Every year I look forward to finding out the theme of the Met Gala, as many fashionistas do. I’ve watched the documentary The First Monday in May more than once and I blogged about the 2017 exhibit, which focused on Comme des Garçons. And when I worked at CafeMom, I even wrote a full slideshow of some of the most iconic Met Gala looks. So, of course I had to check out the 2018 exhibit at the The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. I am pretty late on posting this because the exhibit closed back in October; however, with the next Met Gala is less than two months away, so I figured I should give you guys a look at this exhibit in case you weren’t able to see it in person.
The 2018 theme was “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.” According to the Met’s website, the exhibit features a dialogue between fashion and medieval art. It “examines fashion’s ongoing engagement with the devotional practices and traditions of Catholicism.” The exhibit even included included papal robes and accessories from the Sistine Chapel sacristy that had never been seen outside The Vatican — photos weren’t even allowed of those specific items.
The exhibit was exactly what I imagined. It was dark and a little creepy. It was full of garments and accessories inspired by the Pope, nuns, angels, and more. There was a lot of gold, crosses and embroidery. The lighting was dim and the music was slow. It really reminded me of being in an old Catholic church while I was in Europe (I’ve actually been to the Sistine Chapel). The vibe was completely what one would expect it to be. I liked how cohesive it was, but my favorite part was the one small room that featured beautiful, colorful gowns — which felt a tad less heavy. Overall, I actually liked the 2017 exhibit better because it was more upbeat, but I really appreciate the amount of thought, detail, and risk that went into such an extravagant exhibition.
The next Met Gala theme is “Camp,” which I’m super excited for! If you missed the 2018 exhibit, here are my photos:
What do you think of this exhibit?
xoxo, Kayla
