The Met Gala Will Return With Two-Part Exhibition on American Fashion

The Met Gala is back on. The museum's Costume Institute has confirmed that the star-studded fundraiser will return in September, deviating from its typical date on the first Monday of May.

Last March, the museum was forced to cancel the extravaganza due to the pandemic. Making up for lost time, The Costume Institute has announced plans for a two-part exhibition that will set the theme for the Met Gala in 2021 and 2022. The first part of the major show, In America: A Lexicon of Fashion, will open on September 18. A series of rooms will lead viewers through examples of 20th and 21st century American fashion, highlighting designers including Claire McCardell, Halston and LaQuan Smith. Part two, In America: An Anthology of Fashion, will open on May 5, 2022. Chronicling over 300 years of American domestic life, the show will explore the evolution of dress in relation to politics, ideology and culture.

"Over the past year, because of the pandemic, the connections to our homes have become more emotional, as have those to our clothes. For American fashion, this has meant an increased emphasis on sentiment over practicality," Andrew Bolton, head Costume Institute curator, said in a press release. "Part One of the exhibition will establish a modern vocabulary of American fashion based on the expressive qualities of clothing as well as deeper associations with issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion," he explained, hinting at the political themes inherent in the history of fashion.

Both this year and next will likely see Met Gala attendees don creations by notable American fashion designers -- we predict the red carpet will see standout looks by Kerby Jean-Raymond, Telfar Clemens and Prabal Gurung, designers who have boldly confronted political and social issues with their work.

The 2021 Met Gala is scheduled to take place on Monday, September 13.

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