In an alternate universe, the Met Gala happened this week. The hottest and wealthiest people on the planet dressed up in the hottest and priciest clothes on the planet. Then, they descended upon New Yorkâs Metropolitan Museum of Art, where they mingled and sipped champagne. It was a sea of leather lapels and unmistakable red soles.
Of course, this yearâs Met Gala never happened. Due to concerns surrounding the covid-19 pandemic, Anna Wintourâs annual star-studded event was postponedâindefinitely. But this is the fashion industry weâre talking about. Fashion, like life, always finds a way. It just took a differentâand unexpectedâroute there, via Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Yes, as Elle reported, some of the worldâs preeminent fashion designers recently started exhibiting looks in Nintendoâs twisted adaptation of Animal Farm. And these arenât just everyday labels, weâre talking about some of the mavens of New York Fashion Week: Sandy Liang, Maison Valentino, even Marc freakinâ Jacobs. Best of all, you can even add some of this sumptuous couture to your own New Horizons wardrobe.
Liangâs looks are, unfortunately, off the table. Her designs were only available during a brief pop-up that, according to Elle, was described as âharder to get into than a Supreme drop.â (For the uninitiated, Supreme is the massively popular streetwear brand whose new releases summon hours-long lines of people at their SoHo flagship.) But youâre not entirely out of luckâso long as youâve unlocked the Mabel Sisters clothing shop.
Maison Valentino mocked up a large selection of couture, and even teamed up with Kara Chung, the visual artist behind Animal Crossing Fashion Archive, to put on a bona fide fashion shoot. Codes for individual designs are available, but youâll have to thumb your way through one of Valentinoâs Instagram Stories to find codes. (Spoiler: Itâs the one labeled âAnimal Crossing.â)
Marc Jacobs, meanwhile, recreated six items from their famously colorful collection. Given the brandâs illustrious history with pastel pop, such a crossover is only natural. The download codes are currently available on the brandâs Instagram Stories, but you can also snag them from a straightforward Instagram post:
Once you have codes in-hand, dressing up your villager in fancy digs is a breeze. Unlike, say, downloading literal museum-worthy art, you donât even need to use the onerous Nintendo Switch Online smartphone app.
FIrst, boot up Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Head to the Mabel Sisters store and go to the kiosk in the rear. From there, search by design ID, type in the code, and save the design. This should boot up your in-game Nook Phoneâs Custom Designs app. Just select an unused slot, confirm the download, and voila! Youâre the proud owner of some sweet couture.
Official designs arenât the only way to dress up in fancy threads, though. There are plenty of fanmade Animal Crossing designers, though few beat the Instagram account Nook Street Market. Run by a trio of enterprising, creative New Yorkers, NSM recreates high-end designs as New Horizons threadsâand yes, they offer codes. If you can think of a couture brand, chances are, NSM has whipped up some sort of design. Thom Browne NY? Check. Chanel? Check. YSL, Gucci, Viktor & Rolf? Check, check, and check. The Burberry check? You bet
We mightâve missed the Met Gala this year, but who knows, maybe this surge of New Horizons fashion will inspire a new theme at next yearâs Gala: Animal Crossing
