PAPER's Guide To Dressing for the 2024 Met Gala

The hotly anticipated theme of the 2024 Met Gala finally dropped, and next year’s red carpet is a doozy. Per a press release from The Met’s Costume Institute, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion will explore notions of rebirth and renewal, using nature as a metaphor for the impermanence of fashion.”

Max Hollien, The Met’s Marina Kellen French Director, said of the theme: “[The] exhibition will push the boundaries of our imagination and invite us to experience the multisensory facets of a garment, many of which get lost when entering a museum collection as an object.”

Of course, this is not where PAPER's mind went when we first heard tell of next year’s Met Gala, the themes for which leave plenty of room for interpretation. (Remember the kerfuffle over camp?) To stimulate the "multisensory facets" of everyone’s imagination, like The Met hopes to do with its dusty old garments, we’ve assembled a comprehensive moodboard for stylists, celebs, the fashion glitterati and wealthy donors alike.

Ashley Tisdale at the pajama party for the release of The Princess Diaries 2’s DVD (2004)

This fit is practically legendary, don’t you think? We’ve seen it meme-ified on so frequent an occasion that it’s almost burned into my retinas. We’re sure she has it in a closet somewhere, collecting dust on the polyester. Submit it to the Met!

Janice Dickinson hosting her slumber party at Tao Las Vegas (2006)

Nothing screams a sleeping beauty quick like drop earrings, sex tousled hair dyed jet black, or a slip one can barely keep on their body.

Brie Larson and Sara Paxton at the premiere of Sleepover (2004)

The fits from this movie premiere are the stuff of myth.

Jersey Shore’s Deena at her pajama party birthday in the Trump Taj Mahal (2011)

Mentally, we never left Deena’s pajama party birthday at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. In fact, we’re still shaking our asses to Tiesto on the dancefloor!

Brittany Murphy at MTV’s New Year’s Pajama Party (2003)

RIP Brittany Murphy! Not only are you remembered for your iconic roles but for your iconic fashions as well.

Lisa Rinna at the pajama party for the release of The Princess Diaries 2’s DVD (2004)

PAPER star Lisa Rinna knows how to work the red carpet and could probably sell someone a phone book from 1997 if she put her mind to it. Look at her strut in her PJs! Go Lisa, go!

Madonna at the pajama party premiere of her “Bedtime Story” video in 1995

She makes this outfit look so effortlessly glamorous!

JoJo, Emma Roberts and Sara Paxton at the Aquamarine slumber party sweepstakes (2006)

Whatever happened to Sara Paxton? Like, she was everywhere, right? Did she dye her hair an unrecognizable color after we all graduated middle school?

Bethenny Frankel and Adrienne Bailon host a pajama party on her show "Bethenny" (2013)

Remember the short-lived talk show Bethenny? Why this episode featured a pajama party is a mystery best left lost to the sands of time.

Avril Lavigne at MTV’s New Year’s Pajama Party (2003)

We really, really, really, really want to go back in time and party at MTV’s New Year's Pajama Party in 2003.

Tia Mowry at the pajama party for the release of The Princess Diaries 2’s DVD (2004)

The most interesting thing about this particular red carpet moment is that it wasn’t even the premiere of The Princess Diaries 2. It was the DVD release party red carpet. Remember when DVDs had release parties? We don’t!

All photos via Getty