This Met Gala’s theme this year is The Garden of Time. Ahead of the event, Tatler explores how the star-studded guest list might interpret it
The dress code for guests for this year’s Met Gala, which falls on May 6, is The Garden of Time. It’s named after a 1962 short story of the same name by J G Ballard (best known for his novel-turned-Steven Spielberg-film The Empire of the Sun).
The Met Gala’s themes in years past are sometimes inspired by The Costume Institute’s spring exhibitions. This year, the institute’s spring exhibition is titled Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion. It has nothing to do with the Brothers Grimm or the Disney classic, but will consist of 250 pieces spanning four centuries; they are linked together by the theme of nature, and will be displayed using immersive AI and CGI technology to bring to life elements of the sea, land and sky, and to stimulate the senses.
Tatler dives into this year’s theme—and how celebrities might bring this story, as well as elements of the exhibition, to life on the red carpet.
Don’t miss: Everything you need to know about the Met Gala
What does The Garden of Time mean?
The Garden of Time details the story of Count Axel and his wife, who live in a spectacular mansion overlooking a garden of crystal flowers, which have time-reversing properties. They see an angry mob approaching their home, and in response they slowly pluck the flowers to reverse time and prevent the mob’s arrival, until there are no flowers left and the couple must ultimately meet their destiny.
Celebrities are encouraged to take inspiration from the story’s themes of transient beauty, dystopia, nostalgia and, of course, florals. Taking inspiration from a literary source is relatively unusual for the event; past themes have highlighted concepts (2018’s Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination), places (2015’s China: Through the Looking Glass) and people (2023’s Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty).
