Met Gala 2026 Theme & the History Behind Fashion’s Biggest Night

The Early Beginnings of the Met Gala

The Met Gala was established in 1948 by fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert, who was instrumental in shaping the American fashion industry. Lambert would also establish New York Fashion Week, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, and the International Best Dressed List.

Initially titled the Costume Institute Benefit, Lambert’s goal with the event was straightforward: raise funds for the newly formed Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art while elevating American fashion to a level of prestige comparable to European fashion houses.

In its early decades, the gala functioned more like a traditional charity dinner. There was little emphasis on spectacle or thematic dressing. The focus remained on fundraising and supporting the Costume Institute’s exhibitions.

The first benefit was a modest affair compared to today. Tickets were relatively affordable, around fifty dollars at the time, and the guest list consisted mainly of New York’s high society. Attendees included socialites, philanthropists, and members of the fashion industry. Designers, editors, and museum patrons formed the core of the event rather than entertainers or global celebrities. From 1948 through 1971, the event was held throughout Manhattan at various locations such as the Waldorf Astoria, The Rainbow Room, and Central Park.

Transition and Reinvention

A major turning point came in 1972, when Diana Vreeland became a consultant for the Costume Institute. Vreeland introduced the idea of exhibition themes, transforming the gala into a more imaginative and curated experience. Themes began to reflect art, history, and global fashion traditions. This shift encouraged guests to think creatively about what they wore, laying the groundwork for the event’s future identity.

Vreeland’s influence and friendships with the glitterati attracted a larger audience with high-profile guests such as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Bianca Jagger, Elizabeth Taylor, Andy Warhol, and Diana Ross, to name just a few, in attendance.

The Met Gala of Today

The Met Gala is now closely associated with Anna Wintour, who has chaired the event since 1995. Under her direction, the Gala has become an invitation-only event, with a guest list now including actors, musicians, athletes, designers, and digital influencers. The event is held annually at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, with attendees ascending the museum’s iconic steps in front of a global audience.

Each year’s theme is tied to the Costume Institute’s exhibition, and it dictates the dress code. Guests collaborate with designers to create looks that interpret the theme, often resulting in highly conceptual fashion.

Iconic Looks and The Cultural Impact of the Met Gala

Post-Anna Wintour takeover in 1995 resulted in iconic looks from celebrities and tastemakers who were lucky enough to be invited to the event. The iconic 1999 Gala, themed “Rock Style,” saw Gwenyth Paltrow arrive in Tom Ford for Gucci and Lil Kim in Versace. One of the most infamous moments saw Liv Tyler and Stella McCartney, the daughters of rock stars Steven Tyler and Paul McCartney, arrive in tank tops adorned with the phrase, “Rock Royalty,” bringing the theme full circle.

In 2015, Rihanna wore a yellow couture gown by Guo Pei for the “China: Through the Looking Glass” theme. The dress featured an enormous hand-embroidered train trimmed in fur, requiring multiple people to carry it up the steps. The look became one of the most recognizable in Met Gala history because it fully embodied the theme while introducing a global audience to a designer not widely known in Western pop culture at the time.

In 2018, Zendaya attended the “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” gala dressed as Joan of Arc. Her custom Versace chain mail gown and armor-inspired styling connected directly to religious iconography and historical narrative, demonstrating how fashion at the Gala can function as storytelling.

Another widely discussed appearance came from Lady Gaga in 2019 during the “Camp: Notes on Fashion” theme. She arrived in a voluminous pink gown by Brandon Maxwell and performed a staged reveal on the red carpet, shedding layers to unveil multiple outfits underneath.

In 2022, for “Gilded Glamour,” Kim Kardashian wore Marilyn Monroe’s infamous “Happy Birthday Mr. President” gown when singing to President John F. Kennedy in 1962. This generated a large amount of controversy for a plethora of reasons: many were upset that the 60-year-old dress would be damaged, while others took issue with Kardashian’s crash diet to fit into the dress.

The Met Gala 2026: Costume Art, Fashion is Art

The theme for the 2026 Met Gala, “Costume Art,” will "examine the centrality of the dressed body" by interspersing garments and artwork "to create pairings that not only illuminate the indivisible connection between clothing and the body but also the complex interplay between artistic representations of the body and fashion as an embodied artform," with co-chairs consisting of Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour.

According to the Met, the theme 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."

Max Hollein, the Met's director and CEO, explained in a press release that the exhibition will "highlight the Met's unique ability to position fashion within the context of more than 5,000 years of art represented in its collection."

The exhibition will be on view from May 10, 2026, through Jan. 10, 2027.