Met Gala 2026: Highlights from the grand fashion showcase

We are here to witness celebs pulling off the dress code for the event, Fashion Is Art, allowing them to treat clothes as pieces of art

Rihanna in Maison Margiela by Glenn Martens at Met Gala 2026Evan Agostini/AP

Updated on:

05 May 2026, 1:54 am

3 min read

Ananya Birla wore a custom creation by Robert Wun, paired with a sculptural mask designed by artist Subodh Gupta. The outfit featured a structured black jacket with a dramatic peplum and a voluminous pleated skirt, giving it a strong, sculpted silhouette

Ananya Birla in Robert Wun X Subodh GuptaEvan Agostini/AP

Natasha Poonawalla wore a sculpture by Marc Quinn, paired with a custom couture ensemble by Dolce & Gabbana. The outfit featured an oversized, white, petal-like structure that framed her body like a blooming flower, with a delicate paper-like texture.

Natasha Poonawalla in a blooming Dolce and Gabbana pieceEvan Agostini/AP

Isha Ambani's custom Gaurav Gupta saree was produced in collaboration with Swadesh. Woven with strands of pure gold, it featured hand-painted Pichwai-inspired imagery, fresco-like detailing and layered embroidery. A sculptural cape added architectural structure, a familiar element in Gupta’s design language. The piece required over 1,200 hours of labour and involved 25 artisans. She wore more than 1,000 gemstones, including heirloom old mine diamonds from Nita Ambani’s collection, paired with emeralds and polki, along with contemporary cut stones, in her densely set blouse

Isha Ambani in a custom Gaurav Gupta number and heirloom jewellery pieces

Rihanna arrived in a custom, sculptural Maison Margiela by Glenn Martens for Met Gala, complete with an Art Deco-style headpiece. The striking, handsculpted gown, was made in duchess woven silk, with recycled metal threads that are typically used for computer wiring. The corseted bodice also features over 115,000 crystal beads, antique jewels, and chains. It took 1,380 hours for the embroidery alone

It took 1,380 hours for the embroidery alone on Rihanna's custom outfit

Hailey Bieber stepped out onto the red carpet in a custom Saint Laurent dress featuring a sculpted bodice made entirely of 24-karat gold. A long blue silk chiffon skirt flowed out from underneath, whose breezy movement gave peeks of metallic leather sandals

Hailey Bieber in a Saint Laurent dress

It took 800 hours of hand-craft to bead Nicole Kidman's Chanel dress with ruby-hued sequins and feathers

Nicole Kidman in Chanel

Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar's outfit, designed by Manish Malhotra, was inspired by Raja Ravi Varma's paintings like Hamsa Damayanti, Kadambari, and Arjuna and Subhadra. The outfit brings together several art forms, as a bevy of techniques such as hand painting, 3D sculpting, quilting, and traditional zardozi embroidery were used to create it

Karan Johar in Manish Malhotra

Hudson Williams wore a custom Balenciaga look designed by Pierpaolo Piccioli. His powder blue two-piece suit, complete with folded-over trousers, was inspired by a 1947 bolero jacket from house founder Cristóbal Balenciaga. The spirit of the original garment was kept alive with all-over geometric black crystal embroidery and tassels

Hudson WIlliams in BalenciagaEvan Agostini/AP

Madonna wore a floor-sweeping Saint Laurent slip dress crafted from satin and lace, topped with a scene-stealing cape in translucent violet organza, complete with its very own coven to carry it. She finished off the look with leather platform boots, a long black wig, and a hat that had its own ghost ship perched on top

Madonna in a Saint Laurent slip dressEvan Agostini/AP

Manish Malhotra's couture piece, inspired by Mumbai, featured a bandhgala layered with an architectural cape crafted over 960 hours by 50 artisans across Delhi and Mumbai, using traditional Indian techniques like zari work, zardozi, chikankari and kasab in white and ivory

Manish Malhotra attend Met gala for the second time in 2026

Manish Malhotra's Mumbai inspired couture look

Kim Kardashian’s tangerine fiberglass breastplate was made by repurposed a cast by Allen Jones from 1967 or 1968. Initially meant to be a full-length body cast, Kim shortened the piece into a bodysuit, and turned to artisans Patrick Whitaker and Keir Malem of Whitaker Malem to create the leather skirt

Kim Kardashian in a tangerine breastplate and leather skirtEvan Agostini/AP

Devyn Garcia's custom Michael Kors mimics Garcia’s own form, highlighting her fabulous curves and her confident strength. As per the designer, the trompe l’oeil viscose jacquard crystal-embellished column allows one to leave the house naked yet fully dressed

Devyn Garcia in a custom Michael Kors number

One of the co-chairs, Beyonce's skin tone and diamond skeleton gown for the night come with a long, feather-embellished train. Her golden hair is crimped to perfection and topped off with a sun-shaped crown

Beyonce in a diamond skeleton

Kylie Jenner in a Schiaparelli (not-so-nude) dress that gives fluid sculpture movement, a rather smooth, curly hair with a more precise shaping around the face and a kiss curl over the eye area. She also debuted bleached eyebrows.

Kylie Jenner in a Schiaparelli dressEvan Agostini/AP

Two-time Grammy winning rapper Doechii chose a burgundy Marc Jacobs wrap dress that aligns with the musician's current bohemian, goddess vibes

Doechi channelling her Goddess vibe at Met Gala 2026

Doechii in a Marc Jacobs wrap dress

SZA's glowing yellow dress by Bode has shades of ochre, marigold, corn, and golden flax. The designers worked with a vintage dealer who sourced over a hundred yards of yellow fabrics in various materials—tulle, taffeta, silk faille, and beadwork on lace, found on online marketplace

SZA's Met Gala 2026 gown has 100 yards of fabrics sourced from an online marketplace

SZA in a Bode piece in shades of yellowEvan Agostini/AP

Margot Robbie arrived in a strapless Chanel gold lamé dress outfitted with a cascading train lined with flower petals. The entire endeavor took the Chanel atelier 761 hours and nearly 1,100 pieces of embroidery

Margot Robbie in a Chanel gown

Sabrina Carpenter's look pays homage to Audrey Hepburn’s 1954 film Sabrina, which is further accented by the full body wrap of rhinestone film strips

Sabrina Carpenter pays homage to Audrey Hepburn's 1954 film, SabrinaEvan Agostini/AP

The 'Queen of Halloween', Heidi Klum gets transformed as a Greco-Roman statue, wearing a structured-looking gown, made of foam and latex, inspired by Veiled Vestal sculpture by Raffaele Monti, at Met Gala 2026

Heidi Klum as a Greco-Roman statue at Met Gala 2026

Heidi Klum as a Greco-Roman statueEvan Agostini/AP

Anne Hathaway's custom Michael Kors Collection dress features a black silk and Mikado ball gown, complete with a plunging neckline and high-leg slit, served as a sleek canvas that was adorned with McGough’s intricate hand-painting work, inspired by John Keats' Ode on a Grecian Urn

Anne Hathaway wears a handpainted gown at Met Gala 2026

Anne Hathaway's custom Michael Kors number is inspired by John Keats's poem, Ode on a Grecian Urn

Lena Mahfouf wore a bold Burc Akyol creation featuring a cut-out draped skirt and silver hands—molded onto her body to leave just enough to the imagination—for the bustier

Lena Mahfouf created a bold look at Met Gala 2026

Lena Mahfouf wore a bold Burc Akyol creationEvan Agostini

Gigi Hadid's Miu Miu piece, was made on the former's body, considering it as the canvas. Starting with a sheer base à la spring 1998, the Miu Miu designers hand-placed patches inspired by spring 2011 on Gigi’s body

Gigi Hadid in a custom Miu Miu pieceEvan Agostini/AP

Katy Perry paired a simple Stella McCartney gown with some pretty major props, including a set of tarot cards and a face-obscuring mask that was reminiscent of a fencing helmet. Don't miss the burnt edges of her train, reminding us of...umm, burnt papers?

Katy Perry in a masked look at Met Gala 2026

Katy Perry paired a simple Stella McCartney gown with some pretty major propsEvan Agostini

Lisa in a custom Robert Wun number. The look’s arm motif is reminiscent of Wun’s fall 2025 couture collection, but his team worked closely with Lisa to 3D scan her own arms to create a veiled arrangement that takes inspiration from traditional Thai dance positions

Lisa makes a stunning entry at Met Gala 2026

Blackpink's Lisa in a custom Robert Wun numberEvan Agostini

Janelle Monae in a custom Christian Siriano look that is a real piece of art. Live moss, 8 succulents, 4 moving butterflies, 2 dragonflies, 5000 black crystals, motherboard, 230 electrical wires, ethernet polarized cables, electrical server centre wires, her outfits have it all

Janelle Monae in a custom Christian Siriano lookEvan Agostini/AP

Jisoo in an ethereal, not-so-typical 'princess' look. She wears a Dior gown that consisted of a corset bodice, accentuating her figure, and a voluminous tulle skirt in light pink colour

Jisoo in a beautiful, pink Dior gown Andy Kropa/AP

Doja Cat in a monochromatic coffee brown silicone outfit. Matching heels? Check! Matching lips? Check!

Doja Cat in a monochromatic coffee brown silicone outfitEvan Agostini/AP

Dree Hemingway arrives in a silver flowy gown, with a gem-encrusted sheer shrug, and layers of petal-lookalike collars

Dree Hemingway at Met Gala 2026Andy Kropa/AP

Sabrina Harrison's outfit, shaped like an woven basket looks great, with a metal birdie. And that eternally long braid adds that final touch of art. An artsy piece, all-in-all

Sabrina Harrison at Met Gala 2026Evan Agostini/AP

Jordan Roth's figurine prop has a matching, sparkly velvet dress. Interesting or creepy?

Jordon Roth at Met Gala 2026Andy Kropa/AP

Gwendoline Christie in a red dress, a feathered head gear and a mask!

Gwendoline Christie at Met Gala 2026Evan Agostini/AP

Irina Shayk in a black satin skirt with a train, and a jewel encrusted metal bralette with matching necklaces and arm band

Irina Shayk at Met Gala 2026Andy Kropa/AP

Tennis player Naomi Osaka has worn a dramatic Robert Wun white sculptural gown fitted with exaggerated shoulders and adorned with red feathers and a matching headpiece

Naomi Osaka wears a white Robert Wun gown for Met Gala 2026

Naomi Osaka in a Robert Wun sculptural gownEvan Agostini/AP

Lauren Sánchez Bezos in a form-fitting Schiaparelli gownarrives at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala

Lauren Sánchez BezosEvan Agostini/AP

Met Gala 2026

Met Gala 2026 theme Fashion is Art