Met Gala 2023 Theme Announced: 'In America: An Anthology of Fashion'

The 2023 Met Gala will celebrate the opening of the Costume Institute's exhibition "In America: An Anthology of Fashion," which will explore the development of American fashion by presenting narratives that relate to the complex and layered histories of those spaces.

The Met Gala 2023 theme is a nod to the upcoming Costume Institute exhibit, which will be focusing on Black style in menswear throughout the ages.

The theme, which is meant to be interpreted liberally, couldn’t be more fitting for the first Met Gala exhibit in over 20 years to focus exclusively on menswear.

The Costume Institute also announced on Tuesday that it will be bringing back what it described as a “longstanding tradition” — a new lineup of high-profile celebrity hosts, joining the previously announced Pharrell Williams, Lewis Hamilton, Colman Domingo, ASAP Rocky and LeBron James.

Vogue editor Dame Anna Wintour, who chairs the gala each year, will also be a part of the hosting lineup.

The new committee will feature a range of luminaries from different fields: athletes Simone Biles and her husband Jonathan Owens, Angel Reese and Sha’Carri Richardson; filmmakers Spike Lee, Tonya Lewis Lee and Regina King; actors Ayo Edebiri, Audra McDonald and Jeremy Pope; musicians Doechii, Usher, Tyla, Janelle Monae and Andre 3000; author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; artists Jordan Casteel, Rashid Johnson and Kara Walker; playwrights Jeremy O Harris and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins; and fashion figures Grace Wales Bonner, Edward Enninful, Dapper Dan and Olivier Rousteing.

Celebrity chef Kwame Onwuachi will be creating the menu for the gala.

The annual event, which serves as a major fundraiser for the Costume Institute — last year’s brought in a record sum of over 26 million dollars (£20 million) — also launches the spring exhibit.

This year’s exhibit, titled Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, will run for six months, which is longer than previous shows, and is inspired by Monica L Miller’s book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.

In a statement from the Met, host committee member Usher said, “The theme this year is not only timely but also speaks to our rich culture that should always be widely celebrated.”

Richardson added, “Our style isn’t just what we wear — it's how we move, how we own our space, how we tell our story without saying a word.”

According to the Met, the show “presents a cultural and historical examination of Black style from the 18th century to today through the lens of dandyism.”

Miller, a guest curator of the show along with the Met’s star curator Andrew Bolton, noted at a museum event last year that back in the 1780s, “dandies” were often defined as “men who paid distinct and sometimes excessive attention to dress.”

“Historical definitions of dandyism range from absolute precision in dress and tailoring to flamboyance and fabulousness,” Miller said.

The show will be focusing specifically on Black dandyism; more broadly, it will chronicle the ways in which Black people have used dress and fashion over the centuries to transform their identities, the museum said.

Among the artists contributing to the exhibit design is Torkwase Dyson, who will be using her signature “hypershapes” to create standalone monumental sculptures, or “architectural zones.”

Artist Ike Ude, a consultant for the show, will be curating a section that highlights Julius Soubise, one of the first Black dandies who challenged societal norms in 18th-century London.

The show will be divided into 12 sections, each representing a characteristic that defines “dandy” style: ownership, presence, distinction, disguise, freedom, champion, respectability, jook, heritage, beauty, cool, and cosmopolitanism.

The Met Gala will be held on May 5.

Superfine: Tailoring Black Style will be open to the public from May 10 to October 26.