Through a fun social media post, The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced that the Met Gala 2024 is co-chaired by Hollywood personalities Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, and Chris Hemsworth. Apart from that, the post also revealed this year’s dress code for the gala is “The Garden of Time.”
No, it is not a mysterious place in Marvel Comic’s multiverse nor about an online game. “The Garden of Time” is a short story written by JG Ballard in 1962. Its tale centers on a count and countess living in a villa with a garden of crystalline blooms, “which when snapped from the stem, drain the garden of time and motion,” according to BBC. But the villa is facing trouble with an incoming chaotic mob. To keep its peace, the count plucks the flowers for their time-reversing effect, leading to a tragic end.
The dress code is all about the idea of “fleeting beauty.” And to interpret that into today’s fashion scene, British Vogue recommends looking at melancholic florals, from Dries Van Noten's spring 2014 collection and Karl Lagerfeld's 2015 spring couture collection for Chanel to Alexander MxcQueen’s 2024 spring-summer collection. There is no short of whimsy in “The Garden of Time” tale, which could spark style inspirations for artists and personalities' ensembles. Think of Moschino’s grandfather clock gown in 2022 or the timepiece-inspired accessories at Thom Browne’s autumn-winter 2023 show. Attendees can also play with The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s spring exhibition theme “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.” The idea of “fleeting beauty” can be showcased through archival designs, bygone fashions that “can no longer be worn on the human body.”
The Met Gala 2024 will take place on its traditional schedule, the first Monday in May, which is May 6. While the “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” exhibit will be open for public viewing on May 10.
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Banner image: Rihanna at Met Gala 2023 (Photo from @badgalriri/Instagram)