The Met Gala\u2019s 2026 theme, \u201cFashion is Art,\u201d might be the event\u2019s most ambiguous dress code yet. <\/p>\n
Monday\u2019s annual star-studded fundraiser for the museum\u2019s Costume Institute was inspired by \u201cCostume Art\u201d, the Met\u2019s blockbuster Spring exhibition, which explores depictions of the dressed body through a series of thematic body types: \u201cthe naked body,\u201d \u201cclassic body,\u201d \u201cpregnant body\u201d and \u201cageing body.\u201d <\/p>\n
Guests were instructed to \u201ccelebrate the countless depictions of the dressed body throughout art history\u201d 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?<\/p>\n
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\u2019s event, wearing a breathtaking sequinned and feathered Chanel gown \u2014 gorgeous, but not exactly nailing the dress code (yes, we are the theme police tonight).<\/p>\n
Beyonc\u00e9, 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. <\/p>\n
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 \u2014 known for her imaginative fancy dress looks \u2014 literally turned to stone and transformed into a walking statue.<\/p>\n
Find our best and worst dressed below…<\/p>\n
Beyonc\u00e9<\/p>\n
Tens across the board: Beyonc\u00e9 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\/)<\/p>\n
The queen is back! Beyonc\u00e9 interpreted the anatomical aspect of this year\u2019s \u2018Fashion is Art\u2019 theme (Getty)<\/p>\n
Beyonc\u00e9, who acts as a co-chair for this year\u2019s Met Gala, was joined by her teenage daughter Blue Ivy and husband Jay-Z for their Met Gala return (Getty)Rihanna<\/p>\n
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)<\/p>\n
Nailing the theme: the singer donned a hand-sculpted draped column silhouette inspired by medieval architecture (Getty)<\/p>\n
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)Doechii<\/p>\n
The rapper stole the show in a burgundy draped gown with cut-out detailing, worn with bare feet (Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Doechii arrived on the carpet with the fabric draped over her head before revealing her full outfit (Getty Images)Madonna<\/p>\n
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)<\/p>\n
The \u2018Vogue\u2019 singer was also joined by several women with sheer blindfolds who helped display her outfit (Getty)Nicole Kidman<\/p>\n
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)<\/p>\n
The actor\u2019s dress was finished with fluffy, Mongolian wool cuffs (Getty Images)Naomi Osaka<\/p>\n
Tennis star Naomi Osaka wore a magnificent custom two-piece set from designer Robert Wun, a look that\u2019s featured in the Met\u2019s \u2018Costume Art\u2019 exhibit (PA)<\/p>\n
A close-up of Osaka\u2019s hat by Robert Wun, which seems to have anatomical references (Reuters)<\/p>\n
Pure serenity: Naomi Osaka understood Monday night\u2019s Met theme (Reuters)Emma Chamberlain<\/p>\n
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)<\/p>\n
The gown features a mesh turtle neck and cascading fabric with a multi-toned watercolor design (AFP\/Getty)Connor Storrie<\/p>\n
While not entirely on theme, \u2018Heated Rivalry\u2019 star Connor Storrie stunned in a Saint Laurent black suit with an extra-long lavalli\u00e8re top in white dotted silk muslin (Getty)<\/p>\n
The actor brought the drama with a cascading train attached to his blouse (Getty)Sabrina Carpenter<\/p>\n
Sabrina Carpenter channelled an old Hollywood vibe in a dress designed by Dior\u2019s Jonathan Anderson (Getty)<\/p>\n
The \u2018Taste\u2019 singer\u2019s dress was made entirely out of film from the 1995 movie \u2018Sabrina\u2019 (Getty)Gigi Hadid<\/p>\n
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)<\/p>\n
The model showcased a pair of satin briefs underneath her translucent dress (Getty Images)Ashley Graham<\/p>\n
Model Ashley Graham turned to Greek designer Dimitra Petsa of Di Petsa to make her showstopping second-skin nude dress, which excellently interprets the \u2018nude body\u2019 section of the Met\u2019s new exhibit (Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Graham was hand-sewn into the dress ahead of tonight\u2019s event (Reuters)Kim Kardashian<\/p>\n
Kardashian gave a nod to the theme by accentuating the female form with tangerine orange body plates crafted in the 1960s (Getty)<\/p>\n
Leaning into the dress code \u2018Fashion Is Art,\u2019 Kardashian worked with British artist Allen Jones to create the bright orange look (Getty)Heidi Klum<\/p>\n
You can\u2019t knock Heidi Klum\u2019s commitment to the theme. She came dressed as an actual statue (Getty Images)<\/p>\n
You\u2019d expect nothing less from the queen of costumes! (Getty Images for The Met Museum\/)Kylie Jenner<\/p>\n
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)<\/p>\n
At the waist, the top looked like it had been pulled down and folded over and down, to reveal the nude body (Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Jenner\u2019s bustier looked strikingly similar to her sister Kim Kardashian\u2019s nipple bra sold through her lingerie brand Skims (Getty Images)Katy Perry<\/p>\n
Fencing chic: Absolutely no words for Katy Perry\u2019s Met Gala look… (Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Get ready to joust… Katy Perry in a white gown with a headpiece that covered her entire face, by Stella McCartney (Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Surprise! Katy Perry appears from behind the mask (Getty)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Met Gala\u2019s 2026 theme, \u201cFashion is Art,\u201d might be the event\u2019s most ambiguous dress code yet. Monday\u2019s annual star-studded fundraiser for the museum\u2019s Costume Institute was inspired by \u201cCostume Art\u201d, the Met\u2019s blockbuster Spring exhibition, which explores depictions of the dressed body through a series of thematic body types: \u201cthe naked body,\u201d \u201cclassic body,\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5691,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n