Wallpaper* selects eight key fashion-art encounters ahead of Met Gala

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute will open its spring 2026 exhibition 'Costume Art' on Sunday 10 May 2026, pairing works from The Met's collection with fashion in a show spanning prehistory to the present day. The exhibition is the inaugural show in the institution's newly opened gallery space. The annual Met Gala, taking place on 4 May 2026, will follow the dress code 'Fashion is Art'. In anticipation, Wallpaper* highlights eight historic intersections of fashion and art: Elsa Schiaparelli's collaborations with Salvador Dalí (including the 1936 tromp l'oeil drawer suit and the lobster dress worn by Wallis Simpson); Yves Saint Laurent's 1965 Mondrian collection based on Piet Mondrian's neoplasticist paintings; Rei Kawakubo's costumes and sets for Merce Cunningham's 1997 ballet 'Scenario'; Elmgreen & Dragset's 2005 permanent installation 'Prada Marfa' on a Texas highway; Kim Jones's references to the Bloomsbury Group, including his debut Fendi Couture S/S 2021 collection; Mariano Fortuny and Henriette Negrin's Delphos Gown (circa 1907), inspired by the Charioteer of Delphi; Louis Vuitton's 2000 collaboration with Stephen Sprouse featuring graffiti logo; and John Singer Sargent's 1884 'Portrait of Madame X', whose black dress is attributed to couturier Félix Poussineau.