It may be eight months away, but next year’s Met Gala theme has already been locked in. The kickoff night for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Anna Wintour Costume Center will focus on the Far East and the upcoming Chinese Whispers: Tales of the East in Art, Film, and Fashion exhibit.

Image via fashiongonerogue.com

The Met Gala’s host Silas Chou will be joined by Jennifer Lawrence, Chinese actress Gong Li, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, Chinese-American businesswoman Wendi Murdoch, and, of course, Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour. Alongside couture samplings from designers Alexander McQueen and Laurence Xu, the exhibit will also feature paintings, decorative arts, and film representations from China – all the result of a collaboration between the Costume Institute and the Met’s Department of Asian Art.

Curator Andrew Bolton notes that Chinese Whispers will explore how Westerners have understood (and misunderstood) Chinese culture, comparing it to a game of telephone, which the British call “Chinese whispers,” with messages being lost and misconstrued throughout the years. More than a hundred avant-garde pieces await museum-goers and gala attendees alike.

And on that note, we can imagine there will be a lot of silk, embroidery, and Mandarin collars on the red carpet. What other surprises might the fashionable night bring? We’ll just have to wait for the gossip whispers next spring.

By Mairead McGonagle, Staff Writer

What do you think “Chinese Whispers” will mean?  Tweet us at @ruelala to share.

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