The 2026 Met Gala has revealed its dress code theme — “Fashion is Art” — timed to the Costume Institute’s new exhibition, also titled “Costume Art.” The exhibition, the largest in the institute’s history at nearly 400 objects — 200 garments paired with 200 artworks — aims to position fashion as a through-line in art history. “Hopefully, it will put an end to the rather obsolete ‘Is Fashion Art?’ debate once and for all,” said Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton. Co-chairs for the May 4 event include Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour.

Related reading: Breaking down the Met Gala’s K-pop influence