At the Met Gala 2026, where the theme “Fashion is Art” could have easily slipped into cliché, Saudi designer Ashi Studio did something sharper—more literal, more unsettling. These weren’t gowns that nodded to art; they became it. Sculptural, painterly, almost confrontational, each look blurred the boundary between body and object, wearer and artwork. On a carpet that thrives on spectacle, this was something quieter, but far more deliberate.
Emily Blunt
Fresh off the buzz of The Devil Wears Prada sequel, Emily stepped onto the carpet in a custom Ashi Studio look that reportedly took over 250 hours to create—and it shows. The sheer black lace corset is sculpted to perfection, with intricate hand-embroidered beadwork, tassel details at the shoulders, and a dramatic high neckline.
Pearl strands drape across her body like living jewelry, tying into her $500,000 Mikimoto body necklace, set with diamonds and a standout morganite centerpiece. Paired with fluid, wide-leg silk trousers, the look balances structure with softness in the coolest way.
View this post on Instagram
Sabine Getty
Lebanese-German socialite and jewelry designer Sabine Getty made her debut in Ashi Studio in a look that felt like stepping into a living canvas. The gown’s corseted bodice was hand-painted to mimic the soft, almost haunting realism of 18th-century academic nudes—light and shadow sculpting the illusion of flesh onto fabric. A ghostly handprint stretched across her torso, turning the body into both subject and surface.
The sheer, diaphanous draping that followed introduced fragility, barely holding structure together, as if the piece might dissolve mid-step. There’s a tension here that feels intentional: control versus unraveling, mastery versus instinct. Even the references to her personal jewelry collection—embedded into the visual narrative rather than worn separately—collapsed the distinction between adornment and identity. It didn’t just dress her; it interpreted her.
Via Instagram
Ananya Birla
Indian businesswoman and artist Ananya Birla brought Ashi Studio into the after-party with a look that carried the same artistic language into something darker, more sculptural. Her custom gown felt almost cast rather than sewn—a metallic, oxidized surface hugging the body like a relic unearthed rather than constructed.
The silhouette was severe, elongated, with a quiet monumentality. There’s a stillness to it, as if she’s less a guest and more an installation piece placed within the room. The texture—somewhere between bronze and patina—suggests time, erosion, history. It’s less about movement and more about presence. You don’t watch it flow; you observe it.
Via Instagram
Jennifer Rubio
American businesswoman Jennifer Rubio leaned fully into narrative sculpture in her Ashi Studio look. The corset, carved and lacquered in deep amber tones, featured a raised figurative element—almost mythological in form—emerging from the bodice itself. It felt less like embellishment and more like storytelling embedded into the garment.
Paired with a softly draped ivory skirt, the contrast was striking: rigidity against fluidity, weight against lightness. The sculptural top anchored the look in something almost archaic, while the skirt allowed just enough softness to keep it from becoming static. It’s wearable art, but with an edge—something that invites interpretation rather than immediate admiration.
Via Instagram
Conclusion
What Ashi Studio achieved at the Met Gala 2026 wasn’t just alignment with a theme—it was a redefinition of it. These looks didn’t reference art history from a distance; they inhabited it, distorted it, and in some cases, unsettled it.
There’s a quiet confidence in that approach. In a space that often rewards immediacy, these were pieces that asked you to pause, to look twice, to sit with them. And maybe that’s the most compelling interpretation of “fashion is art” there is.
WE SAID THIS: Don’t Miss…A Look Back at Arab Celebrities Who Owned the Met Gala