Cover Rihanna wears a striking floral Rei Kawakubo ensemble at the 2017 Met Gala (Photo: Getty Images)
Rihanna wears a striking floral Rei Kawakubo ensemble at the 2017 Met Gala (Photo: Getty Images)
1 / 1
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).
How the Met Gala 2024 theme can be interpreted
Above Rihanna at the 2023 Met Gala (Photo: Getty Images)
Above Kylie Jenner at the 2017 Met Gala (Photo: Getty Images)
Rihanna at the 2023 Met Gala (Photo: Getty Images)
1 / 2
Florals are the most literal illustration of the theme, with the crystalline garden as the key image of the short story. We’ve seen plenty of elegant examples over the past decade. Last year’s theme, Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, saw a multitude of white camellias—an iconic motif of Chanel, which Lagerfeld helmed for over three decades—both subtly and majorly incorporated into looks by the likes of Rihanna, Chinese model Liu Wen and Blackpink’s Jennie.
The 2017 Met Gala’s theme was Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between. The seminal Japanese designer often referenced flowers in her prints, colour palettes and silhouettes—and Kylie Jenner, Zoe Kravitz and others sported floral-themed outfits.
Above Zendaya at the 2016 Met Gala (Photo: Getty Images)
Above Lily Collins at the 2019 Met Gala (Photo: Getty Images)
Zendaya at the 2016 Met Gala (Photo: Getty Images)
1 / 2
Stars may want to draw elements from the sci-fi elements of Ballard’s writing and channel futuristic looks—think the 2016 event’s theme Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology theme à la Zendaya.
Perhaps the decade the story was written in could also appeal to the guests. The 1960s offers a host of new age styles that influenced modern fashion, like Priscilla Presley’s beehive hairdo and frilly minidress, which was reimagined by actress Lily Collins for the Camp: Notes on Fashion theme in 2019.
Amalissa Hall was the style writer at Tatler Hong Kong. Primarily focused on writing digital articles, she covers news, tracks trends and interviews experts from the fashion, beauty and wellness industries, as well as entertainment spheres. Interview highlights include Formula One driver Alex Albon, award-winning costume designer Jany Temime and prolific make-up artist Lisa Eldridge.
She has also produced print stories featuring make-up artists, perfumiers and other upcoming figures discussing Asian representation on social media, sharing industry insight and trends as well as explaining new approaches to wellness in Hong Kong.
