Fashion’s biggest night is set to happen at the Met Gala on May 6, 2024.
This year’s theme is The Garden of Time, based off the short story of the same name by science fiction author J. G. Ballard. The corresponding exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art will be titled Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion and will feature historical pieces too delicate to be worn again.
Though editors at The Journal may live several hours away from the glitz and glamour of New York City, we’re eagerly watching the developments. Here’s our breakdown of the theme, and what we think the Met Gala’s attendees will wear on the red carpet.
What is the theme about?
Ballard’s short story, though not as well-known as his novels, is a meditation on the ceaseless progress of time. The Garden of Time focuses on Count Axel, a man who lives in an opulent villa surrounded by a lush garden with his wife. Their secluded paradise is interrupted when the Count notices a mob of dishevelled villagers approaching on the horizon, set on destroying his beautiful estate.
To keep them at bay, the Count must pick a crystalline “time flower” from his garden every evening to temporarily rewind the horde’s progress, though each day the villagers creep closer. Once the Count runs out of flowers, he and his wife resign themselves to their fates, polishing their beloved house one last time before succumbing to the end.
When the throng arrives at the gates of the Count’s villa, they find the estate already destroyed, and the Count and Countess frozen into stone statues. The story is rich with themes on the cycles of destruction, preservation, and creation that have defined human history.
What do we predict guests will wear?
Looking at the garden aspect of the theme, we can expect plenty of celebrities to show up in florals. Recent spring 2024 collections provide plenty of options, ranging from Balmain’s blossom-inspired pieces to Simone Rocha’s flowery appliques and translucent dresses incorporating fresh roses. Organic-looking materials or forms and eco-friendly manufacturing processes could appeal to the theme of nature more subtly.
On the other hand, more adventurous dressers might look to adhere to the themes of decay and time found in the story. Maison Margiela made waves with its Paris show this January, embracing deconstruction and darkness behind glassy, doll-like makeup and exaggerated, corseted silhouettes.
Others might elaborate on this idea by selecting archival looks such as those by Alexander McQueen, who was famously fascinated by the primeval and romantic. Potential features include ballgowns, corsets, intricate patterns, and high collars that harken back to the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, since the exhibition will feature pieces from these eras, or wrist and pocket watches as accessories to literally represent time.
We may even see red carpet performances that evoke transformation—think Lady Gaga’s 2019 look which involved her gradually stripping down from a magnificent pink gown to a bra and fishnets.
The text of The Garden of Time also features many nods to fashion. Count Axel is said to wear black velvet and white gloves, while his wife is in a brocade evening dress. The crystalline time flowers featured throughout the story may lend themselves to translucent, fragile fabrics, while the of the mob are described as being dressed in tattered uniforms, suggesting distressed materials, raw edges, and unfinished pieces.
Underscoring many of the looks of the night will likely be an element of romance and fantasy, given the vivid and inventive world Ballard concocts in his short story, as well as his larger tradition of speculative fiction. Watch for pieces that are highly conceptual and cerebral, that stir the imagination, or that comment on the past and future.
Of course, fashion always aims to be innovative and unpredictable. Only time will tell what the Met Gala’s guests will wear.
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