{"id":1914254,"date":"2026-05-01T14:00:56","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T11:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1914254"},"modified":"2026-05-01T14:00:56","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T11:00:56","slug":"this-y-project-suit-defines-the-mets-costume-art-exhibition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1914254","title":{"rendered":"This Y\/Project Suit Defines The Met\u2019s \u201cCostume Art\u201d Exhibition"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fmet-gala-costume-art-fashion-is-art-y-project-glenn-martens-jean-paul-gaultier-tw.jpg?w=1080&amp;cbr=1&amp;q=90&amp;fit=max&#8221;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"col-post-body col\">\n<div class=\"row post-body\">\n<aside class=\"post-body-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-upper\">\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-category d-none d-lg-block\">\n<p>    Fashion\n                                                                                                    <\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-published d-none d-lg-block\"><time class=\"timeago\" datetime=\"2026-05-01T14:00:56Z\">1 day ago<\/time><\/div>\n<ul class=\"post-body-sidebar-hype-comments-container list-unstyled d-none d-lg-block\">\n<li><span class=\"hype-count grey\"><br \/>\n             528<br \/>\n    <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\"><span>Views<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"disqus-comment-count\"><span>1<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"d-none d-sm-inline text\">Comments<\/span><\/span>\n<div class=\"floating-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\"><span>Comments<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"text\">Save<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-author d-none d-lg-block\">\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider share-divider\">\n<h6>Text By<\/h6>\n<p><span class=\"author-name\">Nico Gavino<\/span><\/div>\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider d-none d-lg-block\">\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-share d-none d-lg-block\">\n<h6>Share this article<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider d-none d-lg-block\">\n<div class=\"brand-sidebar-widget d-none d-lg-block\">\n<h6>In this Article<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<article class=\"post-body-article\">\n<div id=\"post-body-top-bar\" class=\"post-body-top-bar d-block d-lg-none\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-share-meta-container\">\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-meta\"><span class=\"post-body-top-bar-category\"><\/p>\n<p>    Fashion<br \/>\n                                                    <\/span><span class=\"post-body-top-bar-published\"><time class=\"timeago\" datetime=\"2026-05-01T14:00:56Z\">1 day ago<\/time><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-hype-comments-container \"><span class=\"hype-count grey\"><br \/>\n             528<br \/>\n    <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\"><span>Views<\/span><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"disqus-comment-count\"><span>1<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"d-none d-none text\">Comments<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\"><span>Comments<\/span><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"text\">Save<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-content\">\n<p>While some might find \u201cCostume Art\u201d to be a rather literal name for the Met\u2019s next major costume exhibition, much like its \u201cFashion Is Art\u201d gala theme, the title conveys the event\u2019s main idea with clarity: the inseparable relationship between the dressed body and art history.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking to the forthcoming exhibition last February, curator in charge Andrew Bolton said that he \u201cwanted to focus on the centrality of the dressed body within the Museum, connecting artistic representations of the body with fashion as an embodied art form.\u201d Bolton added that instead of placing a primacy on fashion\u2019s \u201cvisuality,\u201d \u201cwhich often comes at the expense of the corporeal,\u201d Costume Art will instead focus on \u201cmateriality and the indivisible connection between our bodies and the clothes we wear.\u201d The 2026 exhibition appropriately marks the official inauguration of the Cond\u00e9 M. Nast Galleries, a 12,000 sq. ft. space where the Costume Institute\u2019s future shows will live.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode-slider before-booted full-screen-enabled light\" data-width=\"100%\" data-animate=\"slide\" data-slideshow data-loop data-slideshowspeed=\"7000\" data-group-cells=\"1\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"1\"><span class=\"gallery-image-index\"><span class=\"image-index\">1 of 2<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fmet-gala-costume-art-fashion-is-art-y-project-glenn-martens-jean-paul-gaultier-1.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy Of The Met<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"2\"><span class=\"gallery-image-index\"><span class=\"image-index\">2 of 2<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fmet-gala-costume-art-fashion-is-art-y-project-glenn-martens-jean-paul-gaultier-2.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy Of The Met<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><q>\u201cRather than prioritizing fashion\u2019s visuality, which often comes at the expense of the corporeal, Costume Art privileges its materiality and the indivisible connection between our bodies and the clothes we wear.\u201d \u2014 Andrew Bolton <\/q><\/p>\n<p>If this year\u2019s themes seem rather conspicuous, the Y\/Project suit seen across the previews is even more pointed in its statement. Designed in collaboration between the then-creative director Glenn Martens and Jean Paul Gaultier for FW22, the trompe l\u2019oeil design reappropriates a classic men\u2019s two-piece suit as the blank canvas for a halftone nude figure.\n<\/p>\n<p>For the duration of the show, the naked suit will be positioned next to a 1st\u20132nd century CE marble statue of Diadoumenos, drawing parallels between their idealized depictions of the \u201cClassical Body.\u201d Other featured garments will be divided into further categories like \u201cThe Naked Body,\u201d \u201cThe Aging Body,\u201d and \u201cThe Anatomical Body.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>With its candid photographic depiction of the male body, the suit stands out from other looks shown in the previews, including the intricately made dresses by Dilara Findikoglu and Rei Kawakubo. Whereas many of the other works showcase interventions in form and a focus on feminine silhouettes, the Y\/Project suit instead dials in on optical illusion and an overtly masculine form.\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode-slider before-booted full-screen-enabled light\" data-width=\"100%\" data-animate=\"slide\" data-slideshow data-loop data-slideshowspeed=\"7000\" data-group-cells=\"1\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"1\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fjpg-quote.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Jean Paul Gaultier Wears Ss96 (getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Without closer investigation, it\u2019s easy to write the Y\/Project suit off as a contradiction to Bolton\u2019s curatorial intention. Doesn\u2019t the suit focus on fashion\u2019s visuality with its two-dimensional graphics? Visuality indeed takes the front seat in the method of trompe l\u2019oeil\u2014the word itself translates to \u201cfool the eye.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>However, it doesn\u2019t do this at the expense of the corporeal; instead, the suit directs attention back to the body, successfully \u201cconnecting artistic representations of the body with fashion as an embodied art form,\u201d as Bolton describes. More broadly, it frames the exhibition\u2019s proposal of the \u201cindivisible connection between our bodies and the clothes we wear\u201d as a metaphor: the body escapes from beneath the garment and is reasserted onto its surface.\n<\/p>\n<p>Debuted shortly before Glenn Martens\u2019 departure and the brand\u2019s subsequent closing, the suit was just one of a range of Y\/Project FW22 looks that reprised Jean Paul Gaultier\u2019s \u201990s trompe-l\u2019oeil prints. The collaborative pieces were a direct reference to Gaultier\u2019s SS96 \u201cPin Up Boys\u201d collection, where similar muscular halftone torsos were depicted on button-ups (famously worn by Robin Williams).\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode-slider before-booted full-screen-enabled light\" data-width=\"100%\" data-animate=\"slide\" data-slideshow data-loop data-slideshowspeed=\"7000\" data-group-cells=\"1\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"1\"><span class=\"gallery-image-index\"><span class=\"image-index\">1 of 2<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fmet-gala-costume-art-fashion-is-art-y-project-glenn-martens-jean-paul-gaultier-13.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"2\"><span class=\"gallery-image-index\"><span class=\"image-index\">2 of 2<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fmet-gala-costume-art-fashion-is-art-y-project-glenn-martens-jean-paul-gaultier-12.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The duo\u2019s 2022 reprisal took it a step further, with both male and female naked bodies revealed in full, genitalia included. And as if the idea hadn\u2019t already reached its limits, Duran Lantink\u2019s SS26 debut for Jean Paul Gaultier, for lack of a better word, broke the fourth wall with a full-coverage photographic nude print.\n<\/p>\n<p>For Gaultier, and perhaps his younger counterparts too, the garment becomes a space for provocation and subversion, echoing the illusory work of 20th-century Surrealist artists. In the 1930s, M\u00e9ret Oppenheim\u2019s jarring \u201cObject\u201d covered a humble teacup in luxurious fur, and Salvador Dal\u00ed\u2019s melting clocks depicted solid objects as viscous masses. One could say that these visionary artists and their peers laid the groundwork for Surrealism\u2019s entrance into the realm of fashion. Still, Elsa Schiaparelli was already making her trompe l\u2019oeil Bow Knot sweater years before these works were even completed.\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode-slider before-booted full-screen-enabled light\" data-width=\"100%\" data-animate=\"slide\" data-slideshow data-loop data-slideshowspeed=\"7000\" data-group-cells=\"1\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"1\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fmet-gala-costume-art-fashion-is-art-y-project-glenn-martens-jean-paul-gaultier-3.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Bow Knot Sweater, Moma<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Gaultier may have fathered the contemporary interpretation of nude trompe l\u2019oeil as a motif, but he was certainly not the first designer to use the broader method. In 1927, Elsa Schiaparelli began producing the iconic Bow Knot and other garments with trompe l\u2019oeil details. The Italian designer\u2019s status as a \u201cSurrealist\u201d would only grow stronger when she collaborated with Salvador Dal\u00ed on the Lobster Dress in 1937. Elsewhere, Herm\u00e8s applied a more subtle approach in the \u201950s, depicting paint strokes outlining the would-be pockets, collars, and buttons of their dresses.\n<\/p>\n<p>What was different about Gaultier\u2019s later development was the depiction of nudity. Instead of the illusion being the garment\u2019s qualities, the subject of the garment is done away with completely, and the eye is tricked into seeing right through it. Furthermore, the bodies originally revealed by Gaultier and later Martens for Y\/Project weren\u2019t just any bodies; they were muscular and hourglass-shaped \u2014 reflecting specific body image ideals. Placed in the context of the \u201cClassical Body\u201d and positioned next to the Diadoumenos marble, it evokes how ancient Greeks glorified the naked human body in their visual culture, especially the male physique.\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode-slider before-booted full-screen-enabled light\" data-width=\"100%\" data-animate=\"slide\" data-slideshow data-loop data-slideshowspeed=\"7000\" data-group-cells=\"1\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"1\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fmet-gala-costume-art-fashion-is-art-y-project-glenn-martens-jean-paul-gaultier-10.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Jean Paul Gaultier, Ss26<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Knowing the often ironic tone taken by Gaultier and his younger counterparts, you can say these designers are probably less interested in promoting a certain body type and more interested in doing away with these ideals altogether. In a sharp diversion from ancient Greek idealism, Duran Lantink\u2019s trompe l\u2019oeil nudes for Jean Paul Gaultier SS26 weren\u2019t exceptionally sexy but rather average. Instead of muscular, cleanly shaved bodies, Lantink revealed hairy, leaner body types that moved fluidly between male and female models. By viewing the Y\/Project suit as part of this meandering timeline, the look becomes just one node in a wider story about the body\u2019s representation in art and costume.\n<\/p>\n<p>Clothing, in its broadest sense, indeed predates modern conceptions of \u201cart,\u201d a realm that began to thrive in early civilizations where the basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter were met on a wide scale. With a primary focus on \u201cWestern art from prehistory to the present\u201d in this year\u2019s exhibition, the dressed body can hold various meanings from economic class to gender norms, but so does the naked body.\n<\/p>\n<p>While the nudity is generally rejected outside of museum walls, inside, representations of nudity are prized, rendered in ancient white marbles on pedestals, and painted with hyperreal dimensionality. The Jean Paul Gaultier x Y\/Project collaboration and its broader lineage reversed this dynamic, taking nakedness out of its museum context and into the everyday.\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode-slider before-booted full-screen-enabled light\" data-width=\"100%\" data-animate=\"slide\" data-slideshow data-loop data-slideshowspeed=\"7000\" data-group-cells=\"1\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"1\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fyproject-image.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Peter White\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><q>It challenges both attendees and audiences to see fashion beyond surface impressions, drawing them nearer to fashion\u2019s living essence in the body.<\/q><\/p>\n<p>Just as last year\u2019s focus on Black Dandyism brought men\u2019s tailoring to the fore, the 2026 Met Gala is expected to set the tone for fashion in the year ahead. Unlike years past, this exhibition isn\u2019t tied to a specific culture or visual sensibility. It challenges both attendees and audiences to see fashion beyond surface impressions, drawing them nearer to fashion\u2019s living essence in the body. In this way, Glenn Martens and Jean Paul Gaultier\u2019s joint creation serves as both a literal and figurative illustration of the theme.\n<\/p>\n<p>Fashion has historically been siloed from art, deemed as the less profound, more commercial practice below the heightened status of painting and sculpture. By opening the doors to the new Cond\u00e9 M. Nast Galleries \u2014 a dedicated Costume Institute exhibition space \u2014 the show is poised to make its \u201cFashion Is Art\u201d gala theme a reality far beyond this coming Monday.<\/p>\n<div class=\"show-article\">\n<p>                                                            Read Full Article<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<footer>\n<div class=\"related-stories-main-wrapper\">\n<h3>Related Stories<\/h3>\n<div class=\"stories-container\" data-layer-list-name=\"related_stories\" data-layer-list-offset=\"0\" data-layer-list-child-selector=\".story-item\">\n<div class=\"story-item\" data-layer-item-id=\"6713229\" data-layer-item-blog-id=\"1\" data-layer-item-type=\"post\"><span>&gt;<\/span>Number (N)ine Taps the Spirit of Tom Verlaine to Reanimate Brand Lore\n                                                                        <\/div>\n<div class=\"story-item\" data-layer-item-id=\"6713073\" data-layer-item-blog-id=\"1\" data-layer-item-type=\"post\"><span>&gt;<\/span>Shang-Hi! Palace Skateboards Is Officially Opening a Shanghai Flagship Store\n                                                                        <\/div>\n<div class=\"story-item\" data-layer-item-id=\"6712897\" data-layer-item-blog-id=\"1\" data-layer-item-type=\"post\"><span>&gt;<\/span>Isaiah Rashad&#8217;s Return, North West&#8217;s Debut: Everything We Loved in Music This Week\n                                                                        <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-email-signup-wrapper impression-tracker\">\n<h3>We got you covered. Don\u2019t miss out on the latest news by signing up for our newsletters.<\/h3>\n<div class=\"terms\">By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-author d-block d-lg-none\">\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider share-divider\">\n<h6>Text By<\/h6>\n<p><span class=\"author-name\">Nico Gavino<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-share d-block d-lg-none\">\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider\">\n<h6>Share this article<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"brand-post-body-widget\">\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider d-block d-lg-none\">\n<h6>In this Article<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-content-tags\">\n<div class=\"body collapsed\">\n<p>    HermesJean Paul GaultierMetropolitan Museum of Artmet galaThe METY\/ProjectGlenn MartensDuran LantinkSchiaparelliTrompe-l&#8217;oeilMet Gala 2026Costume ArtSee More <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"post-footer\" class=\"post-footer row\">\n<div class=\"col-shopping-break\">\n<hr>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-comments\">\n<div id=\"comments\" class=\"post-comments none \">\n<header>\n<div class=\"heading\"><span class=\"comment-count\">0<\/span><span>Comments<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-dropdown-tooltip\">\n<ul>\n<li>\n<li><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row post-body\">\n<aside class=\"post-body-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-upper\">\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-category d-none d-lg-block\">\n<p>    Fashion\n                                                                                                    <\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-published d-none d-lg-block\"><time class=\"timeago\" datetime=\"2026-05-01T14:00:56Z\">1 day ago<\/time><\/div>\n<ul class=\"post-body-sidebar-hype-comments-container list-unstyled d-none d-lg-block\">\n<li><span class=\"hype-count grey\"><br \/>\n             528<br \/>\n    <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\"><span>Views<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"disqus-comment-count\"><span>1<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"d-none d-sm-inline text\">Comments<\/span><\/span>\n<div class=\"floating-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\"><span>Comments<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"text\">Save<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-author d-none d-lg-block\">\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider share-divider\">\n<h6>Text By<\/h6>\n<p><span class=\"author-name\">Nico Gavino<\/span><\/div>\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider d-none d-lg-block\">\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-share d-none d-lg-block\">\n<h6>Share this article<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider d-none d-lg-block\">\n<div class=\"brand-sidebar-widget d-none d-lg-block\">\n<h6>In this Article<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<article class=\"post-body-article\">\n<div id=\"post-body-top-bar\" class=\"post-body-top-bar d-block d-lg-none\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-share-meta-container\">\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-meta\"><span class=\"post-body-top-bar-category\"><\/p>\n<p>    Fashion<br \/>\n                                                    <\/span><span class=\"post-body-top-bar-published\"><time class=\"timeago\" datetime=\"2026-05-01T14:00:56Z\">1 day ago<\/time><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-hype-comments-container \"><span class=\"hype-count grey\"><br \/>\n             528<br \/>\n    <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\"><span>Views<\/span><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"disqus-comment-count\"><span>1<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"d-none d-none text\">Comments<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\"><span>Comments<\/span><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"text\">Save<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-content\">\n<p>While some might find \u201cCostume Art\u201d to be a rather literal name for the Met\u2019s next major costume exhibition, much like its \u201cFashion Is Art\u201d gala theme, the title conveys the event\u2019s main idea with clarity: the inseparable relationship between the dressed body and art history.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking to the forthcoming exhibition last February, curator in charge Andrew Bolton said that he \u201cwanted to focus on the centrality of the dressed body within the Museum, connecting artistic representations of the body with fashion as an embodied art form.\u201d Bolton added that instead of placing a primacy on fashion\u2019s \u201cvisuality,\u201d \u201cwhich often comes at the expense of the corporeal,\u201d Costume Art will instead focus on \u201cmateriality and the indivisible connection between our bodies and the clothes we wear.\u201d The 2026 exhibition appropriately marks the official inauguration of the Cond\u00e9 M. Nast Galleries, a 12,000 sq. ft. space where the Costume Institute\u2019s future shows will live.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode-slider before-booted full-screen-enabled light\" data-width=\"100%\" data-animate=\"slide\" data-slideshow data-loop data-slideshowspeed=\"7000\" data-group-cells=\"1\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"1\"><span class=\"gallery-image-index\"><span class=\"image-index\">1 of 2<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fmet-gala-costume-art-fashion-is-art-y-project-glenn-martens-jean-paul-gaultier-1.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy Of The Met<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"2\"><span class=\"gallery-image-index\"><span class=\"image-index\">2 of 2<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fmet-gala-costume-art-fashion-is-art-y-project-glenn-martens-jean-paul-gaultier-2.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy Of The Met<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><q>\u201cRather than prioritizing fashion\u2019s visuality, which often comes at the expense of the corporeal, Costume Art privileges its materiality and the indivisible connection between our bodies and the clothes we wear.\u201d \u2014 Andrew Bolton <\/q><\/p>\n<p>If this year\u2019s themes seem rather conspicuous, the Y\/Project suit seen across the previews is even more pointed in its statement. Designed in collaboration between the then-creative director Glenn Martens and Jean Paul Gaultier for FW22, the trompe l\u2019oeil design reappropriates a classic men\u2019s two-piece suit as the blank canvas for a halftone nude figure.\n<\/p>\n<p>For the duration of the show, the naked suit will be positioned next to a 1st\u20132nd century CE marble statue of Diadoumenos, drawing parallels between their idealized depictions of the \u201cClassical Body.\u201d Other featured garments will be divided into further categories like \u201cThe Naked Body,\u201d \u201cThe Aging Body,\u201d and \u201cThe Anatomical Body.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>With its candid photographic depiction of the male body, the suit stands out from other looks shown in the previews, including the intricately made dresses by Dilara Findikoglu and Rei Kawakubo. Whereas many of the other works showcase interventions in form and a focus on feminine silhouettes, the Y\/Project suit instead dials in on optical illusion and an overtly masculine form.\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode-slider before-booted full-screen-enabled light\" data-width=\"100%\" data-animate=\"slide\" data-slideshow data-loop data-slideshowspeed=\"7000\" data-group-cells=\"1\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"1\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fjpg-quote.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Jean Paul Gaultier Wears Ss96 (getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Without closer investigation, it\u2019s easy to write the Y\/Project suit off as a contradiction to Bolton\u2019s curatorial intention. Doesn\u2019t the suit focus on fashion\u2019s visuality with its two-dimensional graphics? Visuality indeed takes the front seat in the method of trompe l\u2019oeil\u2014the word itself translates to \u201cfool the eye.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>However, it doesn\u2019t do this at the expense of the corporeal; instead, the suit directs attention back to the body, successfully \u201cconnecting artistic representations of the body with fashion as an embodied art form,\u201d as Bolton describes. More broadly, it frames the exhibition\u2019s proposal of the \u201cindivisible connection between our bodies and the clothes we wear\u201d as a metaphor: the body escapes from beneath the garment and is reasserted onto its surface.\n<\/p>\n<p>Debuted shortly before Glenn Martens\u2019 departure and the brand\u2019s subsequent closing, the suit was just one of a range of Y\/Project FW22 looks that reprised Jean Paul Gaultier\u2019s \u201990s trompe-l\u2019oeil prints. The collaborative pieces were a direct reference to Gaultier\u2019s SS96 \u201cPin Up Boys\u201d collection, where similar muscular halftone torsos were depicted on button-ups (famously worn by Robin Williams).\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode-slider before-booted full-screen-enabled light\" data-width=\"100%\" data-animate=\"slide\" data-slideshow data-loop data-slideshowspeed=\"7000\" data-group-cells=\"1\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"1\"><span class=\"gallery-image-index\"><span class=\"image-index\">1 of 2<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fmet-gala-costume-art-fashion-is-art-y-project-glenn-martens-jean-paul-gaultier-13.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"2\"><span class=\"gallery-image-index\"><span class=\"image-index\">2 of 2<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fmet-gala-costume-art-fashion-is-art-y-project-glenn-martens-jean-paul-gaultier-12.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The duo\u2019s 2022 reprisal took it a step further, with both male and female naked bodies revealed in full, genitalia included. And as if the idea hadn\u2019t already reached its limits, Duran Lantink\u2019s SS26 debut for Jean Paul Gaultier, for lack of a better word, broke the fourth wall with a full-coverage photographic nude print.\n<\/p>\n<p>For Gaultier, and perhaps his younger counterparts too, the garment becomes a space for provocation and subversion, echoing the illusory work of 20th-century Surrealist artists. In the 1930s, M\u00e9ret Oppenheim\u2019s jarring \u201cObject\u201d covered a humble teacup in luxurious fur, and Salvador Dal\u00ed\u2019s melting clocks depicted solid objects as viscous masses. One could say that these visionary artists and their peers laid the groundwork for Surrealism\u2019s entrance into the realm of fashion. Still, Elsa Schiaparelli was already making her trompe l\u2019oeil Bow Knot sweater years before these works were even completed.\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode-slider before-booted full-screen-enabled light\" data-width=\"100%\" data-animate=\"slide\" data-slideshow data-loop data-slideshowspeed=\"7000\" data-group-cells=\"1\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"1\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fmet-gala-costume-art-fashion-is-art-y-project-glenn-martens-jean-paul-gaultier-3.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Bow Knot Sweater, Moma<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Gaultier may have fathered the contemporary interpretation of nude trompe l\u2019oeil as a motif, but he was certainly not the first designer to use the broader method. In 1927, Elsa Schiaparelli began producing the iconic Bow Knot and other garments with trompe l\u2019oeil details. The Italian designer\u2019s status as a \u201cSurrealist\u201d would only grow stronger when she collaborated with Salvador Dal\u00ed on the Lobster Dress in 1937. Elsewhere, Herm\u00e8s applied a more subtle approach in the \u201950s, depicting paint strokes outlining the would-be pockets, collars, and buttons of their dresses.\n<\/p>\n<p>What was different about Gaultier\u2019s later development was the depiction of nudity. Instead of the illusion being the garment\u2019s qualities, the subject of the garment is done away with completely, and the eye is tricked into seeing right through it. Furthermore, the bodies originally revealed by Gaultier and later Martens for Y\/Project weren\u2019t just any bodies; they were muscular and hourglass-shaped \u2014 reflecting specific body image ideals. Placed in the context of the \u201cClassical Body\u201d and positioned next to the Diadoumenos marble, it evokes how ancient Greeks glorified the naked human body in their visual culture, especially the male physique.\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode-slider before-booted full-screen-enabled light\" data-width=\"100%\" data-animate=\"slide\" data-slideshow data-loop data-slideshowspeed=\"7000\" data-group-cells=\"1\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"1\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fmet-gala-costume-art-fashion-is-art-y-project-glenn-martens-jean-paul-gaultier-10.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Jean Paul Gaultier, Ss26<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Knowing the often ironic tone taken by Gaultier and his younger counterparts, you can say these designers are probably less interested in promoting a certain body type and more interested in doing away with these ideals altogether. In a sharp diversion from ancient Greek idealism, Duran Lantink\u2019s trompe l\u2019oeil nudes for Jean Paul Gaultier SS26 weren\u2019t exceptionally sexy but rather average. Instead of muscular, cleanly shaved bodies, Lantink revealed hairy, leaner body types that moved fluidly between male and female models. By viewing the Y\/Project suit as part of this meandering timeline, the look becomes just one node in a wider story about the body\u2019s representation in art and costume.\n<\/p>\n<p>Clothing, in its broadest sense, indeed predates modern conceptions of \u201cart,\u201d a realm that began to thrive in early civilizations where the basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter were met on a wide scale. With a primary focus on \u201cWestern art from prehistory to the present\u201d in this year\u2019s exhibition, the dressed body can hold various meanings from economic class to gender norms, but so does the naked body.\n<\/p>\n<p>While the nudity is generally rejected outside of museum walls, inside, representations of nudity are prized, rendered in ancient white marbles on pedestals, and painted with hyperreal dimensionality. The Jean Paul Gaultier x Y\/Project collaboration and its broader lineage reversed this dynamic, taking nakedness out of its museum context and into the everyday.\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode-slider before-booted full-screen-enabled light\" data-width=\"100%\" data-animate=\"slide\" data-slideshow data-loop data-slideshowspeed=\"7000\" data-group-cells=\"1\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"1\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fyproject-image.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Peter White\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><q>It challenges both attendees and audiences to see fashion beyond surface impressions, drawing them nearer to fashion\u2019s living essence in the body.<\/q><\/p>\n<p>Just as last year\u2019s focus on Black Dandyism brought men\u2019s tailoring to the fore, the 2026 Met Gala is expected to set the tone for fashion in the year ahead. Unlike years past, this exhibition isn\u2019t tied to a specific culture or visual sensibility. It challenges both attendees and audiences to see fashion beyond surface impressions, drawing them nearer to fashion\u2019s living essence in the body. In this way, Glenn Martens and Jean Paul Gaultier\u2019s joint creation serves as both a literal and figurative illustration of the theme.\n<\/p>\n<p>Fashion has historically been siloed from art, deemed as the less profound, more commercial practice below the heightened status of painting and sculpture. By opening the doors to the new Cond\u00e9 M. Nast Galleries \u2014 a dedicated Costume Institute exhibition space \u2014 the show is poised to make its \u201cFashion Is Art\u201d gala theme a reality far beyond this coming Monday.<\/p>\n<div class=\"show-article\">\n<p>                                                            Read Full Article<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<footer>\n<div class=\"related-stories-main-wrapper\">\n<h3>Related Stories<\/h3>\n<div class=\"stories-container\" data-layer-list-name=\"related_stories\" data-layer-list-offset=\"0\" data-layer-list-child-selector=\".story-item\">\n<div class=\"story-item\" data-layer-item-id=\"6713229\" data-layer-item-blog-id=\"1\" data-layer-item-type=\"post\"><span>&gt;<\/span>Number (N)ine Taps the Spirit of Tom Verlaine to Reanimate Brand Lore\n                                                                        <\/div>\n<div class=\"story-item\" data-layer-item-id=\"6713073\" data-layer-item-blog-id=\"1\" data-layer-item-type=\"post\"><span>&gt;<\/span>Shang-Hi! Palace Skateboards Is Officially Opening a Shanghai Flagship Store\n                                                                        <\/div>\n<div class=\"story-item\" data-layer-item-id=\"6712897\" data-layer-item-blog-id=\"1\" data-layer-item-type=\"post\"><span>&gt;<\/span>Isaiah Rashad&#8217;s Return, North West&#8217;s Debut: Everything We Loved in Music This Week\n                                                                        <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-email-signup-wrapper impression-tracker\">\n<h3>We got you covered. Don\u2019t miss out on the latest news by signing up for our newsletters.<\/h3>\n<div class=\"terms\">By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-author d-block d-lg-none\">\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider share-divider\">\n<h6>Text By<\/h6>\n<p><span class=\"author-name\">Nico Gavino<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-share d-block d-lg-none\">\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider\">\n<h6>Share this article<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"brand-post-body-widget\">\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider d-block d-lg-none\">\n<h6>In this Article<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-content-tags\">\n<div class=\"body collapsed\">\n<p>    HermesJean Paul GaultierMetropolitan Museum of Artmet galaThe METY\/ProjectGlenn MartensDuran LantinkSchiaparelliTrompe-l&#8217;oeilMet Gala 2026Costume ArtSee More <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-upper\">\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-category d-none d-lg-block\">\n<p>    Fashion\n                                                                                                    <\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-published d-none d-lg-block\"><time class=\"timeago\" datetime=\"2026-05-01T14:00:56Z\">1 day ago<\/time><\/div>\n<ul class=\"post-body-sidebar-hype-comments-container list-unstyled d-none d-lg-block\">\n<li><span class=\"hype-count grey\"><br \/>\n             528<br \/>\n    <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\"><span>Views<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"disqus-comment-count\"><span>1<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"d-none d-sm-inline text\">Comments<\/span><\/span>\n<div class=\"floating-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\"><span>Comments<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"text\">Save<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-author d-none d-lg-block\">\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider share-divider\">\n<h6>Text By<\/h6>\n<p><span class=\"author-name\">Nico Gavino<\/span><\/div>\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider d-none d-lg-block\">\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-share d-none d-lg-block\">\n<h6>Share this article<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider d-none d-lg-block\">\n<div class=\"brand-sidebar-widget d-none d-lg-block\">\n<h6>In this Article<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-category d-none d-lg-block\">\n<p>    Fashion\n                                                                                                    <\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-published d-none d-lg-block\"><time class=\"timeago\" datetime=\"2026-05-01T14:00:56Z\">1 day ago<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-author d-none d-lg-block\">\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider share-divider\">\n<h6>Text By<\/h6>\n<p><span class=\"author-name\">Nico Gavino<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-sidebar-share d-none d-lg-block\">\n<h6>Share this article<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<article class=\"post-body-article\">\n<div id=\"post-body-top-bar\" class=\"post-body-top-bar d-block d-lg-none\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-share-meta-container\">\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-meta\"><span class=\"post-body-top-bar-category\"><\/p>\n<p>    Fashion<br \/>\n                                                    <\/span><span class=\"post-body-top-bar-published\"><time class=\"timeago\" datetime=\"2026-05-01T14:00:56Z\">1 day ago<\/time><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-hype-comments-container \"><span class=\"hype-count grey\"><br \/>\n             528<br \/>\n    <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\"><span>Views<\/span><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"disqus-comment-count\"><span>1<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"d-none d-none text\">Comments<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\"><span>Comments<\/span><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"text\">Save<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-content\">\n<p>While some might find \u201cCostume Art\u201d to be a rather literal name for the Met\u2019s next major costume exhibition, much like its \u201cFashion Is Art\u201d gala theme, the title conveys the event\u2019s main idea with clarity: the inseparable relationship between the dressed body and art history.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking to the forthcoming exhibition last February, curator in charge Andrew Bolton said that he \u201cwanted to focus on the centrality of the dressed body within the Museum, connecting artistic representations of the body with fashion as an embodied art form.\u201d Bolton added that instead of placing a primacy on fashion\u2019s \u201cvisuality,\u201d \u201cwhich often comes at the expense of the corporeal,\u201d Costume Art will instead focus on \u201cmateriality and the indivisible connection between our bodies and the clothes we wear.\u201d The 2026 exhibition appropriately marks the official inauguration of the Cond\u00e9 M. Nast Galleries, a 12,000 sq. ft. space where the Costume Institute\u2019s future shows will live.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode-slider before-booted full-screen-enabled light\" data-width=\"100%\" data-animate=\"slide\" data-slideshow data-loop data-slideshowspeed=\"7000\" data-group-cells=\"1\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"1\"><span class=\"gallery-image-index\"><span class=\"image-index\">1 of 2<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fmet-gala-costume-art-fashion-is-art-y-project-glenn-martens-jean-paul-gaultier-1.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy Of The Met<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"2\"><span class=\"gallery-image-index\"><span class=\"image-index\">2 of 2<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fmet-gala-costume-art-fashion-is-art-y-project-glenn-martens-jean-paul-gaultier-2.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy Of The Met<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><q>\u201cRather than prioritizing fashion\u2019s visuality, which often comes at the expense of the corporeal, Costume Art privileges its materiality and the indivisible connection between our bodies and the clothes we wear.\u201d \u2014 Andrew Bolton <\/q><\/p>\n<p>If this year\u2019s themes seem rather conspicuous, the Y\/Project suit seen across the previews is even more pointed in its statement. Designed in collaboration between the then-creative director Glenn Martens and Jean Paul Gaultier for FW22, the trompe l\u2019oeil design reappropriates a classic men\u2019s two-piece suit as the blank canvas for a halftone nude figure.\n<\/p>\n<p>For the duration of the show, the naked suit will be positioned next to a 1st\u20132nd century CE marble statue of Diadoumenos, drawing parallels between their idealized depictions of the \u201cClassical Body.\u201d Other featured garments will be divided into further categories like \u201cThe Naked Body,\u201d \u201cThe Aging Body,\u201d and \u201cThe Anatomical Body.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>With its candid photographic depiction of the male body, the suit stands out from other looks shown in the previews, including the intricately made dresses by Dilara Findikoglu and Rei Kawakubo. Whereas many of the other works showcase interventions in form and a focus on feminine silhouettes, the Y\/Project suit instead dials in on optical illusion and an overtly masculine form.\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode-slider before-booted full-screen-enabled light\" data-width=\"100%\" data-animate=\"slide\" data-slideshow data-loop data-slideshowspeed=\"7000\" data-group-cells=\"1\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"1\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fjpg-quote.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Jean Paul Gaultier Wears Ss96 (getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Without closer investigation, it\u2019s easy to write the Y\/Project suit off as a contradiction to Bolton\u2019s curatorial intention. Doesn\u2019t the suit focus on fashion\u2019s visuality with its two-dimensional graphics? Visuality indeed takes the front seat in the method of trompe l\u2019oeil\u2014the word itself translates to \u201cfool the eye.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>However, it doesn\u2019t do this at the expense of the corporeal; instead, the suit directs attention back to the body, successfully \u201cconnecting artistic representations of the body with fashion as an embodied art form,\u201d as Bolton describes. More broadly, it frames the exhibition\u2019s proposal of the \u201cindivisible connection between our bodies and the clothes we wear\u201d as a metaphor: the body escapes from beneath the garment and is reasserted onto its surface.\n<\/p>\n<p>Debuted shortly before Glenn Martens\u2019 departure and the brand\u2019s subsequent closing, the suit was just one of a range of Y\/Project FW22 looks that reprised Jean Paul Gaultier\u2019s \u201990s trompe-l\u2019oeil prints. The collaborative pieces were a direct reference to Gaultier\u2019s SS96 \u201cPin Up Boys\u201d collection, where similar muscular halftone torsos were depicted on button-ups (famously worn by Robin Williams).\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode-slider before-booted full-screen-enabled light\" data-width=\"100%\" data-animate=\"slide\" data-slideshow data-loop data-slideshowspeed=\"7000\" data-group-cells=\"1\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"1\"><span class=\"gallery-image-index\"><span class=\"image-index\">1 of 2<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fmet-gala-costume-art-fashion-is-art-y-project-glenn-martens-jean-paul-gaultier-13.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"2\"><span class=\"gallery-image-index\"><span class=\"image-index\">2 of 2<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fmet-gala-costume-art-fashion-is-art-y-project-glenn-martens-jean-paul-gaultier-12.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The duo\u2019s 2022 reprisal took it a step further, with both male and female naked bodies revealed in full, genitalia included. And as if the idea hadn\u2019t already reached its limits, Duran Lantink\u2019s SS26 debut for Jean Paul Gaultier, for lack of a better word, broke the fourth wall with a full-coverage photographic nude print.\n<\/p>\n<p>For Gaultier, and perhaps his younger counterparts too, the garment becomes a space for provocation and subversion, echoing the illusory work of 20th-century Surrealist artists. In the 1930s, M\u00e9ret Oppenheim\u2019s jarring \u201cObject\u201d covered a humble teacup in luxurious fur, and Salvador Dal\u00ed\u2019s melting clocks depicted solid objects as viscous masses. One could say that these visionary artists and their peers laid the groundwork for Surrealism\u2019s entrance into the realm of fashion. Still, Elsa Schiaparelli was already making her trompe l\u2019oeil Bow Knot sweater years before these works were even completed.\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode-slider before-booted full-screen-enabled light\" data-width=\"100%\" data-animate=\"slide\" data-slideshow data-loop data-slideshowspeed=\"7000\" data-group-cells=\"1\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"1\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fmet-gala-costume-art-fashion-is-art-y-project-glenn-martens-jean-paul-gaultier-3.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Bow Knot Sweater, Moma<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Gaultier may have fathered the contemporary interpretation of nude trompe l\u2019oeil as a motif, but he was certainly not the first designer to use the broader method. In 1927, Elsa Schiaparelli began producing the iconic Bow Knot and other garments with trompe l\u2019oeil details. The Italian designer\u2019s status as a \u201cSurrealist\u201d would only grow stronger when she collaborated with Salvador Dal\u00ed on the Lobster Dress in 1937. Elsewhere, Herm\u00e8s applied a more subtle approach in the \u201950s, depicting paint strokes outlining the would-be pockets, collars, and buttons of their dresses.\n<\/p>\n<p>What was different about Gaultier\u2019s later development was the depiction of nudity. Instead of the illusion being the garment\u2019s qualities, the subject of the garment is done away with completely, and the eye is tricked into seeing right through it. Furthermore, the bodies originally revealed by Gaultier and later Martens for Y\/Project weren\u2019t just any bodies; they were muscular and hourglass-shaped \u2014 reflecting specific body image ideals. Placed in the context of the \u201cClassical Body\u201d and positioned next to the Diadoumenos marble, it evokes how ancient Greeks glorified the naked human body in their visual culture, especially the male physique.\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode-slider before-booted full-screen-enabled light\" data-width=\"100%\" data-animate=\"slide\" data-slideshow data-loop data-slideshowspeed=\"7000\" data-group-cells=\"1\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"1\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fmet-gala-costume-art-fashion-is-art-y-project-glenn-martens-jean-paul-gaultier-10.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Jean Paul Gaultier, Ss26<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Knowing the often ironic tone taken by Gaultier and his younger counterparts, you can say these designers are probably less interested in promoting a certain body type and more interested in doing away with these ideals altogether. In a sharp diversion from ancient Greek idealism, Duran Lantink\u2019s trompe l\u2019oeil nudes for Jean Paul Gaultier SS26 weren\u2019t exceptionally sexy but rather average. Instead of muscular, cleanly shaved bodies, Lantink revealed hairy, leaner body types that moved fluidly between male and female models. By viewing the Y\/Project suit as part of this meandering timeline, the look becomes just one node in a wider story about the body\u2019s representation in art and costume.\n<\/p>\n<p>Clothing, in its broadest sense, indeed predates modern conceptions of \u201cart,\u201d a realm that began to thrive in early civilizations where the basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter were met on a wide scale. With a primary focus on \u201cWestern art from prehistory to the present\u201d in this year\u2019s exhibition, the dressed body can hold various meanings from economic class to gender norms, but so does the naked body.\n<\/p>\n<p>While the nudity is generally rejected outside of museum walls, inside, representations of nudity are prized, rendered in ancient white marbles on pedestals, and painted with hyperreal dimensionality. The Jean Paul Gaultier x Y\/Project collaboration and its broader lineage reversed this dynamic, taking nakedness out of its museum context and into the everyday.\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode-slider before-booted full-screen-enabled light\" data-width=\"100%\" data-animate=\"slide\" data-slideshow data-loop data-slideshowspeed=\"7000\" data-group-cells=\"1\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"1\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fyproject-image.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Peter White\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><q>It challenges both attendees and audiences to see fashion beyond surface impressions, drawing them nearer to fashion\u2019s living essence in the body.<\/q><\/p>\n<p>Just as last year\u2019s focus on Black Dandyism brought men\u2019s tailoring to the fore, the 2026 Met Gala is expected to set the tone for fashion in the year ahead. Unlike years past, this exhibition isn\u2019t tied to a specific culture or visual sensibility. It challenges both attendees and audiences to see fashion beyond surface impressions, drawing them nearer to fashion\u2019s living essence in the body. In this way, Glenn Martens and Jean Paul Gaultier\u2019s joint creation serves as both a literal and figurative illustration of the theme.\n<\/p>\n<p>Fashion has historically been siloed from art, deemed as the less profound, more commercial practice below the heightened status of painting and sculpture. By opening the doors to the new Cond\u00e9 M. Nast Galleries \u2014 a dedicated Costume Institute exhibition space \u2014 the show is poised to make its \u201cFashion Is Art\u201d gala theme a reality far beyond this coming Monday.<\/p>\n<div class=\"show-article\">\n<p>                                                            Read Full Article<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<footer>\n<div class=\"related-stories-main-wrapper\">\n<h3>Related Stories<\/h3>\n<div class=\"stories-container\" data-layer-list-name=\"related_stories\" data-layer-list-offset=\"0\" data-layer-list-child-selector=\".story-item\">\n<div class=\"story-item\" data-layer-item-id=\"6713229\" data-layer-item-blog-id=\"1\" data-layer-item-type=\"post\"><span>&gt;<\/span>Number (N)ine Taps the Spirit of Tom Verlaine to Reanimate Brand Lore\n                                                                        <\/div>\n<div class=\"story-item\" data-layer-item-id=\"6713073\" data-layer-item-blog-id=\"1\" data-layer-item-type=\"post\"><span>&gt;<\/span>Shang-Hi! Palace Skateboards Is Officially Opening a Shanghai Flagship Store\n                                                                        <\/div>\n<div class=\"story-item\" data-layer-item-id=\"6712897\" data-layer-item-blog-id=\"1\" data-layer-item-type=\"post\"><span>&gt;<\/span>Isaiah Rashad&#8217;s Return, North West&#8217;s Debut: Everything We Loved in Music This Week\n                                                                        <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-email-signup-wrapper impression-tracker\">\n<h3>We got you covered. Don\u2019t miss out on the latest news by signing up for our newsletters.<\/h3>\n<div class=\"terms\">By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-author d-block d-lg-none\">\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider share-divider\">\n<h6>Text By<\/h6>\n<p><span class=\"author-name\">Nico Gavino<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-share d-block d-lg-none\">\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider\">\n<h6>Share this article<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"brand-post-body-widget\">\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider d-block d-lg-none\">\n<h6>In this Article<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-content-tags\">\n<div class=\"body collapsed\">\n<p>    HermesJean Paul GaultierMetropolitan Museum of Artmet galaThe METY\/ProjectGlenn MartensDuran LantinkSchiaparelliTrompe-l&#8217;oeilMet Gala 2026Costume ArtSee More <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<\/article>\n<div id=\"post-body-top-bar\" class=\"post-body-top-bar d-block d-lg-none\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-share-meta-container\">\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-meta\"><span class=\"post-body-top-bar-category\"><\/p>\n<p>    Fashion<br \/>\n                                                    <\/span><span class=\"post-body-top-bar-published\"><time class=\"timeago\" datetime=\"2026-05-01T14:00:56Z\">1 day ago<\/time><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-hype-comments-container \"><span class=\"hype-count grey\"><br \/>\n             528<br \/>\n    <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\"><span>Views<\/span><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"disqus-comment-count\"><span>1<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"d-none d-none text\">Comments<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\"><span>Comments<\/span><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"text\">Save<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-share-meta-container\">\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-meta\"><span class=\"post-body-top-bar-category\"><\/p>\n<p>    Fashion<br \/>\n                                                    <\/span><span class=\"post-body-top-bar-published\"><time class=\"timeago\" datetime=\"2026-05-01T14:00:56Z\">1 day ago<\/time><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-meta\"><span class=\"post-body-top-bar-category\"><\/p>\n<p>    Fashion<br \/>\n                                                    <\/span><span class=\"post-body-top-bar-published\"><time class=\"timeago\" datetime=\"2026-05-01T14:00:56Z\">1 day ago<\/time><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-top-bar-hype-comments-container \"><span class=\"hype-count grey\"><br \/>\n             528<br \/>\n    <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\"><span>Views<\/span><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"disqus-comment-count\"><span>1<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"d-none d-none text\">Comments<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"floating-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\"><span>Comments<\/span><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"text\">Save<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-content\">\n<p>While some might find \u201cCostume Art\u201d to be a rather literal name for the Met\u2019s next major costume exhibition, much like its \u201cFashion Is Art\u201d gala theme, the title conveys the event\u2019s main idea with clarity: the inseparable relationship between the dressed body and art history.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking to the forthcoming exhibition last February, curator in charge Andrew Bolton said that he \u201cwanted to focus on the centrality of the dressed body within the Museum, connecting artistic representations of the body with fashion as an embodied art form.\u201d Bolton added that instead of placing a primacy on fashion\u2019s \u201cvisuality,\u201d \u201cwhich often comes at the expense of the corporeal,\u201d Costume Art will instead focus on \u201cmateriality and the indivisible connection between our bodies and the clothes we wear.\u201d The 2026 exhibition appropriately marks the official inauguration of the Cond\u00e9 M. Nast Galleries, a 12,000 sq. ft. space where the Costume Institute\u2019s future shows will live.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode-slider before-booted full-screen-enabled light\" data-width=\"100%\" data-animate=\"slide\" data-slideshow data-loop data-slideshowspeed=\"7000\" data-group-cells=\"1\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"1\"><span class=\"gallery-image-index\"><span class=\"image-index\">1 of 2<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fmet-gala-costume-art-fashion-is-art-y-project-glenn-martens-jean-paul-gaultier-1.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy Of The Met<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"2\"><span class=\"gallery-image-index\"><span class=\"image-index\">2 of 2<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fmet-gala-costume-art-fashion-is-art-y-project-glenn-martens-jean-paul-gaultier-2.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy Of The Met<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><q>\u201cRather than prioritizing fashion\u2019s visuality, which often comes at the expense of the corporeal, Costume Art privileges its materiality and the indivisible connection between our bodies and the clothes we wear.\u201d \u2014 Andrew Bolton <\/q><\/p>\n<p>If this year\u2019s themes seem rather conspicuous, the Y\/Project suit seen across the previews is even more pointed in its statement. Designed in collaboration between the then-creative director Glenn Martens and Jean Paul Gaultier for FW22, the trompe l\u2019oeil design reappropriates a classic men\u2019s two-piece suit as the blank canvas for a halftone nude figure.\n<\/p>\n<p>For the duration of the show, the naked suit will be positioned next to a 1st\u20132nd century CE marble statue of Diadoumenos, drawing parallels between their idealized depictions of the \u201cClassical Body.\u201d Other featured garments will be divided into further categories like \u201cThe Naked Body,\u201d \u201cThe Aging Body,\u201d and \u201cThe Anatomical Body.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>With its candid photographic depiction of the male body, the suit stands out from other looks shown in the previews, including the intricately made dresses by Dilara Findikoglu and Rei Kawakubo. Whereas many of the other works showcase interventions in form and a focus on feminine silhouettes, the Y\/Project suit instead dials in on optical illusion and an overtly masculine form.\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode-slider before-booted full-screen-enabled light\" data-width=\"100%\" data-animate=\"slide\" data-slideshow data-loop data-slideshowspeed=\"7000\" data-group-cells=\"1\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"1\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fjpg-quote.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Jean Paul Gaultier Wears Ss96 (getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Without closer investigation, it\u2019s easy to write the Y\/Project suit off as a contradiction to Bolton\u2019s curatorial intention. Doesn\u2019t the suit focus on fashion\u2019s visuality with its two-dimensional graphics? Visuality indeed takes the front seat in the method of trompe l\u2019oeil\u2014the word itself translates to \u201cfool the eye.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>However, it doesn\u2019t do this at the expense of the corporeal; instead, the suit directs attention back to the body, successfully \u201cconnecting artistic representations of the body with fashion as an embodied art form,\u201d as Bolton describes. More broadly, it frames the exhibition\u2019s proposal of the \u201cindivisible connection between our bodies and the clothes we wear\u201d as a metaphor: the body escapes from beneath the garment and is reasserted onto its surface.\n<\/p>\n<p>Debuted shortly before Glenn Martens\u2019 departure and the brand\u2019s subsequent closing, the suit was just one of a range of Y\/Project FW22 looks that reprised Jean Paul Gaultier\u2019s \u201990s trompe-l\u2019oeil prints. The collaborative pieces were a direct reference to Gaultier\u2019s SS96 \u201cPin Up Boys\u201d collection, where similar muscular halftone torsos were depicted on button-ups (famously worn by Robin Williams).\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode-slider before-booted full-screen-enabled light\" data-width=\"100%\" data-animate=\"slide\" data-slideshow data-loop data-slideshowspeed=\"7000\" data-group-cells=\"1\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"1\"><span class=\"gallery-image-index\"><span class=\"image-index\">1 of 2<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fmet-gala-costume-art-fashion-is-art-y-project-glenn-martens-jean-paul-gaultier-13.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"2\"><span class=\"gallery-image-index\"><span class=\"image-index\">2 of 2<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fmet-gala-costume-art-fashion-is-art-y-project-glenn-martens-jean-paul-gaultier-12.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The duo\u2019s 2022 reprisal took it a step further, with both male and female naked bodies revealed in full, genitalia included. And as if the idea hadn\u2019t already reached its limits, Duran Lantink\u2019s SS26 debut for Jean Paul Gaultier, for lack of a better word, broke the fourth wall with a full-coverage photographic nude print.\n<\/p>\n<p>For Gaultier, and perhaps his younger counterparts too, the garment becomes a space for provocation and subversion, echoing the illusory work of 20th-century Surrealist artists. In the 1930s, M\u00e9ret Oppenheim\u2019s jarring \u201cObject\u201d covered a humble teacup in luxurious fur, and Salvador Dal\u00ed\u2019s melting clocks depicted solid objects as viscous masses. One could say that these visionary artists and their peers laid the groundwork for Surrealism\u2019s entrance into the realm of fashion. Still, Elsa Schiaparelli was already making her trompe l\u2019oeil Bow Knot sweater years before these works were even completed.\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode-slider before-booted full-screen-enabled light\" data-width=\"100%\" data-animate=\"slide\" data-slideshow data-loop data-slideshowspeed=\"7000\" data-group-cells=\"1\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"1\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fmet-gala-costume-art-fashion-is-art-y-project-glenn-martens-jean-paul-gaultier-3.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Bow Knot Sweater, Moma<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Gaultier may have fathered the contemporary interpretation of nude trompe l\u2019oeil as a motif, but he was certainly not the first designer to use the broader method. In 1927, Elsa Schiaparelli began producing the iconic Bow Knot and other garments with trompe l\u2019oeil details. The Italian designer\u2019s status as a \u201cSurrealist\u201d would only grow stronger when she collaborated with Salvador Dal\u00ed on the Lobster Dress in 1937. Elsewhere, Herm\u00e8s applied a more subtle approach in the \u201950s, depicting paint strokes outlining the would-be pockets, collars, and buttons of their dresses.\n<\/p>\n<p>What was different about Gaultier\u2019s later development was the depiction of nudity. Instead of the illusion being the garment\u2019s qualities, the subject of the garment is done away with completely, and the eye is tricked into seeing right through it. Furthermore, the bodies originally revealed by Gaultier and later Martens for Y\/Project weren\u2019t just any bodies; they were muscular and hourglass-shaped \u2014 reflecting specific body image ideals. Placed in the context of the \u201cClassical Body\u201d and positioned next to the Diadoumenos marble, it evokes how ancient Greeks glorified the naked human body in their visual culture, especially the male physique.\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode-slider before-booted full-screen-enabled light\" data-width=\"100%\" data-animate=\"slide\" data-slideshow data-loop data-slideshowspeed=\"7000\" data-group-cells=\"1\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"1\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fmet-gala-costume-art-fashion-is-art-y-project-glenn-martens-jean-paul-gaultier-10.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Jean Paul Gaultier, Ss26<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Knowing the often ironic tone taken by Gaultier and his younger counterparts, you can say these designers are probably less interested in promoting a certain body type and more interested in doing away with these ideals altogether. In a sharp diversion from ancient Greek idealism, Duran Lantink\u2019s trompe l\u2019oeil nudes for Jean Paul Gaultier SS26 weren\u2019t exceptionally sexy but rather average. Instead of muscular, cleanly shaved bodies, Lantink revealed hairy, leaner body types that moved fluidly between male and female models. By viewing the Y\/Project suit as part of this meandering timeline, the look becomes just one node in a wider story about the body\u2019s representation in art and costume.\n<\/p>\n<p>Clothing, in its broadest sense, indeed predates modern conceptions of \u201cart,\u201d a realm that began to thrive in early civilizations where the basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter were met on a wide scale. With a primary focus on \u201cWestern art from prehistory to the present\u201d in this year\u2019s exhibition, the dressed body can hold various meanings from economic class to gender norms, but so does the naked body.\n<\/p>\n<p>While the nudity is generally rejected outside of museum walls, inside, representations of nudity are prized, rendered in ancient white marbles on pedestals, and painted with hyperreal dimensionality. The Jean Paul Gaultier x Y\/Project collaboration and its broader lineage reversed this dynamic, taking nakedness out of its museum context and into the everyday.\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode-slider before-booted full-screen-enabled light\" data-width=\"100%\" data-animate=\"slide\" data-slideshow data-loop data-slideshowspeed=\"7000\" data-group-cells=\"1\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel\">\n<div class=\"flickity-carousel-cell\" data-gallery-index=\"1\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n                                    <source srcset=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fyproject-image.jpg?q=90&amp;w=2180&amp;format=jpeg&amp;cbr=1&amp;fit=max\" media=\"<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),<br \/>\n                                        (min-width: 1200px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)<br \/>\n                                    \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text credit-wrapper\"><span class=\"credit\">Peter White\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><q>It challenges both attendees and audiences to see fashion beyond surface impressions, drawing them nearer to fashion\u2019s living essence in the body.<\/q><\/p>\n<p>Just as last year\u2019s focus on Black Dandyism brought men\u2019s tailoring to the fore, the 2026 Met Gala is expected to set the tone for fashion in the year ahead. Unlike years past, this exhibition isn\u2019t tied to a specific culture or visual sensibility. It challenges both attendees and audiences to see fashion beyond surface impressions, drawing them nearer to fashion\u2019s living essence in the body. In this way, Glenn Martens and Jean Paul Gaultier\u2019s joint creation serves as both a literal and figurative illustration of the theme.\n<\/p>\n<p>Fashion has historically been siloed from art, deemed as the less profound, more commercial practice below the heightened status of painting and sculpture. By opening the doors to the new Cond\u00e9 M. Nast Galleries \u2014 a dedicated Costume Institute exhibition space \u2014 the show is poised to make its \u201cFashion Is Art\u201d gala theme a reality far beyond this coming Monday.<\/p>\n<div class=\"show-article\">\n<p>                                                            Read Full Article<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-author d-block d-lg-none\">\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider share-divider\">\n<h6>Text By<\/h6>\n<p><span class=\"author-name\">Nico Gavino<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-share d-block d-lg-none\">\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider\">\n<h6>Share this article<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"brand-post-body-widget\">\n<hr class=\"sidebar-divider d-block d-lg-none\">\n<h6>In this Article<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-body-content-tags\">\n<div class=\"body collapsed\">\n<p>    HermesJean Paul GaultierMetropolitan Museum of Artmet galaThe METY\/ProjectGlenn MartensDuran LantinkSchiaparelliTrompe-l&#8217;oeilMet Gala 2026Costume ArtSee More <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/hypebeast.com\/2026\/5\/this-y-project-suit-defines-the-mets-costume-art-exhibition&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fmet-gala-costume-art-fashion-is-art-y-project-glenn-martens-jean-paul-gaultier-tw.jpg?w=1080&amp;cbr=1&amp;q=90&amp;fit=max&#8221;] Fashion 1 day ago 528 Views 1\u00a0Comments Comments Save Text By Nico Gavino Share this article In this Article Fashion 1 day ago 528 Views 1\u00a0Comments Comments Save While some might find \u201cCostume Art\u201d to be a rather literal name for the Met\u2019s next major costume exhibition, much like its \u201cFashion Is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,39],"class_list":["post-1914254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-hypebeast-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1914254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1914254"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1914254\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1914254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1914254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1914254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}