The 2026 Met Gala, co-chaired by Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour, with Lauren Sánchez Bezos as an honorary co-chair, brought a parade of bold, theatrical fashion to the museum steps Monday night. The evening raised funds for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute and put this year’s dress code, “Fashion is Art,” on vivid display as guests previewed the Costume Institute’s spring exhibition, “Costume Art,” which opens to the public May 10 in the Met’s new Condé Nast gallery spaces.
Curator in Charge Andrew Bolton frames the show as an exploration of fashion as an embodied art form, pairing garments with art objects to examine how clothing represents and shapes the body. The red carpet interpretations ranged from sculptural and symbolic to playful and subversive, illustrating that designers and stars are treating clothing as a medium for creative storytelling.
Standout looks of the night included:
– Beyoncé in a diaphanous gown embroidered with silver elements evoking a ribcage, pelvis and vertebrae, finished with a silver headpiece and a gray train—a literal embodiment of the body as ornament.
– Rihanna in a striking, conversation-starting ensemble that continued her long tradition of daring Met statements.
– Lisa in a sheer white gown with two sculptural arms attached, lifting a veil for a theatrical, almost performative silhouette.
– Bad Bunny transformed into an older character, arriving in a black suit with a cane—a costume-like reinvention.
– Teyana Taylor in head-to-toe silver fringe, photographed mid-turn so the movement of the garment became the focal point.
– Madonna in a black suit topped with a headpiece resembling a wooden ship; she was accompanied by flowing gray fabric borne by several models in pastel dresses, turning entrance into tableau.
– SZA in a yellow gown with a headpiece woven from orchids and shells, blending natural materials with couture.
– Anne Hathaway alongside designer Michael Kors: Hathaway wore a black gown featuring a sculpted hand reaching toward a dove, while Kors kept classic formality in a tuxedo and sunglasses.
– Sabrina Carpenter in a gown constructed of film strips and a jeweled headpiece—an ode to cinema and material reinvention.
– Janelle Monáe in a cord-woven gown accented with moss and butterflies, merging craft with nature motifs.
– Sam Smith in a black sequined gown and feathered headpiece; Jon Batiste in a white suit with an oversized floor-length puffer jacket.
Other notable arrivals included Kylie Jenner, Emma Chamberlain, Venus Williams (in a black sequin gown and metallic neckpiece), Ashley Graham, Sinéad Burke, and Aariana Rose Philip, who attended in a black ruched gown while using a motorized wheelchair—underscoring the evening’s wide range of silhouettes, bodies and presentations.
Taken together, the garments and performances on the Met steps illustrated how designers and celebrities are treating fashion not merely as clothing but as a vehicle for artistic expression—sculptural, narrative and body-centered—echoing the exhibition’s aim to connect fashion with the broader history of art.