Met Gala 2024 Theme: What Is the Dress Code & What Will Stars Wear?

We’re breaking down the 2024 Met Gala theme, explaining the dress code, and even predicting what we might see our favorite celebrities wear ahead of the May 6 event.

On Monday, celebrities will hit the red carpet at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art for the annual. The stylish event, which is often dubbed “Fashion’s Biggest Night” always attracts A-listers who wow fans with the extravagant looks.

This year, Met Gala host Anna Wintour will be joined by celebrity co-chairs, Bad Bunny, Chris Hemsworth and Jennifer Lopez. The hosts of the red carpet livestream have not been announced but last year included La La Anthony, Emma Chamberlain, Derek Blasberg and Chloe Fineman reported on the event live.

One of the many things that sets this event apart from other red carpets, is the chance to see celebrities put their spin on the Met Gala’s theme. So, let’s discuss this year’s dress code.

What is the 2024 Met Gala theme?

The theme of this year’s Met Gala is “The Garden of Time” which was inspired by the Costume Institute’s new exhibit, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.” Met Gala guests will be the first to see the exhibit.

The 2024 theme was inspired by JG Ballard’s 1962 short story, The Garden of Time, which is often interpreted as a metaphor for human history and the never-ending cycle of creation and destruction. The story has a range of possible interpretations but we’re guessing Met Gala guests will draw from its floral and botanical references.

“The Garden of Time” dress code was inspired by some of the common themes throughout the exhibit. “What struck me,” Andrew Bolton, the Curator in Charge of the Costume Institute at the Met, told Vogue in April, “Was how many pieces in the collection have been inspired by the natural world.”

“One of the things that resonated with me—and why I think nature seemed particularly relevant—was the impermanence and the transitory nature of fashion,” he added, “But also the cyclical nature of it: the rebirth.”

What is the ‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion’ exhibit?

The “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” exhibit will feature hundreds of items from the Costume Institute’s collection, spanning 400 years, from designers like Schiaparelli, Dior, Givenchy and more. Bolton explained that the name of the exhibition was inspired by some of the ultra-delicate pieces that are being reawakened, like Sleeping Beauty.

The Met Museum shared a sneak preview of some of the items in the exhibit in an Instagram post below.

Due to the fragility of some pieces that cannot be worn again, some items in the exhibit will be brought back to life via video animation, light projection, AI and CGI.

The exhibition will open on May 10 to September 2, 2024.

What will celebrities wear to the 2024 Met Gala?

Celebrities and the designers dressing them will likely Ballard’s short story and the exhibit as inspiration which means we will be expecting to see lots of floral prints and motifs. We will also expect lots of extravagant silhouettes, possibly replicating natural shapes and elements.

We certainly wouldn’t be surprised if we saw some A-listers wear something from Miss Sohee’s Spring 2023 Couture collection, seen on the right below, or from Giambattista Valli’s Spring 2024 Couture collection (left).

We’re also expecting to see stars in stunning archival pieces from major fashion houses that pay homage to the “of time” element of the theme. Stay tuned for all of our Met Gala coverage!

Before you go, click to see all of the Met Gala co-chairs through the years.