All the Met Gala Themes Over the Years, From 1998's Cubism and Fashion to 2026's Costume Art

The Met Gala, also known as the Met Ball and Costume Institute Gala, is an annual fundraising event that takes place at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and it’s organized by Vogue magazine. 

The tradition dates back to 1948, when fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert spearheaded the first fundraising event for the Costume Institute's annual fashion exhibit. For the first two decades, the gala included a special dinner that was held at venues like the Waldorf Astoria and the Rainbow Room. But in the early ’70s, Vogue’s former editor-in-chief, Diana Vreeland, joined the Costume Institute as a consultant and gave the event a major upgrade.

Thanks to Vreeland, it has become an elite and glamorous affair, complete with creative themes like Cubism and Fashion, the Costumes of Royal India and The Age of Napoleon. By 1995, when Vogue’s former editor-in-chief Anna Wintour became chairperson of the event, the official date moved to the first Monday in May. 

This year’s Met Gala theme is Costume Art with the dress code "Fashion is Art." Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour will serve as co-chairs. The Gala Host Committee will also feature a bevy of stars, including, but not limited to Sabrina Carpenter, Misty Copeland, Lena Dunham and Teyana Taylor.

Through the dress code, the museum is "inviting 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."

Andrew Bolton, Curator in Charge at The Costume Institute, said in a statement, “For The Costume Institute’s inaugural exhibition in the Condé M. Nast Galleries, I wanted to focus on the centrality of the dressed body within the Museum, connecting artistic representations of the body with fashion as an embodied art form. Rather than prioritizing fashion’s visuality, which often comes at the expense of the corporeal, Costume Art privileges its materiality and the indivisible connection between our bodies and the clothes we wear."

Superfine: Tailoring Black Style is one of my favorite Met Gala themes of all time. The collection explored Black style throughout 300 years of dandyism. "[It] explores the importance of style to the formation of Black identities in the Atlantic diaspora, particularly in the United States and Europe," the museum wrote. "Together, these characteristics demonstrate how one’s self-presentation is a mode of distinction and resistance—within a society impacted by race, gender, class, and sexuality." Lupita Nyong’o in Chanel, Sadie Sink in Prada, Monica Barbaro in Dior and Tracee Ellis Ross in Marc Jacobs were just a few of my favorite tailored looks of the night.

The theme of 2024 was Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion—and no, it had nothing to do with Disney princesses. The Met CEO Max Hollein told Fashionista, "The focus is on the question of, 'What happens to an object when it enters our collection, which basically transforms it from a garment that was worn into an object that's being shown?'"

Bolton also told the outlet, "Throughout the years, [we've had] exhibitions where we try to reawaken costumes in our collection—usually conceptually, by interpretation and by juxtaposing historical and contemporary garments side by side to mutually inform and enliven each other. But for this one, we wanted to literally reawaken the costumes."

The Met Gala theme for this year was Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, which honored the late designer's work by showcasing 150 of his original looks, along with his original sketches. Regarding his work, Bolton told Vogue, “I always thought that his drawings were very spontaneous and almost impressionistic. But they were in truth extremely precise, almost mathematical.” The co-hosts included Penélope Cruz, Michaela Coel, Dua Lipa and Roger Federer.

2022: In America: An Anthology of Fashion 

Fans of period costumes will take a liking to this theme, which, according to the official website, “explores defining moments in nineteenth- and twentieth-century American fashion.” It was the second half of 2021’s two-part theme, and naturally, the stars dressed to the nines. Lizzo, Blake Lively, Michelle Yeoh and Glenn Close are just a few celebs who dazzled on the red carpet.

2021: In America: A Lexicon of Fashion 

Following the pandemic, the annual Met Gala returned with a bang by paying tribute to American fashion and focusing on ensembles with expressive qualities. At the time, Kim Kardashian stole the show in a black body suit that covered her entire face, complete with a matching train. 

2019: Camp: Notes on Fashion

The fun theme was all about the "camp" aesthetic. It encouraged guests to explore “how the elements of irony, humor, parody, pastiche, artifice, theatricality and exaggeration are expressed in fashion,” according to the site. Co-chairs for the event included Anna Wintour, Lady Gaga, Harry Styles, Serena Williams and Alessandro Michele.

2018: Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination 

The fascinating theme examined fashion’s relationship with Catholicism, and it inspired a plethora of halos, wings and jeweled crosses on the red carpet. Katy Perry, Chadwick Boseman, Rihanna and Ariana Grande are just a few who delivered standout looks.

2017: Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between 

This year’s exhibit highlighted the work of Japanese fashion designer Rei Kawakubo, who is known for her bold and unconventional designs. Stars like Cara Delevingne, Zendaya and Rihanna turned heads with their unique, colorful ensembles.

2016: Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology 

The theme was all about the distinction between clothes made by hand (manus) versus the sewing machine (machina). Madonna notably wore a Givenchy number that became one of her most controversial (and revealing) ensembles to date.

2015: China: Through the Looking Glass

China: Through the Looking Glass explored the impact of Chinese aesthetics on Western fashion. The red carpet included breathtaking looks from Solange Knowles, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Kerry Washington. Wintour, Jennifer Lawrence, Gong Li, Marissa Mayer and Wendi Murdoch served as co-chairs.

2014: Charles James: Beyond Fashion 

The famed couturier was known for his stunning, elaborate designs, so it comes as no surprise that he got his own exhibit. Per the official website, the theme explored “James's design process, specifically his use of sculptural, scientific, and mathematical approaches to construct revolutionary ball gowns and innovative tailoring that continue to influence designers today.”

To honor his legacy, guests sported their most extravagant attire, from Sarah Jessica Parker’s Oscar de la Renta ensemble to Beyoncé’s dazzling homage to Diana Ross.

Every Met Gala Theme Dating Back to 1971

• 2025: Superfine: Tailoring Black Style
• 2024: Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion
• 2023: Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty
• 2022: In America: An Anthology of Fashion 
• 2021: In America: A Lexicon of Fashion 
• 2019: Camp: Notes on Fashion
• 2018: Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination 
• 2017: Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between 
• 2016: Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology 
• 2015: China: Through the Looking Glass
• 2014: Charles James: Beyond Fashion 
• 2013: Punk: Chaos to Couture 
• 2012: Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations 
• 2011: Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty 
• 2010: American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity 
• 2009: The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion
• 2008: Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy 
• 2007: Poiret: King of Fashion 
• 2006: AngloMania: Tradition and Transgression in British Fashion 
• 2005: The House of Chanel 
• 2004: Dangerous Liaisons: Fashion and Furniture in the 18th Century 
• 2003: Goddess: The Classical Mode
• 2001: Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years 
• 1999: Rock Style 
• 1998: Cubism and Fashion
• 1997: Gianni Versace
• 1996: Christian Dior 
• 1995: Haute Couture
• 1994: Orientalism: Visions of the East in Western dress 
• 1993: Diana Vreeland: Immoderate Style
• 1992: Fashion and History: A Dialogue 
• 1990: Fashion Dolls: The Survival of Haute Couture 
• 1989: The Age of Napoleon: Costume from Revolution to Empire
• 1988: From Queen to Empress: Victorian Dress 
• 1987: A Tribute to Diana Vreeland 
• 1986: Dance 
• 1985: Costumes of Royal India 
• 1984: Man and the Horse
• 1983: Yves Saint Laurent: 25 Years of Design 
• 1982: La Belle Époque 
• 1981: The Eighteenth-Century Woman
• 1980: The Manchu Dragon: Costumes of China, the Chi'ng Dynasty 
• 1979: Fashions of the Habsburg Era: Austria-Hungary 
• 1978: Diaghilev: Costumes and Designs of the Ballets Russes 
• 1977: Vanity Fair: A Treasure Trove 
• 1976: The Glory of Russian Costume
• 1975: American Women of Style 
• 1974: Romantic and Glamorous Hollywood Design
• 1973 (December): The 10s, the 20s, the 30s: Inventive Clothes  
• 1973 (March): The World of Balenciaga 
• 1971: Fashion Plate