The theme for the 2024 Met Gala has been revealed- The Garden of Time.
Scheduled for May 6th, the star-studded fundraiser will invite attendees to celebrate the Costume Institute’s new exhibition, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.”
According to the Met, the exhibition will be shaped around three main “zones”—Land, Sea, and Sky—that pay tribute to the natural world.
Andrew Bolton, Wendy Yu Curator in charge of the Costume Institute added: “It is very much an ode to nature and the emotional poetics of fashion.”
The 2024 theme was inspired by J.G. Ballard’s short story The Garden of Time which was written in 1962.
Although it can be interpreted in many ways, viewers will be sure to see many floral and botanical looks grace the red carpet.
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The Met Gala’s Instagram page announced the theme and wrote: “The Garden of Time- Among the pieces we know are in the exhibition is a black evening coat by Charles Frederick Worth from 1889, cut from a jacquard textile woven with parrot tulips that, per the Met, have an ‘aggressive dynamic quality’ to them.”
“Something from Dries Van Noten’s Spring 2014 collection, which features parrot tulip embroideries seemingly plucked from Worth’s cape, would be a smart choice. So, too, would something from his Spring 2017 collection, where models walked down a runway flanked by exquisite flowers frozen in blocks of ice by avant-garde floral artist Azuma Makoto; the crystalline floral reference would be a lovely wink to Ballard.”
“More for those embracing the floral theme: There were a handful of unapologetically floribunda-laden fashions from last month’s couture collections. Consider a look from Simone Rocha’s couture debut via Jean Paul Gaultier, where models walked with silver-dipped roses in their hands as if Rocha knew this theme was coming. Or look 36 from Giambattista Valli would do well with its melodramatic impressionistic sequined florals.”
“Beyond these most recent couture collections, there’s Karl Lagerfeld’s flower-embellished pieces at Chanel’s Spring 2015 Couture collection, which was set in a garden that mechanically bloomed—very Ballardian. We’d even encourage looks with real-life flowers, rotting preferably; essentially, you’ll want to look like a walking memento mori as you ascend the Met Gala red carpet steps.”
“One could look to non-floral clues in Ballard’s text, too. Though destruction looms, the Countess plays Mozart and Bach on her harpsichord. How fitting is the music note look from Valentino Spring 2014? And for those who want to follow the text faithfully, Count Axel is described as wearing black velvet and a silk cravat.”
“Time—the reversal of it and our powerlessness over it—is another theme to explore. Someone could wear Cartier’s Salvador Dalí-inspired Crash timepiece on their wrist. Or, for a camp take (and a wink to a previous Met Gala theme), consider Moschino’s grandfather clock gown from Fall 2022.”
The 2024 Met Gala hosts are Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, and Chris Hemsworth.
This year’s hosts rival last year’s star-studded cast which saw Penélope Cruz, Michaela Coel, Roger Federer, Dua Lipa, and Vogue’s Anna Wintour take to the stage.
According to Harper’s Bazaar tickets to the ball usually raise millions for the Costume Institute at the Met.
Tickets are bought by designers and brands by invite-only and cost roughly $35,000 each, with tables ranging from $200,000 to $300,000.
Anna Wintour has co-chaired the gala since 1995 and carefully selects a handful of celebrity co-chairs to join her every year.
