“It Will Still Be Underwhelming”: Met Gala’s Announcement Of 2026 Dress Code Sparks Controversy

The dress code for the 2026 Met Gala, set to take place on May 4, following the longstanding tradition of being held on the first Monday of May, has been announced as “Fashion Is Art.”

The theme will celebrate the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s spring 2026 exhibit, which embraces a “Costume Art” concept.

“Prepare to see some outfits that shouldn’t see the light of day,” one user commented, while another added, “‘Fashion Is Art’ will mean wearing the weirdest thing and calling it genius.”

Vogue made the announcement via its social media channels on Monday, February 23, sharing that the gala’s co-chairs will include Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour, the global chief content officer of all Condé Nast brands, including Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ, The New Yorker, and Glamour.

Dress code for the 2026 Met Gala announced with all-women co-chairs

Image credits: Getty/John Nacion

The Met Gala is held every year to fund the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, the curatorial department dedicated to the study, preservation, and exhibition of fashion as an art form.

According to the latest announcement, this year’s dress code invites guests to “consider the many ways designers use the body as their canvas.” Despite the creative freedom it offers, social media reactions to the directive have been largely pessimistic.

Image credits: Vogue

The showcase planned for this year will feature nearly 400 objects, pairing garments with paintings, sculptures, and other works spanning some 5,000 years of art history.

Andrew Bolton, curator of the institute, quipped on Monday that the dress code for this year “will put an end to the rather obsolete ‘Is Fashion Art?’ debate once and for all.”

Netizens do not have as high hopes as he does for the guests, whose names will remain under wraps until the night of the soirée

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“It will still be underwhelming,” an X user said, while another added, “People will show up in a paint-splattered blazer calling it conceptual.”

“Time to see more ridiculous costumes this year,” a third added.

“Isn’t this the general theme every year?” criticized a fourth.

@mtvuk The dress code for the 2026 Met Gala has been announced as Fashion is Art 🎨 The theme of the event is Costume Art, and will be co-chaired by Beyoncé, Venus Williams, Nicole Kidman and Anna Wintour on May 4 We cannot wait to see these looks 👀 #MTVCeleb#MetGala♬ original sound – dj midnight cowboy

Social media appeared to have expectations from some women in showbiz to make good use of the dress code, though. 

“Lady Gaga better attend. This theme is so her,” one said.

“Cardi B will eat this theme,” a second added.

Image credits: boylykstiga

“Zendaya and Rihanna are about to take it personally,” the next noted.

For male celebrities, one said they “will arrive in the same black tux they’ve had since Barack Obama was president.”

A look at the 2025 Met Gala dress code and the most buzzed disappointments

Image credits: Getty/Theo Wargo

Last year’s Met Gala dress code was “Tailored for You,” which supported the Costume Institute’s exhibition “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.”

The dress code encouraged structured silhouettes to pay homage to Black fashion icons.

Image credits: Comentariosrea1

Co-hosts for the last edition of fashion’s biggest night were also celebrities of color, including Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, Zendaya, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams, and more.

Image credits: Vogue

Those who did not do justice to last year’s dress code, according to Vogue itself, included names like Gigi Hadid, FKA Twigs, Serena Williams, Anne Hathaway, and Diana Ross, among others.

Gigi Hadid’s golden Miu Miu moment had no visible nod to Black fashion or structured tailoring.

FKA Twigs arrived at the event in a Wales Bonner dress that again lacked structure.

Image credits: AdeoluwaJu45898

Serena Williams’ silver Moncler x EE72 dress, cut from satin fabric, failed to align with the tailored directive of the event, while Anne Hathaway, who is known to rock almost any design, disappointed in a mediocre white T-shirt paired with an embellished silver-and-black skirt.

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Diana Ross also opted for a gown with a plunging neckline that lacked tailored elements, and her long, feathered train did not add the required charm to her attire either.

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The 2025 edition marked the first menswear-focused Met Gala theme in over two decades, since “Men in Skirts” in 2003.

The dress code and co-chair announcement on Monday followed the announcement of the Met Gala Host Committee last year

Image credits: Getty/Kevin Mazur/MG24

The 2026 Met Gala Host Committee, announced in December 2025, includes Zoë Kravitz, Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Alex Consani, Misty Copeland, Elizabeth Debicki, Lena Dunham, Sam Smith, Teyana Taylor, and Lisa.

Image credits: Getty/Dimitrios Kambouris

Designer Anthony Vaccarello, Gwendoline Christie, Paloma Elsesser, Lauren Wasser, Anna Weyant, A’ja Wilson, Yseult, and Vogue’s new editor-in-chief, Chloe Malle, are also on the committee.

Image credits: Getty/Dimitrios Kambouris

On Monday, Vogue dropped more names from the host committee: Adut Akech, Angela Bassett, Sinéad Burke, Rebecca Hall, Aimee Mullins, Tschabalala Self, Amy Sherald, and Chase Sui Wonders.

The gala’s lead sponsors and honorary chairs will be Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez.

“Is it just me, or are these themes getting more and more generalized every year?” a netizen probed 

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