The 2024 Met Gala Explained: At this year’s Met Gala—officially known as the Costume Institute Benefit—at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, attendees are asked to wear in inspiration from “The Garden of Time.”

It’s simple: the 2024 Met Gala will honor the museum’s newest show, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.” About two hundred and fifty unique artifacts spanning four centuries of fashion will be on display at the Costume Institute’s permanent collection. Along with current pieces, the exhibit will include designs from famous fashion houses such as Schiaparelli, Dior, Givenchy, Stella McCartney, and Phillip Lim. In addition, a number of delicate clothes, including an 1877 ballgown by Charles Frederick Worth, will be showcased employing a variety of sensory stimulation techniques, such as video animation, light projection, artificial intelligence, computer-generated imagery, and more.

A more airy, delicate, playful, and flirty feel permeates this year’s gala in contrast to last year’s “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” theme, which featured all-black ensembles adorned with preppy pearls and bows.

New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art will host the 2024 Met Gala on May 6th. Around 6 o’clock in the evening ET, the red carpet coverage usually starts.

On February 15, Zendaya, Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez, and Chris Hemsworth were confirmed as co-chairs for this year’s gala. Honorary chairs will be Jonathan Anderson, creative director of Loewe, and Shou Zi Chew, CEO of TikTok.

Following the theme of the exhibition, “The Garden of Time,” guests are asked to wear formal attire to the 2024 Met Gala. Everyone is invited to contemplate the delicate, archival quality of the displayed clothing items, which mirror “inevitable decay.” An idyllic environment and transient beauty are the themes of “The Garden of Time,” a short tale by J.G. Ballard published in 1962.

Some possible interpretations of the dress code include: outfits influenced by the 16th century, floral designs, nature-themed pieces, and whimsical/avant-garde styles reminiscent of fairy tales.

The theme may have been unclear, but Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour apologized and said she expected a lot more floral-themed attire at the gala.

The official guest list is still a mystery, but rumour has it that Zendaya’s boyfriend Tom Holland, Ben Affleck (wife of Jennifer Lopez), and Elsa Pataky (wife of Chris Hemsworth) could be in attendance. Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and other famous people are rumored to be in attendance as well.

Going to the Met Gala, though, is no picnic. Invitations do not exempt visitors from the requirement that they purchase tickets, the cost of which can approach $50,000.