The Met Gala, fashion’s most anticipated night, has announced this years theme — “The Garden of Time.” Inspired by J.G. Ballard‘s 1962 short story of the same title, this theme draws inspiration from a garden with the power to manipulate time through its translucent flowers, exploring of dystopian futures and ecological narratives. This year’s gala is going to be co-chaired by Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, and Chris Hemsworth joining for the first time. Honorary co-chairs for the event feature Jonathan Anderson, the creative director of Loewe, and Shou Zi Chew, the CEO of TikTok.
The Costume Institute’s accompanying exhibition, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” running from May 10 through September 2 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, goes deeper into the theme. Curated by Andrew Bolton, the exhibition is focused in three parts — Land, Sea, and Sky — that pay tribute to nature and the emotional poetics of fashion, displaying bout 250 items from the Met’s extensive archive.
This year’s Met Gala theme stands in contrast to previous years, moving from tribute to the fashion legend Karl Lagerfeld to the more abstract and conceptual “The Garden of Time.” Attendees are encouraged to go deep into Ballard’s dystopian world, bringing to life the story’s melancholic florals and time-reversing blooms on the red carpet. The directive for moody, possibly gothic interpretations of florals suggests a departure from traditional red carpet attire, leaning towards a narrative-driven expression while the exhibit will showcase an extensive range from a 17th-century English Elizabethan-era bodice to contemporary works by figures such as Phillip Lim, Stella McCartney, and Connor Ives. It will also feature designs from fashion legends like Elsa Schiaparelli, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, and Hubert de Givenchy.
