The Costume Institute has unveiled an exciting plan for its spring 2026 exhibition entitled “Costume Art,” coinciding with one of the most anticipated events in the fashion calendar, the Met Gala. This year’s gala will feature an impressive lineup of co-chairs, including pop icon Beyoncé, acclaimed actress Nicole Kidman, tennis champion Venus Williams, and the influential editor Anna Wintour. This marks a significant return for Beyoncé, who has not graced the Met Gala since 2016 when she attended the “Manus x Machina” event, making this her first appearance in a decade.
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For fashion enthusiasts eager to catch a glimpse of their favourite celebrities, the red carpet coverage for the 2026 Met Gala will be live-streamed across various platforms hosted by Vogue, including YouTube and TikTok. The streaming will commence at 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT) on Monday, May 4, 2026. Models and television personalities Ashley Graham, La La Anthony, and Cara Delevingne will guide viewers through the glamorous event, while popular internet creator Emma Chamberlain will return as the Red Carpet Correspondent.
The “Costume Art” exhibition is set to run from May 10, 2026, until January 10, 2027, and it will tie directly into the theme of the Met Gala, fostering a deep connection between the two significant fashion occasions. This year, organisers have introduced 25 new mannequins that showcase a diverse array of body types, challenging the traditional norms of fashion figures that typically conform to a size 2 standard.
According to Andrew Bolton, curator at the Costume Institute, the initiative is aimed at confronting the long-standing history of mannequins that predominantly represent thin, able-bodied figures. He expressed the desire to “represent a diverse range of real bodies with real, lived experiences,” reflecting a greater movement towards body inclusivity in the world of fashion. The exhibition serves not just as a display but as an invitation to rethink the portrayals of body image through the lens of art.
The creative team behind the exhibition prioritised realism, collaborating with nine models to produce 18 of the newly fashioned mannequins. The remaining seven mannequins have been designed to represent a variety of body types, including a pregnant figure and a male model, although they are not based on specific individuals. In total, the exhibit will present over 200 mannequins that have been crafted with a polished steel finish akin to a mirror, enhancing their visual appeal.
Noteworthy individuals included in the mannequin design process are Sinéad Burke, a prominent disability advocate born with dwarfism; Aimee Mullins, a multifaceted athlete and actress who wears prosthetic legs; and Aariana Rose Philip, a musician and model who uses a wheelchair. These figures add a vital representation to the exhibition. Additionally, Michaela Stark, a talented couturier, has designed pieces for several mannequins featured in the exhibition’s sections dedicated to Reclaimed Bodies and Corpulent Bodies.
Following the exhibition, all mannequins will be integrated into The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s permanent collection, allowing them to be reused in future exhibits. The initiative not only emphasises contemporary discussions surrounding body diversity but also reimagines how fashion is displayed within museum contexts, encouraging a broader conversation about inclusivity.
As excitement builds for the Met Gala and the opening of the “Costume Art” exhibition, fashion aficionados and the general public alike are eager to see how this year’s events will unfold, hoping to witness a captivating exploration of fashion and its intersection with body representation in art. This shift has the potential to redefine the boundaries of fashion, challenging notions of beauty while celebrating the spectrum of human experience.