The year 2024 is upon us, and quite frankly, we wish May came sooner in the calendar. After all, the first Monday in May marks the Met Gala event – fashion’s much-loved and most buzz-worthy affair of the year!
Following 2023’s theme of ‘Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty’, the theme for 2024 has been announced and this time around, it will be a little more complex. On November 8, Vogue announced the 2024 Costume Institute exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York will be ‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion’. The exhibit is set to open to the general public on Tuesday May 7 (the day after the Met Gala red carpet event on Monday May 6), and will be centered around significant and historical fashion items – some of which are far too fragile ever to be worn again. The pieces on display will span 400 years. From a 17th century Elizabethan-era bodice to more contemporary 21st century designs from the likes of Stella McCartney and Phillip Lim. The showcase curated by Andrew Bolton is also set to include designs from fashion titans Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Hubert de Givenchy and Elsa Schiaparelli, most of which have been handpicked and unearthed from the Costume Institute’s own private collection.
Members of theFashionSpot forums immediately began to weigh in on the theme for the celebratory 2024 event. “I guess they need a bland palate cleanser after the ‘drama’ surrounding Karl’s exhibit.” [blueorchid]
“What’s old is new again, but in the literal sense?” [GivenchyHomme]
“I like this in theory, but I also don’t get it.. like, what is the actual theme? I’m confused. Historical costume? Elizabethan fashion? Post-war couture? Your guess is as good as mine,” [gallianostan]
“Alright who’s showing up in the Fall 2005 Viktor & Rolf collection?” [marsnoop2]
“I actually like the idea of this. In a way, it is a bit “back to basics” but with where fashion has been going lately, it’ll be nice to see some of the works of the early greats. I doubt it, but hopefully there’s some fabulous Schiaparelli, Gres and Vionnet pieces in there alongside say Prada’s Fall 2007 feather and sequin pieces. The theme is confusing, and can be interpreted in odd ways. I do view it as a counterpart to ‘Manus x Machina’, just with a more transitory quality. I’m not sure the MET really knows where it is going with it either, considering other posts surrounding it.” [Cocteau Stone]
“I will admit I thought the name of the theme sounded horridly pretentious at first but the more I’ve read and learned about the exhibit, I think it’s absolutely perfect. Very much looking forward to seeing which designs Andrew Bolton unearths…” [vogue28]
Await more news from 2024’s Met Gala (like the dress code for those lucky enough to attend) and join the conversation over on theFashionSpot forums, here.
