If I Were Anna Wintour: My 2026 Met Gala Theme Predictions
- Nov 5, 2025
- 5 min read
The first Monday in May. Let's talk about it...
The met gala is the one night a year where fashion fans worldwide are completely riveted, glued to our televisions, stuck with superglue to the edge of the sofa, mouths dropped, and eyes widening as each look comes by.
From total theme failures and those that truly go above and beyond, I love it all.
The theme for the coming year usually gets announced from October, so I’m eagerly waiting, and with Vogue World 2025 now out the way it should be announced soon! So I'm here today to discuss what themes Mimi herself thinks could make it to the 2026 Met Gala....
Surrealist Schiaparelli
Schiaparelli has truly taken over fashion in recent years, coming up with some of the most influential looks and also fashion moments over the past few years. A focus on the history of the house or just their entire vibe as a whole would be immensely well taken I believe! Imagine a dress code centered on their core aspect - surrealism! It would be magical.
There are many avenues it could be taken in, focusing on Elsa Schiaparelli's surrealist, witty, and avant-garde legacy or focusing on current creative directors and their modern approach to the house! Do you go archival or modern? My answer would of course be to dig into the archives, because the Schiaparelli archive is something I can only envision as breathtaking.
This theme would bring complete opulence and I think if the designers did it correctly, taking the essence of Schiaparelli on board throughout their process that it would be pretty difficult to have a disastrous red carpet moment! You'd hope.
The Gothic:
Now this is my favourite prediction, not only would it be spectacular, it would actually be very on brand with current events! From recent events in cinema, songs, fashion and media as a whole - gothic is back and clean girl is very much on the way out!
Even in recent movements from Vogue world: Hollywood, there was an entire Act dedicated to the gothic movement with Anok Yai dressed as Edward Scissorhands, very much channeling Tim Burton. Gabbriette and Amelia Gray also were giving gothic twins, coming out with black goth makeup and a dystopian zombie-esque walk! It was very cool and that moment solidified my prediction into the list.
As well as this we have to think about upcoming cinema of course - Frankenstein! The Guillermo del Toro film coming out just next week, staring Jacob Elordi as Frankenstein's monster and Mia Goth as Elizabeth Lavenza. As an english literature nerd myself I am buzzing! Having studied it for two years over my A - levels I could go into immense detail on how much of a Gothic legend Mary Shelley is, but don’t fret, I will not bore you with that - this time.
On another note Wuthering Heights is also a good gothic piece, coming out early next year! All the dots link for this one, and the routes are endless. My main point is that gothic is so back! And it is so cool! I think potentially my exact wording on the label is too vague for the met gala but you get the gist.
So many pathways yet again, designers could take it down a historical route - focusing on Byron, Shelley, Stoker etc… imagine your favourite celebrities dressed as Dracula, Jane Eyre etc…
But then again they could take it in a completely alternative route, focusing on a present goth, an IT girl goth if you will! Of course you’d have the boring looks here and there with people (mainly men) dressed in head to toe black to give the ‘gothic’ look, but I can guarantee there would be iconic looks left - right - and centre!
Celestial, Astrology & Magic
A mystical, magical and supernatural approach could be really cool! With a focus on stars, and the expansiveness of the universe! Imagine the endless amount of ideas.
As someone with a design head on them my mind is already running away with itself, thinking about how this theme could be interpreted! You’d have celebrities showing up as planets of course, some even as the entire solar system, potentially even rockets, stars themselves naturally, the astrological avenues are endless.
I can only imagine Kim Kardashian coming as a black hole (channeling her 2021 Balenciaga fully covered black look) lol.
But not just that, from the celestial and magical side you’d also have people showing up as witches, wizards, sorcerers etc! The routes are endless for this one and the artistry would be criminally insane. I'm envisioning meticulous beadwork and hand embroidery detailing garments - I'm getting giddy just typing out these ideas!
Ahh now I’ve convinced myself that this has to be the theme…
Another good point to make is that of course not every look is going to be custom, there will also be a variation of archival pieces pulled from storage units, as well as pieces from this year's shows - I know for a fact this past season SS26 has some pieces that would work well with a starry theme, as well as of course Robert Wun Couture 2024 - which immediately popped into my head!
The Art of the Muse:
Now this one is something I'm not sure the Met would do because it allows for almost entirely creative freedom, which could be risky... However I do think it would be legendary. Each attendee would have the opportunity to come as someone they consider their muse, role model, icon whatever you wanna call it!
I’m actually hoping they don’t use this idea because I need to build my way up, get invited, and then come as Audrey Hepburn. So if they would kindly consider postponing this theme until at least 2028 that would be ideal - thanks! The amount of icons that would be honoured and remembered in all their glory this evening would be nothing short of eye watering.
Imagine! You’d have someone dressed as Marilyn, others more niche, someone potentially even dressed as Anna Wintour herself - This would be the most iconic move EVER! The routes are endless and the archive would be legendary. The Kardashians would have an absolute field day dressing in ancient relics no doubt, but others would be doing the same. As long as everything is appreciated and taken care of I have no issues.
This one is a running favourite for me! Wow! Now I'm envisioning all the archives I’d pull if I were to dress as my muses, and which muse to pick! So many dresses, so many icons, so many of everything - the choice in itself would be overwhelming enough.
Countdown is on…
As you can tell I am absolutely on the edge of my seat waiting to find out the theme and dress code for 2026, and even more eager for it to actually come around so I can stare in awe at the talent that goes into such a classical and meaningful event!
Do you agree with these categories? Which is your favourite? And of course… What do you think the theme will be? (Use the comment box below)
If there were a met gala betting website I'd be putting a whole heap of money on Gothic being a lead contender for 2026!!!
With Love,
Mimi x
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