A costume party theme directing attendees to “dress like art” doesn’t easily evoke a color scheme, particular fabric texture or article of clothing — it’s confusing. What does that even mean?

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, or the Met, announced Nov. 17 the Costume Institute’s exhibition for spring: “Costume Art.” This will also be the theme for the museum’s annual fundraising Met Gala in May. 

This year’s exhibition and its widely anticipated sibling, the Met Gala, is dedicated to the museum’s opening of a 12,000-square-foot hall named after the late Condé Nast, founder of the eponymous media company. It oversees publishing for major magazines like Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair and The New Yorker.

The theme

“Examine the centrality of the dressed body, juxtaposing objects from across the Museum’s vast collection with historical and contemporary garments from The Costume Institute,” the Met’s announcement explaining the theme reads.

The exhibition centers around the artistic quality of fashion, celebrating its timeless legacy and beauty. It also likens the visual aesthetics of fashion to body positivity — the sentiment of the theme concentrates on raw expressions of art — of fabrics on skin. 

While it is difficult to predict how designers will interpret the theme — the dress code has yet to be announced — the red carpet will likely be dominated by form-fitting silhouettes. Fleshlike fabrics might make an appearance: Tulle and silk are timeless materials that have been used to showcase the beauty of the body, which are fitting of the theme. Latex, a more contemporary fabric, may also show up as a modern twist on the celebration of classical art. 

Fashion-politics discourse

The release of the theme sparked discourse around the collection and the event itself. 

While Western art deserves a spotlight for its attractiveness, critics have expressed concern that  this is not the right time to showcase this particular art style or fashion, as they say art should arguably be the forum to advocate for global crises and conflicts at the moment. 

For example, amid the political turmoil of 2025, the Met theme — “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” — explored menswear through the celebration of Black dandyism. And in 2024, the theme of “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” inspired by the 1962 short story “The Garden of Time” by James Ballard, while not a political commentary, exhibited a diversity of artistic eras. 

The 2026 theme, meanwhile, focuses very broadly on Western art. While some fashion lovers may not dig the vague conceptualization of “Costume Art,” for others, the broad description sparks enthusiasm for a wide range of designer interpretations and potential drama among the netizens when the gala rolls around. 

The “surprising” sponsorship

This year’s benefit sponsor, Condé Nast, will be joined by luxury French fashion label Yves Saint Laurent and billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Bezos. Married this summer, the couple’s wedding created buzz given the number of big names in the fashion industry in attendance. And to the extent of Lauren Bezos’ status as a “great lover of costume and obviously of fashion,” according to Anna Wintour in a November CNN interview, the sponsorship makes sense.

Public discourse, however, takes the backing differently, questioning the intention of the sponsorship, which is beyond Jeff Bezos’  usual scene of technology and entrepreneurship. Online critics are also dissecting Lauren Bezos’ contributions to the fashion world, even re-criticizing her purchase of a $6,000 mug-shaped Balenciaga handbag.

“Really hoping someone is reading all these comments!! This is such an iconic theme and it’s so so so sad to see it gutted and trashed by the choice in sponsorship,” one Instagram user commented on the museum’s announcement of the exhibition and its gala’s theme. Receiving 103 likes, this is just one of many comments that criticize and express disappointment in Jeff Bezos’ investment. 

The committee

In a  Dec. 10 update , the Met named Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman and Venus Williams as the gala’s co-chairs for fundraising alongside Wintour. 

Meanwhile, Anthony Vaccarello and Zoë Kravitz are co-chairing the gala’s host committee, consisting of 16 members, including Sabrina Carpenter, LISA, Doja Cat and Alex Consani.

With a lineup of influencers from different fields who have been sparking fashion conversations, the dress code is highly anticipated.