A comprehensive look at the Met Gala's 'Fashion is Art' theme, detailing the Costume Art exhibition and the red carpet's most artistically inspired ensembles.
The timeless wisdom of Oscar Wilde once suggested that life imitates art, and few events embody this sentiment as vividly as the annual fundraising gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This year, the theme 'Fashion is Art' served as a catalyst for a spectacular display of sartorial creativity, urging attendees to transform themselves into living tributes to centuries of painterly achievements and sculptural forms. At the heart of the celebration is the inauguration of the Costume Art exhibition, a massive installation spanning nearly 12,000 square feet within the Condé M. Nast Galleries. Curated by Andrew Bolton, the exhibition features approximately 400 works drawn from the Met's expansive collections.
Bolton's central thesis is that the depiction of the dressed body serves as a universal thread, uniting visual art across different millennia and diverse continents. To organize this vast array of history, the exhibition is categorized by body types, including the Classical Body, the Naked Body, and the Aging Body, providing a structured dialogue between the garment and the human form. On the red carpet, this dialogue translated into a series of daring fashion statements.
Some celebrities took a literal approach to the themes, while others drew inspiration from both historic and contemporary artists. Jon Batiste, for instance, turned his appearance into a full-day artistic event by paying homage to the legendary American portraitist Barkley L. Hendricks. Working with stylist Corey Stokes and the brand ERL, Batiste donned multiple looks that echoed Hendricks's 1969 paintings.
This choice was deeply intentional, as Batiste sought to mirror Hendricks's ability to highlight the everyday majesty of Black people through visual arts, aligning it with his own efforts to bring inclusivity to the realm of classical music. Similarly, author Suleika Jaouad collaborated with Christian Siriano to create a gown that celebrated her Tunisian heritage. The red and gold color palette of the glittering dress evoked the metallic, tapestry-like sculptures of El Anatsui.
Anatsui is famous for transforming discarded materials, such as bottle caps and candy wrappers, into intricate West African strip-woven textiles, a spirit of transformation that was evident in Jaouad's high-fashion silhouette. Other guests explored the intersection of the corporeal and the synthetic. Doja Cat arrived in a silicone Saint Laurent dress that leaned into the Classical Body theme of Ancient Greece, yet the look bore a striking resemblance to the provocative work of Korean artist Mire Lee.
Much like Doja Cat's boundary-pushing persona, Lee's work utilizes visceral installations, combining low-tech motors and pumping systems with silicone and grease to create kinetic sculptures that blur the line between technology and the body. In a different vein of art history, Colman Domingo embraced the whimsical and the theatrical. Wearing Boucheron jewels and a bold two-piece Valentino ensemble featuring a punchy diamond pattern, Domingo recalled the harlequin of the commedia dell'arte.
This archetype has been a recurring motif in European art, most notably in the diverse stylistic periods of Pablo Picasso, who often used the harlequin to convey complex emotions. Floral motifs and historical palettes also dominated the evening. Naomi Watts, wearing custom Dior by Jonathan Anderson, revived the tradition of Dutch still life.
Her dress featured a black base that acted as a canvas for vivid, three-dimensional floral embellishments, extending even to her manicure, where artist Iram Shelton created 30 hand-sculpted flowers. This look drew a direct line to the works of Margareta Haverman, a 1716 Dutch artist whose lush flower paintings are rare survivors of the era.
Meanwhile, Chloe Malle captured the essence of a sleeping muse through a custom gown by Brooklyn-based designer Colleen Allen. The dress featured a distinctive marigold hue inspired by a masterpiece in the Museo de Arte de Ponce in Puerto Rico. Allen, who debuted her eponymous collection in 2024, has quickly gained acclaim for her ability to blend historical silhouettes with sublime colors.
The evening concluded as a testament to the power of collaboration, as seen in Iris van Herpen's mesmerizing designs, which continue to push the boundaries of how we perceive the union of art, science, and clothing
Met Gala Costume Art Andrew Bolton High Fashion Art History
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