“Fashion is very much an art form not in spite of the body, but because of it,” says Andrew Bolton, OBE, curator in charge of the Costume Institute. And this year’s exhibition, “Costume Art,” seeks not just to address this tantalizingly complex issue, but to explore it in all its many facets. The central thesis is as simple as it is thrilling: pair existing artworks with corresponding garments or accessories and let your synapses fire. The very layout of the show—broken into sections that move from Biblical nudity to the au courant idea of body diversity to the ways in which we’ve long used clothes not merely to adorn but to subvert and distort the body—indicates just how richly drawn this subject is and why it’s mesmerized artists since time immemorial.
Sinéad Burke, CEO of Tilting the Lens, emphasizes how this exhibit highlights bodies that have traditionally been overlooked, and as someone with a physical disability, she is among those featured. Her body has been memorialized in the exhibition as a custom mannequin, alongside model and musician Aariana Rose Philip, transforming their presence into a lasting part of the narrative around representation, fashion, and identity.
Additionally, this exhibition will be the first in the costume department’s new home, the Conde M. Nast Galleries. Once relegated to a modest 4,500-square-foot space in the museum’s basement, the department will now take flight in a grand, 12,000-square-foot display room on the ground floor, just off the central Great Hall. It is, says Max Hollein, the museum’s director, a symbol of how important clothing has become to The Met’s mission in exploring the many facets of art in the modern age. “We collect paintings, sculptures, textiles, arms and armor, but especially all the fashion,” he says. “And we want to make sure that it’s understood that fashion is a fantastic form of art.”
Featuring testimonials from Misty Copeland, Alex Consani, Gwendoline Christie, Aimee Mullins, Sinéad Burke, Aariana Rose Philip and more.
Director: Nina Ljeti
Directors of Photography: Michael Lopez, Henry Gill
Editor: Evan Allan
Senior Producer: Bety Dereje
Producer: Rashida Josiah
Associate Producers: Anisa Kennar, Justine Ramirez, Lea Donenberg
Camera Operator: Chanthila Phaophanit
Assistant Camera: Kahdeem Prosper Jefferson, Gordan Wong
Gaffers: Billy Voermann, Mary Kalecinska
Swing: Alex Frischman
Audio: Mariya Chulichkova, Joanna Hunt
Set Designers: Ilana Portney, Dana Keren
Production Assistants: Quinton Johnson, Myles Haywood
Runners: Edie Chesters, Rachel Ademidun
Groomer for Andrew Bolton: Shin Arima
Makeup Artist for Sinéad Burke and Alex Consani: Ai Yokomizo
Hairstylist for Sinéad Burke and Alex Consani: Sonny Molina
Makeup Artist for Misty Copeland: Victor Henao
Hairstylist for Misty Copeland: Nai’vasha Grace
Makeup Artist for Aariana Philip: Meadow Soleil Cloud
Makeup Artist for Gwendoline Christie: Daniel Kolaric
Hairstylist for Gwendoline Christie: Joe Kelly
Hair & Makeup Artist for Aimee Mullins: Stèfan Jemeel
Production Coordinator: Tanía Jones
Production Manager: Kristen Helmick
Senior Production Manager: Venita Singh-Warner
Line Producer: Natasha Soto-Albors
Assistant Editors: Andy Morell, Fynn Lithgow
Senior Motion Graphics Designer: Samuel Fuller
Post Production Coordinator: Holly Frew
Supervising Editor: Kameron Key
Post Production Supervisor: Alexa Deutsch
Entertainment Director: Sergio Kletnoy
Global Talent Casting Directors: Ignacio Murillo, Morgan Senesi
Executive Producer: Rahel Gebreyes
Senior Director, Digital Video: Romy van den Broeke
Senior Director, Programming: Linda Gittleson
VP, Video Programming: Thespena Guatieri
Florist: London Blooming Haus
Photography By Paul Westlake
Images Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Special Thanks: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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@narmatharagini2266
February 5, 2026 at 12:04 pm
How can she sit ? 😅 Just curious
@Hannahlu_angl
February 5, 2026 at 12:12 pm
Most likely not at all🥲
@zcvxs
February 5, 2026 at 12:11 pm
Rediculas
@cristianvulcu924
February 5, 2026 at 12:28 pm
Fashion victim..
@joicysousa9121
February 5, 2026 at 12:28 pm
😂😂😂😂😂😂
@silviacellengova1135
February 5, 2026 at 12:29 pm
Oooo…asi nie
@X2818-k8b
February 5, 2026 at 12:45 pm
I like seeing women comfortable, can she sit down?? geez
@moongoddess555
February 5, 2026 at 12:48 pm
Heidi never disappoints, she’s so funny 😂
@lauriebieda4498
February 5, 2026 at 12:49 pm
Hidious period 😱
@Catherineann413
February 5, 2026 at 12:57 pm
Wow, talk about uncomfortable🫢it actually looks like it hurts to walk🥰
@PabloLopez-tx9uv
February 5, 2026 at 12:59 pm
Model life but is she sitting down is the question
@annealessandri8066
February 5, 2026 at 1:04 pm
Horrible
@user-aaao1230
February 5, 2026 at 1:15 pm
하이드클룸.유명한 독일모델.예전에 패션디자이너 오디션프로그램 mc였다.그래도 많이 노력하네 크게 변하지는 않은것같다.
@Anointed-q5e
February 5, 2026 at 1:18 pm
She Is POSSESSED She Cant Stop Wearing Customes Even When Its Not Halloween😒😂🤦🏽♀️
@mar.guierfarah
February 5, 2026 at 1:28 pm
Skin colored? Are we in the 1800s?
@butterscotch-2424
February 5, 2026 at 2:21 pm
Why?
@limitless007
February 5, 2026 at 1:30 pm
Stupid
@limitless007
February 5, 2026 at 1:31 pm
Looks like chicken nugget goop
@elainebines6803
February 5, 2026 at 1:43 pm
One way to get noticed and mentioned 😂
@bmbsezar
February 5, 2026 at 1:47 pm
she can not walk and looks so weird that’s not fashionable
@MegAplin
February 5, 2026 at 1:59 pm
Why Heidi…..stop. Your’re beautiful….hire a stylist…..
@LID2075
February 5, 2026 at 2:07 pm
Бессмысленность
@jannaparadise8829
February 5, 2026 at 2:30 pm
White Kardashian
@marikadietrich9554
February 5, 2026 at 2:30 pm
Das war ein Griff ins Klo…👎👎👎👎👎
@koreangurl1004
February 5, 2026 at 2:35 pm
How did she sit?!
@LiveLikeAnArtist
February 5, 2026 at 2:40 pm
Horrible in every category. When these women wear things like this they’re desperate for attention.