The Met Gala is held on the first Monday of May. The 2024 Costume Institute exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, titled “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” features about 250 items from the Costume Institute’s permanent collection, many of which have yet to be seen by the public.
What is the MET Gala?
The Met Gala, formally known as the Costume Institute Gala, is an annual fundraising event held to raise funds for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. In the fashion world, the first Monday in May is regarded as the pinnacle of the fashion world and “fashion’s biggest night.” Invitations to the Gala are highly coveted, extended to individuals perceived as culturally significant across various industries, including fashion, film, music, and politics.
Vogue organizes the Met Gala and celebrates a specific theme each year, influencing the guests’ attire. Established in 1948 by fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert, the Gala has evolved from a local affair to a global, star-studded event, raising millions of dollars annually for the Institute.
What is the Met Gala 2024 Theme?
The 2024 Met Gala celebrates the museum’s new exhibition, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.” The official dress code is “The Garden of Time.” The exhibit will include Schiaparelli, Dior, Givenchy, and more designs. Some garments that are too fragile to ever be worn again—such as a Charles Frederick Worth ball gown from 1877—will also be displayed via video animation, light projection, AI, CGI, and other forms of sensory stimulation.
Andrew Bolton, Wendy Yu Curator in Charge of the Costume Institute, added that the exhibition will be shaped around three main “zones”—Land, Sea, and Sky—that pay tribute to the natural world. “It is very much an ode to nature and the emotional poetics of fashion,” he said.
Met Gala Theme, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” Explained
The 2024 Met Gala theme, “The Garden of Time,” coincides with the exhibition “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” which explores the ephemeral nature of beauty through the lens of a J.G. Ballard short story. The dress code encourages interpretations ranging from melancholic florals to nods to time and decay.
Guests are expected to channel the fragility of nature, with options ranging from floribunda-laden couture to pieces inspired by the exhibition’s exploration of bygone fashion. The gala promises a cerebral approach to fashion theory, with the red carpet likely to showcase diverse interpretations of the theme.
Without further ado, here is the top 10 best and worst looks of the 2024 Met Gala:
Best Dressed at the 2024 Met Gala
1. Mindy Kaling wears Gaurav Gupta to the 2024 Met Gala. This was one of my favorite looks of the night. The draping and the ethereal look of the garment really take the theme to heart.
2. Lea Michele wears Rodarte at the 2024 Met Gala. Lea glowed in this gown.
3. Rebecca Ferguson wears Thom Browne at the 2024 Met Gala. Rebecca wore another emerging theme from the night, which was gothic couture; this piece perfectly captured the drama and fleetingness of time and the romance of it all.
4. Tyla wears Balmain at the 2024 Met Gala. Tyla truly encapsulates the sands of time portion of the theme in this gown. She had to be carried up the stairs since she could barely walk in this garment, but it was worth it for this moment in fashion.
5. Sabrina Carpenter attends the 2024 Met Gala. Looking like she is floating on a cloud, this look took my breath away.
6. Hanani Taylor attended the 2024 Met Gala. In this stunning avant-garde piece, Hanani looked as if she was weaving the threads of time.
7. Elle Fanning wore Balmain at the 2024 MET Gala. It reminds us all that Elle was a model before she was an actress. In this sculptural piece, she looks like a water fountain, or rather a water fixture.
8. Cynthia Erivo attends the 2024 Met Gala. I loved this piece because it took a risk and nailed it. It shows skin in a tasteful way and is classic and sophisticated.
9. Amanda Seyfried attends the 2024 Met Gala. I both like and dislike this look. It reminds me of a tin foil conspiracy and a garden sculpture. Love it or hate it, it makes a statement.
10. Venus Williams attends the 2024 Met Gala. Venus reminds me of a sun catcher as she dazzles in this look.
Worst Dressed at the 2024 Met Gala
1. Virginia Smith rolling up to The Met Gala in her PJs.
2. I know I’m not the only one who doesn’t love Sam Smith’s Met Gala look this year.
3. Gwendoline Christie wore Maison Margiela at the 2024 Met Gala, a look that had potential, but it just looked like netting that catches bugs when you go camping.
4. Lily James wore Erdem at the 2024 Met Gala. The dress has black roses that look out of place and would look better without them.
5. Alexandra Michler Kopelman wore Emilia Wickstead at the 2024 Met Gala. She looked as if she had grabbed the bed sheets from her hotel, bundled them up, and worn them to the Gala.
6. Jordan Roth looks like a mocktail with way too many garnishes in it.
7. Rita Ora reminds us all why the naked dress trend must die. The dress looks cheap, unflattering, and tacky.
8. Cole Escola wears a look the late Queen Elizabeth would be envious of, and no modern-day person would desire to wear; this look is beyond matronly.
9. Elsa Pataky and Chris Hemsworth wear Tom Ford at the 2024 Met Gala. Elsa reminds me of something the color guard wore during my freshman year of high school. The garment looks cheap, as if it were purchased from Halloween Spirit.
10. Jill Kargman wears a garment that looks like the first dress I made in high school. It looks juvenile and not flattering.
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WALK YOUR TALK: This must-read section is a haven for sober fashionistas, delivering original content from our fabulous Sober Curators – Kate Vitela, Harley Skorpenske, and Alexandra Nyman. Living a sober life doesn’t need to be dull, and we’re here to smash the stigma surrounding addiction by showcasing that life can indeed be lived to the fullest without alcohol and in great outfits. If you were anything like us in your drinking years, getting dressed to party and the pre-funk that went with that was usually part of the plan. After putting down the bottle(s), we’re even more excited about getting ready for life, and you should be too!
