The Met Gala’s theme always leaves room for interpretation, and this year is no different. The Met Gala will take place on May 4 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and has a dress code to match. The dress code, “Fashion is Art,” gives attendees a range to express their fashion style. The phrase is meant to guide the attendees to translate the theme, “Costume Art,” into red carpet looks. 

According to The Express Tribune, “The announcement coincides with a milestone for the Costume Institute, which will open its new permanent home, the Condé M. Nast Galleries.”

Andrew Bolton is the curator of the “Costume Art” exhibition, which explores a variety of different body types through fashion. He plans to incorporate both historical and contemporary pieces from the Met’s collection. The collector’s permanent home will be the Condé M. Nast Galleries, a 12,000-square-foot hall located by the Metropolitan’s Great Hall. 

Bolton said, “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.”

Each year, the Met Gala raises money for the Costume Institute. This provides the main sources of annual funding for exhibitions, publications, and other museum activities. 

Max Hollein, the Chief Executive Officer and Marina Kellen French Director, said, “Costume Art will present a dynamic and scholarly conversation between garments from The Costume Institute and an array of artworks from across The Met’s collection, elevating universal and timeless themes while bringing forward new ideas and ways of seeing.” 

Set to co-chair the event are Beyonce, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour. Each represents a major force from the world: fashion, sports, and entertainment. This year will be Beyonce’s first time attending the Met Gala since 2016.