Jeans and a nice top to rule the 2027 Met Gala after controversial theme scrapped

Celebrities could be walking the 2027 Met Gala red carpet in jeans and T-shirts with the new theme for the event announced as “extraORDINARY: Fashion and the Poetics of the Everyday”.

While we’re used to seeing stars arrive at the Metropolitan Museum of Art event in extravagant and glamorous creations, the concept for the May 3 event invites guests and their stylists to look at “the everyday anew”.

According to Vogue there are two ways to look at the new theme; the first is elevating items like jeans and T-shirts and the second focuses on wearable art made from disposable materials.

The new concept follows the cancellation of the previously announced theme of “John Galliano: Horizon”, which sparked backlash due to antisemitic comments made by the designer in 2011. 

“I didn’t have a plan B. It was really important to come up with an exhibition that wasn’t just a masterwork show or something that we could do a little bit more easily. I wanted it to be as challenging and as provocative and as beautiful as a John show would have been,” Andrew Bolton, Met curator in charge, told Vogue. 

Read more

Throw out your pants and belts: The Hunger Games red carpet inspires a whole new wardrobe

“That was really important to me: to come up with an idea that wasn’t a substitute. And it had to have some sort of contemporary resonance.”

Looking back at the 2026 Met Gala theme of “Costume Art” inspired Bolton to “think more about how we experience clothing in everyday life through habit and touch and movement and sensation.” 

Interestingly, a jeans and a nice top outfit made an appearance at the Met Gala earlier this year on model Bhavitha Mandava. 

Clearly ahead of her time, Mandava’s outfit was an homage to the outfit she wore in her runway debut at Chanel’s Métiers d’Art 2026 show in December 2025.

This time, her outfit was made of silk muslin, with the pants printed with a trompe l'oeil effect aimed to mimic real denim, which has become something of a signature for the brand. 

“I had to pause when I saw the sketch, because that subway show was already one of the most significant nights of my career,” he told British Vogue.

View gallery

Stars marry fashion with art on the 2026 Met Gala red carpet

“Turning it into something reimagined for the Met felt like carrying that memory forward, but in a more elevated way that still respects the original spirit and the theme of the evening.” 

Mandava’s outfit choice caused controversy with many feeling it was a letdown and a missed opportunity when so many others were wearing outfits so extravagant and opulent they struggled to walk.

However, a couple of Aussie males have managed to wear jeans without the same criticism.

Aussie singer Troye Sivan also wore jeans to the Met Gala in 2026, though elevated the look with an embellished black coat, silver chains and black tie, while actor Kodi-Smit McPhee wore jeans with a button-up shirt and red gloves.