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The Met Gala’s 2026 theme, “Fashion is Art,” might be the event’s most ambiguous dress code yet.
Monday’s annual star-studded fundraiser for the museum’s Costume Institute was inspired by “Costume Art”, the Met’s blockbuster Spring exhibition, which explores depictions of the dressed body through a series of thematic body types: “the naked body,” “classic body,” “pregnant body” and “ageing body.”
Guests were instructed to “celebrate the countless depictions of the dressed body throughout art history” on the red carpet, and stylists had predicted plenty of naked dresses and subversive, sculptural silhouettes. But which celebrities played it safe, and who left us speechless?
Nicole Kidman was one of the first stars to arrive on the blue carpet Monday night in her role as co-chair for this year’s event, wearing a breathtaking sequinned and feathered Chanel gown — gorgeous, but not exactly nailing the dress code (yes, we are the theme police tonight).
Beyoncé, who returned to the Met Gala for the first time in a decade (now as a co-chair), blew us away in a custom diamante skeleton-style bustier dress by Olivier Rousteing, with her daughter Blue Ivy by her side in an all-white ensemble.
On the more bizarre end of the spectrum, Katy Perry was channelling fencing chic in a futuristic headpiece covering her entire face and a matching white gown from Stella McCartney, while Heidi Klum — known for her imaginative fancy dress looks — literally turned to stone and transformed into a walking statue.
Find our best and worst dressed below…
Beyoncé
Tens across the board: Beyoncé made her first Met Gala appearance in a decade and blew us away in a custom diamante skeleton-style bustier dress by Olivier Rousteing (Getty Images for The Met Museum/)
The queen is back! Beyoncé interpreted the anatomical aspect of this year’s ‘Fashion is Art’ theme (Getty)
Beyoncé, who acts as a co-chair for this year’s Met Gala, was joined by her teenage daughter Blue Ivy and husband Jay-Z for their Met Gala return (Getty)
Beyoncé made a long-awaited comeback to the Met Gala after a 10-year hiatus, arriving with her daughter, Blue Ivy, and husband, Jay-Z, in tow to make it a family affair. For the ensemble, the musician turned to her longtime collaborator, Olivier Rousteing, whose interpretation of the “Fashion is Art” dress code resulted in a sheer silver gown featuring a skeleton of crystals. Complete with a sweeping feathered train and a crystal headpiece, it was undoubtedly one of the most dramatic looks of the night.
Rihanna
Rihanna, as always, arrived fashionably late, this time shining in a custom, sculptural Maison Margiela by Glenn Martens, complete with an Art Deco-style headpiece (Getty)
Nailing the theme: the singer donned a hand-sculpted draped column silhouette inspired by medieval architecture (Getty)
Rihanna was joined by her husband A$AP Rocky, who wore a custom Chanel pink robe with black satin lapels and black piping details, embellished with a black silk (Reuters)
Rihanna is always one of the most highly anticipated Met Gala guests due to her legacy of red carpet looks (remember the viral Guo Pei gown aka “the omelette dress”?). This year, she didn’t disappoint, arriving with her husband A$AP Rocky in custom Maison Margiela. Inspired by Medieval architecture, the sculptural metallic gown was complemented by Rihanna’s lavish accessories, including several diamond rings and bejewelled eye makeup. The singer is famously always one of the last A-list stars to don the Met Gala red carpet (in 2025, she arrived at 10pm, one hour after the carpet closed), but this year arrived fashionably on time.
Doechii
The rapper stole the show in a burgundy draped gown with cut-out detailing, worn with bare feet (Getty Images)
Doechii arrived on the carpet with the fabric draped over her head before revealing her full outfit (Getty Images)
Doechii was always going to make a sartorial splash for her sophomore Met Gala; her bespoke Louis Vuitton suit was one of the standout looks from last year. This time around, the two-time Grammy winner wore a burgundy Marc Jacobs wrap dress that exposed her torso and back. She ditched shoes in favour of committing to the bohemian vibe of her ensemble. Let’s hope someone brought her a spare pair to see out the rest of the New York City night.
Madonna
Madonna channelled a spooky vibe, wearing an Anthony Vaccarello Saint Laurent design, accessorized with a pirate-ship hat and a brass circular trumpet (Getty Images)
The ‘Vogue’ singer was also joined by several women with sheer blindfolds who helped display her outfit (Getty)
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman looked sleek and slightly festive in a crimson red gown by Chanel, but she missed the mark when it came to understanding the theme (Getty Images)
The actor’s dress was finished with fluffy, Mongolian wool cuffs (Getty Images)
Naomi Osaka
Tennis star Naomi Osaka wore a magnificent custom two-piece set from designer Robert Wun, a look that’s featured in the Met’s ‘Costume Art’ exhibit (PA)
A close-up of Osaka’s hat by Robert Wun, which seems to have anatomical references (Reuters)
Pure serenity: Naomi Osaka understood Monday night’s Met theme (Reuters)
Emma Chamberlain
Internet personality and presenter Emma Chamberlain understood the assignment by using her body as a canvas wearing custom Mugler by Miguel Castro Freitas (AFP/Getty)
The gown features a mesh turtle neck and cascading fabric with a multi-toned watercolor design (AFP/Getty)
Connor Storrie
While not entirely on theme, ‘Heated Rivalry’ star Connor Storrie stunned in a Saint Laurent black suit with an extra-long lavallière top in white dotted silk muslin (Getty)
The actor brought the drama with a cascading train attached to his blouse (Getty)
Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter channelled an old Hollywood vibe in a dress designed by Dior’s Jonathan Anderson (Getty)
The ‘Taste’ singer’s dress was made entirely out of film from the 1995 movie ‘Sabrina’ (Getty)
Gigi Hadid
Gigi Hadid chose the naked dress route in a custom sheer Miu Miu dress that showed off her body (Getty Images for The Met Museum)
The model showcased a pair of satin briefs underneath her translucent dress (Getty Images)
Ashley Graham
Model Ashley Graham turned to Greek designer Dimitra Petsa of Di Petsa to make her showstopping second-skin nude dress, which excellently interprets the ‘nude body’ section of the Met’s new exhibit (Getty Images)
Graham was hand-sewn into the dress ahead of tonight’s event (Reuters)
Kim Kardashian
Kardashian gave a nod to the theme by accentuating the female form with tangerine orange body plates crafted in the 1960s (Getty)
Leaning into the dress code ‘Fashion Is Art,’ Kardashian worked with British artist Allen Jones to create the bright orange look (Getty)
Heidi Klum
You can’t knock Heidi Klum’s commitment to the theme. She came dressed as an actual statue (Getty Images)
You’d expect nothing less from the queen of costumes! (Getty Images for The Met Museum/)
Kylie Jenner
Kylie Jenner played on the naked body aspect of the theme in a Schiaparelli gown with a nude corset top that has visible nipples and a belly button (Getty Images)
At the waist, the top looked like it had been pulled down and folded over and down, to reveal the nude body (Getty Images)
Jenner’s bustier looked strikingly similar to her sister Kim Kardashian’s nipple bra sold through her lingerie brand Skims (Getty Images)
Katy Perry
Fencing chic: Absolutely no words for Katy Perry’s Met Gala look… (Getty Images)
Get ready to joust… Katy Perry in a white gown with a headpiece that covered her entire face, by Stella McCartney (Getty Images)
Surprise! Katy Perry appears from behind the mask (Getty)