With some 250 objects spanning 400 years of history, the Costume Institute's spring 2024 exhibition-and the corresponding Met Gala theme six months from now-will be a feast for the eyes.

Curatorship and cutting-edge technology will together reveal precious fashion masterpieces as never before seen at next year's Costume Institute exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Announced today, the spring 2024 exhibition will be titled "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion." Some 250 objects drawn from the Costume Institute's permanent collection-some rarely seen in public before-will be displayed in a completely new way. Max Hollein, director and CEO of the Met's Marina Kellen French, said, "This innovative show will push the boundaries of our imagination and invite us to experience many facets of a work, learn more about its history, and ultimately gain a deeper appreciation of its beauty."

From a 17th-century Elizabethan-era English bodice to 21st-century acquisitions by designers including Phillip Lim, Stella McCartney and Connor Ives, the main exhibition will cover 400 years of history. Other pieces presented will include designs by Elsa Schiaparelli, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Hubert de Givenchy, and many other canonical fashion creators. These will be the focus of a curatorship that aims to darken and illuminate our understanding of the natural world through the modeling of clothing and textiles.

Speaking in advance of this morning's announcement, Andrew Bolton, Wendy Yu curator in charge of the Costume Institute, said, "Fashion is one of the most exciting art forms because of its connection to the body. It is steeped in memory and emotion, and we relate to it primarily through our senses. One thing I hope this show will stimulate is a sensory appreciation of fashion."

Bolton explained that the show will be structured around about 50 historically significant and aesthetically beautiful pieces from the collection that are too fragile to ever be worn again. "These are the 'Sleeping Beauties' of the title," he said. Instead of fulfilling their original worn function, these pieces-including that Elizabethan bodice and an 1877 silk satin ball gown by American couturier Charles Frederick Worth that was the original inspiration for the show-will instead be transformed through the exhibition.

Many will be displayed alongside contemporary fashion works that unintentionally echo older ones. The illusion technique known as Pepper's ghost will be used to revive some, while video animation, light projection, soundscape, artificial intelligence, CGI and other forms of sensory stimulation will be variously employed to weave a contextual fabric of understanding around each piece. Bolton added that the exhibition will be shaped around three main "zones"-Earth, Sea and Sky-as it traces evolving attitudes toward the natural world through craft and manipulation of natural materials to create clothing. He said, "It's really an ode to nature and the emotional poetics of fashion." The contemporary emphasis on sustainability and regenerative forms of production will be represented by recently acquired pieces from some of the most innovative creators in modern fashion.

Bolton has recruited image-maker Nick Knight, founder of SHOWstudio, as a creative consultant for the visual presentation of the show, while artist Sissel Tolaas, known for her work with Demna at Balenciaga, has developed scents to accompany some key installations. The spatial arrangement of the exhibition will be designed by architecture firm Leong Leong in collaboration with the Met's Design Department.

'Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion' will be made possible by lead sponsor TikTok, with additional support from Loewe and Condé Nast, the publisher of Vogue. It will run from May 10 to September 2, 2024, and will open to the public after the Met Gala on May 6, which provides the Costume Institute with its main source of funding for all activities.