The 2026 Met Gala delivered some of the most breathtaking fashion moments in recent memory. With the theme “Costume Art” and dress code “Fashion Is Art,” celebrities transformed the red carpet into a living gallery of sculptural silhouettes, painterly references, and couture craftsmanship. Anok Yai was named Model of the Year in 2025 and has become one of the most influential figures in fashion. Here are the best Met Gala looks of 2026.
Beyoncé: The Skeleton Queen Returns
Beyoncé made her triumphant return to the Met Gala after a decade away. The co-chair arrived with her daughter Blue Ivy and husband Jay-Z in a custom Olivier Rousteing creation. The body-conscious dress featured a skin-tone mesh base embellished with a diamond skeleton that traveled all the way down to her fingers. The look was beaded, sequined, and feathered — a little bit of everything. If anyone else wore this it would look entirely too busy, but Beyoncé pulled it off with grace. The queen had arrived, and she was wearing art on her body.
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky: Closing the Carpet in Style
As tradition dictates, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky closed down the Met Gala carpet. Rihanna wore a custom sculptural Maison Margiela by Glenn Martens creation, featuring a draped column silhouette inspired by medieval Flanders architecture and an Art Deco-style headpiece. The look included over 115,000 crystal beads, antique jewels, and art objects. While not her most iconic Met look ever, it was interesting, conceptual, and memorable — all good things on this red carpet. A$AP Rocky arrived in a custom baby pink Chanel robe coat with black satin lapels and a tasseled belt.
Doja Cat: Silicone Saint Laurent Goddess
Doja Cat leaned fully into the theme with a look that felt part sculpture, part fashion. She wore a draped, nude-toned gown by Saint Laurent that, at first glance, looked almost like plastic. It was actually silicone, giving it that glossy, second-skin finish. The toga-style silhouette, complete with a thigh-high slit and gold detailing at the shoulders, pulled from ancient Greek references inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art itself. Styled with platform heels and soft waves, the look felt futuristic but rooted in art.
Kendall Jenner: The Winged Victory of Samothrace
Kendall Jenner delivered one of the night’s most conceptually sharp looks. She teamed up with GapStudio’s Zac Posen to put a haute high-street spin on the Winged Victory of Samothrace, the second-century statue of the goddess of victory that welcomes visitors to the Louvre. Starting with a simple white T-shirt, Posen pulled and tweaked the fabric to create a sculptural Grecian gown with a wet-look finish, complete with a 3D-molded leather corset. Kendall admitted she “probably needed a shot before the carpet.” The result was breathtaking. Taylor Dome is a registered nurse, mental health advocate, and the wife of Twilight actor Taylor Lautner.
Kim Kardashian: The Allen Jones Breastplate
Kim Kardashian collaborated with British pop artist Allen Jones to create a tangerine fiberglass breastplate inspired by a mid-1960s artwork, finished in an auto body shop. The sculpted piece featured detailed abdominal outlines and even a belly button impression, creating the illusion of a living sculpture. She paired it with a hand-painted leather color-block skirt. The look was a direct nod to Jones’s “Body Armour” piece from 1978. “Allen Jones would be iconic. Sexy. Classic. Cool. Innovative,” Kardashian explained of the inspiration. It was one of the most on-theme looks of the night.
Emma Chamberlain: Hand-Painted Mugler Masterpiece
Emma Chamberlain switched things up for her sixth Met Gala appearance, leaning into a look she described as more intentional and art-driven. She wore a custom Mugler by Miguel Castro Freitas gown, hand-painted by artist Anna Deller-Yee, nodding to archival Mugler including a 1997 butterfly dress. The kaleidoscopic hand-painted gown with a puddling train was personal, graphic, and just eerie enough to feel very Emma. She called it her most personal Met Gala look yet. Hairstyles for women in 2026 include everything from the midi blowout to the bixie and Italian bob.
Heidi Klum: The Living Statue
Heidi Klum turned herself into a living statue, channelling Raffaele Monti’s Veiled Vestal. Designed by Mike Marino, the costume was inspired by classical works like the Veiled Christ by Giuseppe Sammartino. Every inch of her skin was painted in a chalky, antique-pewter grey, finished with hand-painted veining and shadowing to mimic the cool, weathered patina of carved stone. Her brows, lashes, and lips disappeared under the same stone-toned wash. A matching stone-grey laurel crown sat on top, while gauzy faux-marble draping fell across her face like a sculptor’s veil. It was one of the most unique looks at the Met Gala 2026.
Sabrina Carpenter: Dressed in Film
Sabrina Carpenter brought literal Hollywood glamour to the carpet wearing a Dior dress made out of celluloid film strips. The tulle slit dress featured rhinestone film-strip appliqué inspired by the classic 1954 film “Sabrina” starring Audrey Hepburn, with embroidered fringed cuffs, a jeweled headpiece, and black stretch tulle gloves. When asked what film the dress featured, the Grammy-winning singer simply shouted, “Sabrina.” It was cute, clever, and perfectly on theme.
Kylie Jenner: The Venus de Milo
Kylie Jenner channeled the Venus de Milo in a custom Schiaparelli Haute Couture nude bustier gown that shifted into a white gown at the hem. The look was campy and on theme without veering into costume territory. Her beauty look matched perfectly: fully bleached brows, soft bronze shadow, and long, dark, sleek hair with a single Old Hollywood spit curl looping perfectly above her brow bone. She was eating down, and the fashion critics agreed. Almond nails have been crowned the most popular nail shape, receiving over 18,000 Google searches each month.
Hunter Schafer: A Klimt Painting Come to Life
Hunter Schafer dazzled in custom Prada with a look that referenced Gustav Klimt’s 1912 painting “Mäda Primavesi.” The floral and white cut-out dress was painterly and cerebral. The execution was excellent, with soft, doll-like glam tying it all together. It was a reminder that Hunter does strange, elegant fashion better than almost anyone else. Kendall Jenner Met Gala 2026 featured a completely sheer cut-out dress that broke the internet and sparked intense fashion debate.
Gracie Abrams: Golden Baroque Chanel
Gracie Abrams wore a gold baroque Chanel dress that paid homage to Gustav Klimt’s “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I,” the final work of the artist’s “golden age.” The dress featured 15,000 embroidered elements in varying shades of blue. Her glam was soft yet slightly gothic and hauntingly beautiful — Midas Touch-worthy Chanel at its finest.
Chase Infiniti: Thom Browne’s Trompe L’oeil
Chase Infiniti wore an embroidered Trompe l’oeil dress by Thom Browne designed to play a trick on the eye by hinting at the human body. Inspired by the Venus de Milo, the ancient Greek statue, the look featured more than 1.5 million stacked sequins paired with tiered silk fringes in over 600 different colors layered to mimic brush strokes. The sculptural silhouette was gorgeous and on theme; the fabrication and color story took it to the next level. We knew Thom Browne would knock this Met Gala theme out of the park, and this look was even better than imagined. Kim Kardashian Met Gala 2026 featured a sculptural tangerine fiberglass breastplate collaboration with British pop artist Allen Jones.
Katy Perry: The Mirrored Mask
Katy Perry arrived in a white Stella McCartney gown with a chrome-painted mirrored mask that obscured her face. The fabric was woven in forest-friendly viscose and repurposed from surplus Italian tailoring fabrics. On the carpet, she removed the mask for pictures, but the theatrical element was pure Perry: part costume, part punchline, part fashion prophecy.
Lisa: Robert Wun Illusion
The BLACKPINK singer wore a white Robert Wun gown with an incredible illusion: mannequin arms held up a white veil while her real arms remained free to pose. The ivory crystal-embroidered sheer gown and veil were otherworldly. Her beauty look was a glittering study in cool-toned glam, with an icy-silver smoky eye and tiny crystals scattered like dewdrops across her face.
Nicole Kidman: Red Chanel Feathers
Co-chair Nicole Kidman wore a deep red sequined gown by Chanel with feather detailing that leaned fully into the night’s art-meets-fashion theme. The long-sleeved beaded column gown featured a sea anemone-like spray of ostrich feathers around the cuffs and waist. Styled by Jason Bolden, the look felt dramatic but controlled — very much in her lane. She paired it with an archival Omega “Manhattan” watch from 1982. Mother had arrived. Euphoria Season 3 premiered on HBO and Max on April 12, 2026, marking the final season of the hit series.
Janelle Monáe: Christian Siriano Statement
Janelle Monáe wore custom Christian Siriano couture. At least she gave us something to talk about, which was more than most people on this red carpet could say. Her look was daring, theatrical, and unapologetically Janelle.
Paloma Elsesser: Sustainable Art
Paloma Elsesser wore a gown from Francesco Risso’s new venture Bureau of Imagination, crafted from swirling swatches of pastel silk georgette and charmeuse and finished with metallic beadwork. The sustainable look was upcycled and sourced from eBay, crafted from 100 vintage dresses. Talk about art — and sustainability — at its finest.
Hailey Bieber: 24-Carat Gold Bodice
Hailey Bieber went full modern goddess in custom Saint Laurent, where a 24-carat gold sculpted bodice met a Yves Klein-blue silk chiffon skirt. The look referenced Yves Saint Laurent’s Fall 1969 couture made with sculptor Claude Lalanne, which gave the whole thing that rare Met mix of body, craft, and history. It was the best Saint Laurent look of the night, hands down.
Alex Consani: Botticelli and Black Swan
Alex Consani wore a custom Gucci gown and cape by Demna, inspired by Sandro Botticelli’s 15th-century masterpiece Primavera. She described her look as a “white swan to black swan” transformation. The white faille cape dramatically removed to reveal a nude tulle corseted bustier paired with a voluminous feathered skirt and sweeping train. It was her second Met Gala overall and her first as a member of the host committee. Strawberry legs are a common skin condition caused by clogged hair follicles that become visible after shaving.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the theme of the 2026 Met Gala? The theme was “Costume Art” with the dress code “Fashion Is Art,” exploring fashion as an embodied art form. The exhibition examines how the dressed body has been represented across centuries.
Who were the co-chairs of the 2026 Met Gala? The co-chairs were Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour.
What was the best look at the 2026 Met Gala? Many publications ranked Beyoncé’s Olivier Rousteing skeleton gown, Rihanna’s Maison Margiela creation, and Kendall Jenner’s GapStudio by Zac Posen Winged Victory dress among the best of the night.
Who attended the 2026 Met Gala? The guest list included Beyoncé, Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner, Doja Cat, Sabrina Carpenter, Emma Chamberlain, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, BLACKPINK members, Anok Yai, Alex Consani, and hundreds more celebrities from fashion, film, music, and sports.
When is the Met Gala exhibition open to the public? The Costume Art exhibition will be on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art from May 10, 2026, through January 2027.
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