couture鈥� last year.
The dress code set by and the Met’s Costume Institute curator, , is the final seal of approval that fashion is art, Hall-Duncan told The Associated Press.
鈥淚sn鈥檛 that a giant step?鈥� she said. 鈥淚t will indeed change perceptions.鈥�
How to watch the Met Gala carpet and celebrity looks
Didn’t snag one of the pricey tickets or a spot on the ultra-exclusive guestlist?
The red carpet spectacle is available for all to watch online with the Ashley Graham, La La Anthony and Cara Delevingne will be hosting the livestream starting at 6 p.m. with Emma Chamberlain interviewing guests throughout the night.
The Associated Press will have a livestream of celebrities leaving a pair of New York hotels on their way to the gala beginning at 4:30 p.m. on AP海角社区app.com and It’s the first chance to see what attendees will be wearing before they hit the gala’s carpet.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
