The Met Gala is renowned as the pinnacle of fashion events, and for good reason.
Every year, the outfits become increasingly intricate, and the red carpet appearances grow more theatrical as designers strive to showcase their creativity and avant-garde styles.
What can we anticipate for the first Monday in May 2027?
Perhaps jeans, T-shirts, and puffer jackets. Sweatpants might even make an appearance.
The freshly announced theme, dubbed “extraORDINARY: Fashion and the Poetics of the Everyday,” was revealed on Thursday by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, about two months following its cancellation of the planned John Galliano retrospective due to controversy.
Andrew Bolton, the curator of the Costume Institute, stated in a press release, “The ordinary is never quite as simple as it appears,” inviting designers to experiment with familiar forms and materials.
“A pair of jeans, a white shirt, or a sweatshirt can embody traces of a life — the habits, memories, and connections that render something personal.”
Can a T-shirt be considered high fashion? Zendaya might have the answer.
Zendaya at the Spider-Man: Brand New Day photo call in Paris in June. (Aurore Marechal/Getty Images)
However, reactions on social media have been mixed.
One Met Gala fan account on Instagram exclaimed, “OMG, I can already tell it’s going to be the worst Met Gala in history!”
“If you needed a sign for a recession indicator, this is it,” remarked another user.
Contrarily, on X, another user argued that the theme wasn’t so bad, stating, “people were acting like you had to wear jeans and a t-shirt.”
The press release clarifies that designers are encouraged to introduce unexpected aspects to familiar clothing.
However, the Wall Street Journal suggested that the Met was “playing it safe” with this new theme after the previous one was abruptly scrapped.
John Galliano Controversy
The 2027 Met Gala fundraiser was originally intended to center around an exhibit from the Costume Institute titled John Galliano: Horizons.
This choice was met with considerable controversy.
Galliano has long been acknowledged as one of the leading talents in the fashion industry due to his extravagant designs and served as creative director for Christian Dior for many years.
However, in 2011, the British designer was dismissed from that position after a series of racist and antisemitic remarks came to light, resulting in his conviction in an antisemitism trial in France.
Mannequins featuring designs by British designer John Galliano are showcased at the Golden Age of Couture exhibition at the V&A Museum in London, in 2007. (Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)
The Met’s plans for an exhibit honoring Galliano sparked significant backlash from the Jewish community and others.
In August, the museum announced, “following thoughtful discussions with John Galliano, we have together decided not to proceed with the exhibition.”
In that same statement, Galliano expressed, “I remain fully accountable for the pain caused by my words in the past, particularly the hurt I caused to the Jewish and Asian communities, and I remain deeply sorry for it.”
With the theme shifted to something less contentious (and perhaps more palatable), designers now face a significant question before May:
How innovative can a Canadian tuxedo truly be?