7 future Met Gala themes we’d like to see
Last month, it was announced that the theme of next year’s Met exhibition would be John Galliano: Horizons, but this week, those plans were scrapped. The exhibition, which was due to honour the designer’s impact on fashion history, has been cancelled after receiving continued backlash. The controversy is a result of John Galliano’s past racist and antisemitic remarks, for which he was convicted of a hate crime in 2011.
“After much reflection and discussion with all those involved, I have decided, with great sadness, that it is best for the exhibition not to take place at this time,” Galliano wrote in a statement posted on Instagram. “John’s decision that the exhibition devoted to his work should not take place at this time is very courageous and a measure of the man he is. I believe this is the right decision, and both he and the museum have my full support,” said Anna Wintour.
As for Andrew Bolton, the lead curator of the Met’s Costume Institute, this news means planning and curating a new exhibition in the next eight months – so he’d better get a move on. Lucky for him, below, we’ve come up with a long list of potential theme ideas. You’re welcome!
The hosts: Rick Owens, Siouxsie Sioux, Jenna Ortega, Matières Fécales, Gabbriette.
The mood board: Black, white, lilac, Victorian mourning dress, veils, Derek Ridgers’ photographs of The Batcave, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Rick Owens and Michèle Lamy, Elvira, Skin of Skunk Anansie, Suspiria, Nosferatu, Frankenstein.
The exhibition: From Mary Shelley to Matières Fécales, a look back on fashion’s longstanding love affair with all things gothic (in every sense of the word).
The hosts: Jack Nicholson, Nicole Kidman, Raf Simons, Frank Ocean.
The mood board: McQueen’s AW99 The Overlook collection, Moschino’s AW22 Space Odyssey-inspired collection, Raf Simons’ Calvin Klein SS18 show, basically any of Alessandro Michele’s Gucci.
The exhibition: An odyssey through Stanley Kubrick’s enduring impact on fashion.
The hosts: Grace Jones, Naomi Campbell, Yasmeen Ghauri, Pieter Mulier.
The mood board: Bodycon, leopard print, alligator, leotards, peplum, Grace Jones as May Day (which inspired Kylie Minogue’s “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” white jumpsuit).
The exhibition: Sadly, the late Tunisian designer will likely never be honoured at the Met due to his alleged feud with Anna Wintour (he was omitted from the museum’s 2009 Model as Muse exhibition). But if any legendary designer deserves a tribute of this scale, Alaïa definitely does.
The hosts: The Antwerp Six, Martin Margiela, Matthieu Blazy.
The dress code: Minimalist, deconstructed, layering, block colours, Tabis, mouthpieces, masks. Anything Belgian.
The exhibition: A major display honouring the legacy and impact of Belgian fashion designers, featuring works from The Antwerp Six, Martin Margiela, Matthieu Blazy, Raf Simons, Glenn Martens and more.
The hosts: IB Kamara, Skepta, Takashi Murakami, Bella Hadid.
The mood board: Off-White, Louis Vuitton menswear from 2018 to 2021, workwear, deconstructed tailoring, graffiti, bold prints, quotation marks, bridal gowns.
The exhibition: An exhibition celebrating the life and legacy of the late Virgil Abloh.
The hosts: Björk, X Æ A-Xii Musk, Arca, Glenn Martens.
The mood board: Mugler, the eclipse rave that Björk hosted in Iceland, Jean Paul Gaultier (old and new), Shalom Harlow being spray-painted at McQueen, Bella Hadid being spray-painted at Coperni, Plato’s Atlantis, Glenn Martens’ Margiela couture, Liza Keane, YAKU, Giacomo Goattin.
The exhibition: We see your Manus x Machina and raise you: Y3K. The antidote we need to the trend cycle’s obsession with Y2K and a rejection of nostalgia. What will fashion look like a thousand years from now? (Or take the shortcut and just do a Björk retrospective instead).
The hosts: Austin Butler, Miuccia Prada, Priscilla Presley, Lil’ Kim, Jay-Z.
The mood board: Moulin Rouge!, sequins, feathers, headpieces, knights, angels, white leather, greased hair, Joan of Arc, 1920s, Prada as featured in The Great Gatsby, velvet suits, ballroom dancing, lycra, cha cha heels.
The exhibition: He’s not just a celebrated film director, he’s also Anna Wintour’s best friend. Luhrmann’s impact on fashion is undeniable – from Strictly Ballroom to Chanel’s famous No. 5 advert starring Nicole Kidman.
