Full Breakdown
2026 Met Gala: “Fashion Is Art” Unites Hollywood, High Fashion, and the Costume Institute
5/5/2026, 12:27:07 PM
Core Event and Theme
On Monday, May 4, 2026, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute hosted its annual Met Gala. The dress code, “Fashion Is Art,” directly reflected the museum’s spring exhibition “Costume Art,” which explores the centrality of the dressed body across five millennia. Curator Andrew Bolton said the show “addresses the centrality of the dressed body in the museum’s vast collection.” Co-chairs Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour led a guest list that included the cast of the newly released *The Devil Wears Prada 2*.
Key Figures and Attire
Anne Hathaway arrived in a hand-painted black-and-white Michael Kors gown, co-designed with artist Peter McGough and featuring a dove and a goddess of peace inspired by Keats’s “Ode on a Grecian Urn.” Emily Blunt paired a black Ashi Studio corset top and slacks with a $500,000 Mikimoto pearl body necklace—thousands of Akoya pearls, a 21.85-carat morganite and 45.97 carats of diamonds—calling the piece “wearable art.” Stanley Tucci wore a dark-green Etro velvet tuxedo, while his wife Felicity Blunt chose a sheer lace top and black slacks. Simone Ashley, the sequel’s new first assistant, stepped out in a silver-chain Stella McCartney gown, and Grace Gummer, Meryl Streep’s daughter, appeared in a gold-metallic Gabriela Hearst dress.
Data, Impact, and Exhibition
The sequel’s strong opening—$233 million worldwide—coincided with the gala’s role as the Costume Institute’s primary fundraiser, which traditionally generates multi-million-dollar contributions for acquisitions and programs. The “Costume Art” exhibition will open to the public on May 10 in the new Condé Nast Galleries, extending the Met’s dialogue on fashion as cultural heritage.
Official Statements
Michael Kors said the collaboration with Hathaway was inspired by Keats’s poem and aimed to convey peace, beauty and harmony. Andrew Bolton stressed the exhibition’s aim to link clothing with visual art. Emily Blunt’s stylist Jessica Pastor described the Mikimoto necklace as “wearable art that becomes the garment.” Hathaway, in a Vogue interview, framed her fatigue as “the reason you’re tired” and emphasized not wanting to miss the moment.
Criticism & Opposition
A few commentators described certain ensembles as “baffling” or “creepy,” arguing that the push to literalize the theme sometimes compromised wearability, especially in designs featuring body-painted hands.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We used the poem by John Keats, ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn,’ as a starting point for this one-of-a-kind, hand-painted strapless mikado ball gown,” — Michael Kors, Vogue
- “It was a lot of fun working with Jessica and deciding how we would interpret the theme this year,” — Emily Blunt
- “the centrality of the dressed body in the museum’s vast collection” — Andrew Bolton, curator
- “My thing about it is, like when you get a little bit tired, I’m like, ‘Do you like the reason that you’re tired?’ And I appreciate it because I’m sure some people don’t love the reason that they’re tired,” — Anne Hathaway, Vogue interview
What’s Next
The “Costume Art” exhibition opens to the public on May 10, and *The Devil Wears Prada 2* will continue its worldwide promotional tour, using the gala’s exposure to keep the conversation about fashion as art alive.
