China National Silk Museum Opens Guo Pei Retrospective Featuring Rihanna’s 2015 Met Gala Gown

By Vincent Lee Smith

Guo Pei Costume Art Exhibition • Photo Courtesy of China National Silk Museum

The China National Silk Museum has opened a Guo Pei retrospective featuring approximately 200 haute couture works spanning 40 years, including the golden gown worn by Rihanna at the 2015 Met Gala.

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HANGZHOU, China, Oct. 13, 2026, (V SHADES) — Fashion and textile museum China National Silk Museum has opened Garden of Ethereal Realms: Guo Pei Costume Art Exhibition, a retrospective examining four decades of work by Chinese haute couture designer Guo Pei.

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The exhibition, which opened Sept. 27, features approximately 200 haute couture pieces and will remain on view through Aug. 31, 2027, at the museum’s Fashion Gallery in Hangzhou.

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Among the works on display is the gold embroidered gown worn by Rihanna at the 2015 Met Gala. The exhibition also includes red-carpet gowns created for Liu Shishi and Dilraba, along with costumes designed for events including the Beijing Olympics and CCTV Spring Festival Gala.

The collection is organized into four sections and nine representative series, including One Thousand and Two Nights, Legend, Samsara, Paradise Island and Children’s Dream. The exhibition traces Guo Pei’s work across garment construction, traditional craftsmanship, materials and the combination of Eastern and Western design influences.

Its four sections — “Time, Fable, Rebirth,” “Building Dreams, Legend,” “Dream Isle Garden” and “Eastern Palace Echoes” — present different periods and themes from Guo Pei’s career.

The exhibition also includes a folded-paper installation interpreting the structure and layered construction associated with haute couture.

China National Silk Museum specializes in silk, textiles and costume history. The museum is presenting Guo Pei’s work within the broader context of traditional materials, craftsmanship and contemporary fashion.

Source: China National Silk Museum