Venus Williams<\/a> remembers, at 14 years old, her mother sewing her first tennis skirt. \u201cI fell in love,\u201d Williams said at this morning\u2019s press conference for the 2026 Met Gala<\/a> and exhibition, \u201cCostume Art.\u201d<\/a> \u201cI fell in love with watching something come to life like that, and it gave me a deep appreciation for fashion at its core: how it\u2019s made, how it moves, how it makes you feel, and how it tells a story. And how, a lot of times, as we\u2019ll see, it makes history.\u201d<\/p>\n Williams, who serves as a co-chair<\/a> for the 2026 Met Gala<\/a>, is no stranger to making history\u2014for both her athletic prowess and her confident, expressive approach to dressing on and off the court. For that reason, she makes an ideal steward for this year\u2019s exhibition, which explores the way fashion and art have depicted the human body, and what that, then, says about the body\u2019s role in culture and society.<\/p>\n \u201cFashion distinguished me from my fellow players\u2014because it was<\/em> a contest,\u201d she said with a sly smile. \u201cAbout power, strength, will, skill, and being the best-dressed. And I tried to win it all. It also allowed me to connect with passionate fans across the world,\u201d she said. \u201cBut most of all, it allowed me to connect to myself.\u201d<\/p>\n From that homemade tennis skirt to full-fledged fashion icon, Williams has come to not just embrace the joys of getting dressed daily, but to understand its more profound effects. \u201cSomething that I\u2019ve admired about clothing and dress is that it has the power to do two things,\u201d she said. \u201cIt reminds us of the characteristics and experiences that we all share, and, at the same time, it reveals something new about ourselves and about the world around us.\u201d<\/p>\n This morning\u2019s press conference brought together luminaries of the fashion world\u2014Thom Browne, Michael Kors, Tory Burch, and Saint Laurent\u2019s Anthony Vaccarello, among them\u2014to not just f\u00eate the exhibition\u2019s opening, but also the fact that it is the coming-out party for the Costume Institute\u2019s new permanent Cond\u00e9 M. Nast Galleries<\/a>. Relocated from a smaller location in the basement, the new space is an expansive 12,000 square feet and is located just off the museum\u2019s Great Hall on the first floor. This move demonstrates the growing importance and influence of fashion in the hallowed halls of The Met.<\/p>\n NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 04: A view inside the venue during the press conference for the 2026 Met Gala celebrating “Costume Art” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 04, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin\/Getty Images)<\/span>Roy Rochlin\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n![\"Image](\"https:\/\/assets.vogue.com\/photos\/69f8df9c174757c051a1e537\/master\/w_1600%2Cc_limit\/GettyImages-2274461076.jpg\"\/)
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