Inside The Actual Met Gala "Costume Art" Exhibition

It’s the annual event for all things glamorous in the world of haute couture — fashion’s night out, if you will. Of course we’re talking about the Met Gala, which is all the talk today on all your favorite news outlets, style blogs and destinations for culture. We better be at the top of that list for the latter!

All half-jokes aside though, The 2026 Met Gala proved to be no different and truly captured some of our favorite celebrities in their greatest gowns, most stylish suits and extravagant ensembles overall. However, many forget why the glitz and glam is happening in the first place: the art itself!

At the center of it all is The Met’s new “Costume Art” exhibition, a celebration of human bodies in all shapes, sizes, contours and creases with a few questions in mind…

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The Met Costume Institute set out to answer each of those questions and a host of others by looking at how the diverse layout of Hollywood deciphered the dress code. In a society where everyone, with the exception of nudists of course, dress themselves with the intention of expressing individuality, the concept of “body is art” sparks the debate of whether clothes make the person or if a person makes the clothes — how many times have we all heard the phrase, “It’s ugly until Rihanna wears it”?

With the “Costume Art” exhibition, it becomes perfectly clear that the relation between clothing and the human body is symbiotic; one simply can’t exist without the other.

As the “Costume Art” exhibition prepares for its opening to the public this Sunday (May 10), spanning for an eight-month run that ends on January 10, 2027, we thought it would be a good idea to show you inside the actual exhibit. Sure, the celebs make it look really good, but don’t you want to know what they all came here for?

We got you covered.

Keep scrolling for an early look at The Metropolitan Museum Of Art Costume Institute’s Spring 2026 “Costume Art” exhibition at the center of last night’s annual Met Gala: