A few months after cancelling the exhibition originally dedicated to the work of John Galliano, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has officially announced the new theme for the upcoming Costume Institute Gala and its accompanying exhibition. The project is titled "extraORDINARY: Fashion and Poetics of the Everyday." The organizers invite visitors to view familiar, seemingly unremarkable clothing in a completely new light, focusing on how these items accompany humans in their daily lives.
Two Main Directions of the Exhibition
As envisioned by the curators, the exhibition will be built around two key pillars. In the first, designers will reimagine basic wardrobe staples—T-shirts, jeans, shirts, and trench coats—demonstrating how familiar objects can acquire unexpected resonance. In the second, the exhibition will focus on the use of materials usually perceived as unnecessary or disposable: paper, aluminum, and plastic. Thus, the theme of the mundane is revealed in two planes—through the form of everyday clothing and through the very nature of the materials used.
Curatorial Team and Source of the Idea
The exhibition is organized by Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton, with the participation of Stephanie Kramer and Emily Mushaben. According to Bolton, the idea for the exhibition emerged after the 2026 "Costume Art" exhibition, which explored the connection between the body and clothing. This time, the curator intends to focus on how people interact with things in daily life—through habits, touch, movement, and feelings, focusing on the invisible but defining role of clothing in everyday rituals.
Key Designers and Exhibits
The exhibition will open with works by Japanese designer Jun Takahashi from the Undercover Fall-Winter 2024 collection, created under the influence of Wim Wenders' film "Perfect Days," which is dedicated to the beauty of ordinary life and daily rituals. Next, visitors will see projects where designers reinterpret familiar wardrobe items: Virgil Abloh's T-shirts for Off-White, Gianfranco Ferré's white shirts, Jonathan Anderson's trench coats for Loewe and various Burberry designers, and down jackets in the form of dresses from Pierpaolo Piccioli's collections for Moncler. A separate part of the exhibition will be dedicated to unusual materials and the reuse of items: this will feature works by Martin Margiela, including an ensemble made of broken porcelain, and a dress made of spoons by Ellen Hodakova Larsson. The exhibition will conclude with the work of Japanese designer Kunihiko Morinaga, founder of the brand Anrealage, whose works are characterized by geometric shapes and proportions.
Dates and Context: Why Galliano Is No Longer on the Program
The Costume Institute Gala is scheduled for May 3, 2027; the exhibition will open to the public on May 9, 2027, and will run until January 9, 2028. It is worth recalling that the Met Gala 2027 theme was originally intended to be the work of John Galliano; however, in late August, the British designer declined to participate. He made this decision amid criticism related to his past antisemitic remarks: although Galliano admitted his fault, this did not mitigate the dissatisfaction. According to the designer himself, after long reflection and communication with museum representatives and other parties, he decided not to hold the exhibition, which led to the change in the project's theme.
