Met Gala announces 2024 dress code and co-chairs

The theme for Met Gala 2024 is ‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion’

The official dress code and co-chairs for the 2024 Met Gala have finally been revealed.

On 15 February, Vogue announced that Bad Bunny, Chris Hemsworth, Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya, and editor-in-chief Anna Wintour will serve as co-chairs for this year’s Met Gala. The annual fashion event, which takes place on the first Monday in May, will coincide with the opening of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute exhibit, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion”.

Much like every year, the Met Gala comes with its own dress code. For the 2024 Met Gala, attendees must follow a dress code loosely labelled, “The Garden of Time”. In line with the forthcoming exhibit - which is centred around 50 historically significant pieces, some of which are far too fragile ever to be worn again - the dress code takes inspiration from a short story of the same title, written by JG Ballard in 1962.

According to Vogue, “The Garden of Time” follows Count Axel and his wife, the Countess, who live in an elegant villa that overlooks a beautiful garden. However, an angry mob draws nearer to the villa every hour and Count Axel must pluck a flower from his garden to reverse time. But as the number of flowers in his garden dwindle, the mob ultimately descends on the villa and its now-barren garden.

To put it simply, Met Gala guests must follow a dress code that resembles fleeting beauty. Of course, attendees can embrace the obvious by wearing florals - or even real life flowers - to represent an actual garden. For this option, Vogue recommended looking at the “Sleeping Beauties” exhibition itself, which has a black evening coat by Charles Frederick Worth from 1889 on display.

Another motif in the Met Gala’s “The Garden of Time” dress code is time, or the passing of it. Attendees could consider wearing items featuring clocks, such as Moschino’s grandfather clock gown from Fall 2022.

The Costume Institute’s exhibit “Sleeping Beauties” is also rife with inspiration for this year’s dress code. Nearly 250 items will be drawn from the museum’s permanent collection, featuring designs from Elsa Schiaparelli, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, and Givenchy to span 400 years of fashion history. The exhibition will be designed around three main zones: land, sea, and sky. Each “zone” will symbolise the natural materials used within it to create garments. By emphasising the natural world and how its been used in fashion throughout time, sustainability will remain a key focus throughout the exhibit.

While Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour is returning once again as Met Gala co-chair, this year marks the first Met Gala for Marvel actor Chris Hemsworth. The “On The Floor” singer has attended the annual fashion extravaganza 13 times, while Zendaya fans are well aware of the show-stopping looks she’s worn on the steps of the Met. As for rapper Bad Bunny, he will be celebrating his third year at the Met Gala, this time as co-chair. Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will also serve as honourary chairs for the evening.

The theme for last year’s Met Gala celebrated the late legendary designer, Karl Lagerfeld. “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” aimed to examine Lagerfeld’s legacy by bringing together 150 creations from his time as creative director of Fendi, Chloe, and Chanel. However, the theme sparked considerable backlash due to Lagerfeld’s controversial history of making fatphobic, homophobic, and derogatory comments towards women.

The Met Gala is the annual fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. As a result, the price to attend the event can cost as high as $50,000 per person. Although it’s unclear who will be attending this year’s Met Gala, apart from its co-chairs, it’s certain that Wintour will have final say over the celebrity guest list.