When Raúl Ávila first got the call to begin designing this year’s Met Gala, as he has done since 2007, the theme of “Costume Art” presented a unique challenge. How do you connect the idea of the dressed body – of the human form as a canvas for artistic expression through fashion – to decor?
Ávila and the event design team, which includes Baz Luhrmann and the award-winning set designer Derek McLane, decided to centre the decor on the concept of Northern Italian gardens. Drawing on Renaissance design, the goal was to create a romantic atmosphere in which guests are immersed in a scene fit for a work of art, placing them – and the wearable art on their bodies – within the visual tradition of the pieces all around them. This concept complements the unveiling of the Costume Institute’s new Condé M. Nast Galleries, whose debut show features clothing and artwork from a majority of the museum’s 19 collecting areas.
The first decor element guests encounter at the gala – and the one broadcast around the world – is, of course, the red carpet. But this year’s carpet isn’t red, and at first glance, it might not even look like a carpet. That’s because the carpet for the 2026 Met Gala was hand-painted to resemble a stone garden pathway, a tan design with patches of moss green, all creating the feeling that it has “been there for a long time,” says Ávila.
The carpet is framed by a cloud of light purple, pink, and white wisteria, lining the tent’s ceiling and walls. It is a mix of real wisteria and trompe l’oeil, McLane says: “It’s soft, it’s romantic, it says spring.” Focusing on one texture gives it a “simplicity of modernity, which I think is right for this year.”
As guests ascend the carpeted stairs into the museum, posing for photos along the way, they will take their first steps into a magical garden assembled for the evening.
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