The Looks, the Drama, the Costume Art: Met Gala 2026 Is Here

The first Monday of May is my and many other fashionistas’ Super Bowl. The fashion, the celebrities, the designers, the drama! It’s my favorite time of the year to unleash my inner Joan Rivers while I sit and watch in my pajamas. 

This year, we will see designers embrace the theme of “Costume Art,” the intersection of fashion and art, by examining the dressed body through history. The Met is encouraging looks that treat clothing as a sculpture rather than apparel.

This Met Gala is celebrating both the next big Costume Institute show and the Costume Institute's new home: the Condé M. Nast Galleries. This 2026 Gala will inaugurate the new Condé M. Nast Galleries, which replaced the former gift shop in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

I’m most excited to see how Mugler, Schiaparelli, and Vivienne Westwood interpret this theme, whether it’s a new design or an archive. As for celebrities, Zendaya and Rihanna always hit the nail on the head, but I’m excited to see what looks we get from Emma Chamberlain or Sabrina Carpenter. 

The Met Gala is also an exciting time to see the celebrity couples that pop out. Are we going to see Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner together on the stairs? Zendaya and Tom Holland? 

Nonetheless, I am eager to see how people navigate this theme – there’s endless room for freedom and expression. To the 2026 Met Gala!