It’s one of the biggest days on the fashion calendar and some of the most popular stars from film and TV, music, sport and more have walked the red carpet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s iconic stairs in New York City for the 2026 Met Gala.
This year’s theme was Costume Art with the dress code ‘Fashion is Art’, which had stylists pushing boundaries and using art as the inspiration for the incredible looks that the stars wore tonight. The Met Gala is always the perfect excuse to go all out, with all eyes are on the red carpet to see how Hollywood’s A-list bring it to life.
This year, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Beyoncé are co-chairing the event – with it marking the latter’s first Met Gala appearance in a decade. Alongside Vogue’s Global Director, Anna Wintour, the trio have helped to shape and manage the theme’s interpretation.
While fans sadly didn’t get to see hard launches from Kim Kardashian and Lewis Hamilton, Zöe Kravitz and Harry Styles and more, we did get some incredible looks.
Here are some of the best of the night:
Beyonce
Oh. My. God. Beyoncé, who is one of the chairs for the Met Gala tonight, looked like royalty in her sparkling silver headpiece and skeleton-inspired look. She also wore a feathered coat, which took five people to carry it up the stairs.
Some people believe her appearance tonight will be the beginning of her next highly-anticipated album, which is believed to be a rock album.
The singer was also joined by husband Jay-Z and daughter Blue Ivy.
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky
Rihanna is shining bright like a diamond in a sculptural metallic ensemble, with long sleeves and crystals and beading. She kept that metallic theme going with her hair and makeup as well.
Her partner A$AP Rocky looked dapper as always in a pink Chanel look.
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman, who is one of the co-chairs of the event, wears custom Chanel by Matthieu Blazy.
The look consists of a drop-waisted feather trim in a deep red hue and was styled by Jason Bolden.
She is one of many co-chairs for the event, alongside Beyonce, Venus Williams and, of course, Anna Wintour, who traditionally arrive early to ‘greet’ the rest of the attendees.
Heidi Klum
Heidi Klum surprised fans by looking totally unrecognisable as a Grecian statue (?), with fans saying she looked like she was ready for her annual Halloween party!
Sunday Rose Kidman Urban
Sunday Rose Kidman Urban made her Met Gala debut in a feathered and floral custom Dior gown in shades of pink and lavender.
Sabrina Carpenter
Fresh off headlining Coachella, Sabrina Carpenter, who is part of the gala host committee, absolutely brought it to this year’s Met Gala. The singer’s fans were obsessed with her custom Dior slit dress by Jonathan Anderson, made with real film! The look really gave old Hollywood glamour vibes – Sabrinawood, even!
The singer’s look tonight pays homage to Audrey Hepburn’s 1954 film Sabrina.
Madonna
Madonna wore custom Saint Laurent, which was inspired by the Temptation of St. Anthony Fragment II by Leonora Carrington. She also had several women who were part of the look, carrying her train.
Odessa A’zion
Another fan favourite look from the evening is Odessa A’zion’s Valentino dress made up of a black corset, embellished flowers covering the top half of her boobs, a black choker and a stunning bejewelled black and blue cape. 10/10.
Zoë Kravitz
While many people hoped Zoë Kravitz would make her red carpet debut with Harry Styles following the pair’s engagement, the actress attended solo and kept her left hand firmly in her pocket to hide her ring! Rude!
The star wore a sheer black lace gown from Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello and while we hate that she hid her ring, she looked amazing.
Ciara
Ciara didn’t come to play at this year’s Met Gala, she’s going for gold – literally!
Wearing an elaborate headpiece that’s giving golden troll and a beautiful brass shawl encompassing her shoulders, she truly looks like art.
Teyana Taylor
As if Teyana Taylor wasn’t fun enough already, she has brought movement and joy with her eccentric red carpet look. Opting not to show off her impressive abs this time, she truly embodied the theme of “Costume Art” and we applaud her for that!!
Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian loves to divide opinion and her Met Gala look is no different. Wearing a sculpted bronze cone bra corset and complimentary blonde hair, the reality star turned business mogul is all party in the front and business in the back.
One thing everyone can agree though is that those shoes are criminal; they’re giving sensible air hostess heels? And we know our Kim can handle more than that.
Anne Hathaway
Taking the theme of “Costume Art” to a whole new level, Anne Hathaway is wearing a custom, hand-painted Michael Kors dress designed in collaboration with American artist Pete McGough.
The inspiration for the look is poem Ode on a Grecian Urn by John Keats; a piece that represents a wish for peace, beauty and harmony. Magnifique.
Blake Lively
We were pleasantly surprised to see Blake Lively take to the Met Gala red carpet for the first time since 2022. Many fans thought she would skip this years event as a result of her messy legal battle with It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni which got settled today.
The actress wore an explosion of pastel colours and a 13-foot train from the archival Versace collection for her return, and its safe to say the Queen of the Met Gala red carpets is back with a bang.
Hunter Schafer
Hunter Schafer opted for a very demure look in a custom Prada look inspired by Gustav Klimt’s painting Mäda Primavesi, which is part of the museum’s permanent collection.
Simone Ashley
Fresh off the publicity tour for The Devil Wears Prada 2, Simone Ashley went for a barely there silver chainmail gown. Fans loved the look, with some saying she is continually raising the bar for her red carpet looks!
Daisy Edgar Jones
Daisy Edgar Jones looks positively heavenly in her white gown, which is McQueen, designed by Seán McGirr.
Cardi B
Cardi B is wearing custom Marc Jacobs, with the silhouette taking inspiration from artist Hans Bellmer, who is recognised for created life-sized female dolls.
Ayo Edebiri
Ayo Edebiri looked absolutely incredible in structural white gown from Chanel. The straps of the gown featured feathers that made it look almost like birds were carrying the dress for her.
Lily-Rose Depp
Channeling her inner 1920s flapper girl, Lily-Rose Depp wore a stunning Chanel light grey dress embellished with jewels and a blue and pink feathery flower.
Wearing a clip in one side of her hair, the daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis stayed true to her coquette aesthetic.
Maya Hawke
This was Maya Hawke’s fourth time at the Met Gala, with the daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke opting to wear a black-and-white Dior ball gown with delicate floral decorations.
Finn Wolfhard
Fellow Stranger Things actor Finn Wolfhard wears a layered Thom Browne look to his first Met Gala.
Margot Robbie
I’m convinced this is Margot Robbie’s revenge for everyone who mocked her and Jacob Elordi’s fake romance during the Wuthering Heights press tour. She gave us her all those few weeks showing up to every event in jaw-dropping looks styled by Andrew Mukamal, and that is how you repaid her? It’s no wonder she’s giving us absolutely nothing for the Met.
I can only hope this is a once-off, but as long as Chanel is styling her, we can assume the worst. It may have taken the atelier 761 hours and nearly 1,100 pieces of embroidery to make, but they somehow never make the actress stand out. Petition to get Robbie away from the fashion house, we love them both separately, but together not so much.
Venus Williams
Venus Williams, one of the chairs for the evening, stunned in a black mesh crystal gown designed by Giovanna Engelbert. The look features references to her family and heritage, as well as her journey as an athlete.
Hudson Williams
Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams attended the event for the first time and boy did he bring it! The star wore Balenciaga for the event, with fans joking that it was so good that they couldn’t breathe.
Hailey Bieber
WE WERE ROOTING FOR YOU, WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU!!!! My feelings about this dress are in now way representative of how much I love Hailey Bieber, but this look is just not it. Now obviously she would look good in a bin bag, but this outfit just isn’t it.
The Rhode founder wore a custom Saint Laurent dress featuring a sculpted bodice made entirely of 24-karat gold and a long blue silk chiffon skirt. She paired it with metallic leather sandals, going full throttle into Gladiator style. Hmm…
Chase Infiniti
Chase Infiniti looked stunning as she made her Met Gala debut this year, wearing an embroidered Thom Browne dress inspired by the statue, the Venus de Milo.
Tate McRae
Tate McRae stunned in a gold gown designed by Paris designer Ludovic de Saint Sernin.
Doechii
For Doechii’s second Met Gala, she and her longtime stylist Sam Woolf opted for a burgundy Marc Jacobs wrap dress that showed off her incredible body. She also donned a hair wrap that matched the color of her dress.
Bill Skarsgård
Bill Skarsgård wore Thom Browne for the occasion, choosing to go for a dramatic look with the coat, which must have been far too warm for a beautiful spring day in NYC!
Kendall Jenner
Kendall Jenner was also giving Grecian goddess in her Zac Posen for GapStudio gown. And, surprisingly, the look all started with a classic Gap tee.
“We began with something very simple, a white Gap t-shirt, and started to manipulate it, pulling and draping to echo the movement you see in carved parian marble,” Zac told Cosmopolitan.
“The t-shirt is a wardrobe essential; it moves with the body, and that felt aligned with the spirit of the theme. From there, it became very tactile—jersey, moulded leather, draping—to create something fluid, sculptural, and alive.”
Kylie Jenner
Kylie Jenner, the woman you are. Stepping out in a nude sculptural look from Schiaparelli, the outfit gave the illusion she was half dressed. Sexy, risqué, and featuring an homage to her big sister Kim Kardashian’s controversial nipple bra- King Kylie is my winner.
Showing she’s just like the rest of us, Jenner admitted she had some pre-carpet jitters on her Instagram story, saying: “I don’t have any brows, wish me luck.” She rocks the bleached brows though!
Charlie XCX
Charlie XCX wore a black Saint Laurent dress that featured a large flower across her torso. It was designed by Anthony Vaccarello, who went back to 1988 for inspo, which he found in a dress that featured the same flower, which was inspired by Vincent Van Gogh’s admiration of the iris flower.
Anok Yai
Anok Yai’s custom Balenciaga look by Pierpaolo Piccioli has her looking like a baroque sculpture brought to life and we are obsessed. She may be wearing an elaborate black ruched dress with an oversized cape hood and black gloves, but it’s her face everyone’s looking at.
Painted head-to-toe in a bronze shade, Yai also has mettalic tears rolling down her cheeks… ART.
Gracie Abrams
Is it just me or is Gracie Abrams starting to look more and more Irish thanks to her boyfriend Paul Mescal. Either way, she looks stunning in this Klimt-inspired ballgown adorned with beautiful jewels.
Sza
According to Cosmopolitan, Sza’s gown was designed by Emily Bode using vintage materials that she found on eBay! The look also included a gorgeous floral headpiece.
Naomi Watts
Naomi Watts hit the red carpet wearing head-to-toe florals, looking beautiful as always.
Lisa
Lisa looked like an angel in a sheer white gown, which she accessorised with an elaborate veil that featured two arms holding it above her head.
Amanda Seyfried
Amanda Seyfried’s face card never declines, and neither do her looks. The Housemaid star looked like a real-life Disney princess in a pale pink Prada ballgown and some high jewellery from none other than Tiffany & Co.
The 40-year-old carried a pink silk embroidered clutch and wore pearl Prada satin platforms under her dress. Lots of people are saying this isn’t “Costume Art” like the theme requested, but is art not just something that evokes feeling in you? And I feel absolutely jealous of this stunning look.
Eileen Gu
Olympian and model, Eileen Gu, looked gorgeous in her bubble gown!
Anna Wintour
I wanna see your peacock-cock-cock, your peacock-cock. J’obsessed with Anna Wintour’s bright and bold look, very out of norm for the Vogue editor who usually pairs back her style for red carpet events.
It’s exciting to think this could be the turning point in minimalism to maximalism fashion- we desperately need more fun and expression in the world!
Sombr
This is Sombr’s first time at the Met Gala and the singer’s incredible look took 500 hours to complete! The custom Valentino outfit was designed by Alessandro Michele.
Chloe Malle
It just goes to show, just because you’re an editor in Vogue doesn’t mean you always get it right. Chloe Malle is wearing an orange gown with a ruffled train that allegedly had to get Anna Wintour’s approval before hitting the carpet. Come to think of it, if two Vogue editors like it and I don’t; maybe I’m the problem?
Isha M.Ambani
Isha M. Ambani was never not going to come to the Met Gala dripping in diamonds, and judging by her brother Anant’s lavish six day wedding in 2024, those jewels aren’t just on loan for the night like the rest of Hollywood. Her look is a custom-made Gaurav Gupta sari woven with pure gold threads that took over 1,200 hours to complete… casual!
Irina Shayk
Irina Shayk went for a less is more vibe with her look tonight, with the model accessorising with multiple watches.
Colman Domingo
Colman Domingo brought several pops of colour in his Valentino look for the evening, sadly, some fans were left unimpressed by the look, joking that he looked like the Twister board game.
Katy Perry
Fans joked that Katy Perry was wearing a fencing mask with her Stella McCartney look for the night.
Janelle Monáe
Janelle Monáe always serves at the Met Gala and this year was no exception with a look inspired by nature by Christian Siriano.
Connor Storrie
Connor Storrie said he was very nervous for his first Met Gala, with the Heated Rivalry star wearing Saint Laurent for the occasion.
Lena Mahfouf
When it comes to committing to a theme, French social media star Lena Mahfouf has clearly got a firm grip on things. Nailing the Costume Art theme in a Burc Akyol design with hands covering her boobs, she has truly cemented herself as a Met Gala icon.
Gigi Hadid
Gigi Hadid looked stunning in her sheer Miu Miu look tonight. The grey gown sparkled in the lights with embellishments protecting her modesty.
Jon Batiste
Jon Batiste’s Met Gala look is giving chic duvet, and we’re kinda here for it? The American singer is wearing a voluminous cream puffer jacket by ERL made from dead stock taffeta, OK environmentally friendly king. Coat check is going to hate to see him coming!
Naomi Osaka
Tennis star Naomi Osaka turned heads in turned heads in Robert Wun couture, she also wore a white headpiece by London Milner Awon Golding. She stripped off her white coat to reveal a gorgeous red gown.
Sarah Pidgeon
Love Story’s Sarah Pidgeon looked absolutely stunning in her custom Loewe by Jack and Lazaro.
Jordan Roth
Jordon Roth wore custom Robert Wun Couture, but many fans have been “creeped out” by the look.
Sam Smith
Sam Smith walked the carpet with designer Christian Cowan, who created his look for the event.
Emma Chamberlain
Popular internet personality Emma Chamberlain wears a custom, hand-painted Mugler dress on the carpet.
The 24-year-old reportedly commissioned designer and interdisciplinary artist Anna Deller-Yee to paint her dress, inspired the evening’s theme of “Fashion Is Art”.
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