Met Gala 2024 Theme Explained – ‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion’

3 May 2024, 16:46

The Met Gala 2024 has decided to switch things up by separating the theme from the dress code, though they still interplay with one another. Here is the Met Gala 2024 theme and dress code explained.

It’s Met Gala time and with the largest fashion event in the world almost on top of us, we need to brush up on what’s happening surrounding the theme and dress code this year.

We’ve been expecting the likes of Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Blake Lively, Rihanna, and Kim Kardashian who have all done well sticking with the theme in the past, but with its more complex nature this year, will celebs on the guest list struggle?

The most important thing that needs to be understood about the Met Gala 2024 is that the 'theme' and the 'dress code' are different this year.

• Read more: Met Gala 2024 Date, Time, Guest List And Everything Else You Need To Know
• Read more: Billie Eilish's Jaw-dropping Met Gala Looks Through The Years
• Read more: Kim Kardashian's Bold Met Gala Looks Through The Years

So from ‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion’ to ‘The Garden of Time,’ here are the Met Gala theme and dress codes explained.

What is the Met Gala 2024 exhibition?

The theme “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” refers to the exhibition the Gala will be hosting.

The exhibition itself is set to “explore notions of rebirth and renewal, using nature as a metaphor for the impermanence of fashion,” according to a news release from the Met.

Visitors will be able to view significant pieces from over the last 400 years in fashion, including the likes of Elsa Schiaparelli, Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent and Hubert de Givenchy.

Despite its title, the theme will have nothing to do with fairytales or fables but rather will highlight and celebrate pieces of fashion clothing so fragile that they cannot be worn again.

These fragile works of art have therefore been dubbed the ‘sleeping beauties,' in question.

This is merely the 'theme' of the exhibition within the Met and not what will be asked of the guests when it comes to dressing up.

Although we forecast some confusion this year- it will be very likely that we will see some Disney-inspired outfits on the 6th of May.

The Met Gala 2024 theme explained

The Met Gala 2024 theme and dress code will be ‘The Garden of Time,’ which parallels the theme of the exhibition but isn’t exactly the same.

The dress code will primarily focus on "fleeting beauty,” like a flower, hence the reference to a ‘garden’ in the title.

’The Garden in Time’ itself was a 1962 JG Ballard short story about a count and his wife who defended themselves against an approaching army using a garden of crystal flowers.

The imagery of the story is strong so we can expect references to it on the red carpet if the celebrities and their stylists have done their due diligence.

However aside from the short story, there are several ways one can interpret this dress code. The most obvious would be a nature or garden theme, but 'obvious' doesn’t always mean bad or boring.

It’ll be the designer's job to make, and we quote The Devil Wears Prada, ‘florals for spring, groundbreaking.”

If florals aren’t what the celebrities are feeling, the concept of 'time' could be interesting. They could go down a historic route, they could go down a scientific route or they could go literal and use inspiration from clockfaces around the world for their look.

The concept of time is what ties the theme and dress code together. Those fragile works of art that can no longer be worn are essentially now frozen in time, another concept guests can explore for their own looks on the carpet.

But after the debacle and backlash Kim Kardashian faced wearing her own 'sleeping beauty' piece, an original Marilyn Monroe dress lent to her for the Met Gala in 2022, other celebrities will probably avoid wearing delicate historical pieces.

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