Met Gala 2026 Dress Code Revealed
The art of fashion was on full display at the 2026 Met Gala.
Ahead of Anna Wintour’s annual benefit for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, the museum announced the “Costume Art” exhibit would feature a “Fashion is Art” dress code where celebrities and their stylists could view the body as a blank canvas.
And while some stars opted for more classic formal wear, others really understood the assignment.
Take, for example, Emma Chamberlain’s custom Mugler dress. The colorful look, inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s painting “Garden at Arles” and featuring long fringe sleeves, took artist Anna Deller Yee 40 hours to hand paint and took four days to dry.
“There is sort of this watercolor feel, and I love watercolor painting,” Emma told Vogue in an interview published May 5. “But then also there’s a creepy, sort of ominous undertone to the gown, like the way that it moves. And that is very much my taste in art.”
For her part, Heidi Klum stole the show after tapping makeup artist Mike Marino—her longtime collaborator for many of her viral Halloween costumes—to transform her into a real-life version of Raffaelle Monti’s “Veiled Vestal” sculpture.
The Project Runway host told Vogue at the event that her outfit was designed using foam and latex and, though it was “a little warm” under the layers of material, she emphasized she was dedicated to transforming into the statue. As she put, “I was like, ‘I want to become her.’”
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue (2)
As for another sculpture-inspired outfit, Kylie Jenner donned a custom Schiaparelli outfit complete with a structured bodice and deconstructed gown that resembled the “Venus de Milo” sculpture by Alexandros of Antioch.
And like her sister, Kim Kardashian wore a sculpted body suit, but hers was not designed by a fashion house. Instead, her look was an actual piece of art designed by one of her favorite artists Allen Jones.
“We took his body plates that he started making in the ‘60s,” Kim told Vogue, “and this is actually a mold from a model from the ‘60s.”
Meanwhile, host committee member Sabrina Carpenter—who performed alongside Stevie Nicks once inside the Met Gala reception—focused on a different medium of art with her custom Dior look. In fact, she draped film strips from Audrey Hepburn’s 1954 movie Sabrina around her bodice and waist.
“It’s all made of film,” Sabrina told Vogue on the Met steps, “which is my dream.”
Matt Winkelmeyer/MG26/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue; Theo Wargo/FilmMagic
Of course, there were plenty of stars who edged their way onto the night’s best dressed list. Keep reading to see who else E! News put at the top.
Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Sabrina Carpenter
The “Manchild” singer adhere to the “Fashion Is Art” dress code by donning a Dior dress covered celluloid film strips of the Aubrey Hapburn movie Sabrina. She complete the look with Christian Louboutin heels.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Rihanna
Shining bright like a diamond was the “Work” singer, who wore a Maison Margiela creation featuring over 115,000 crystal beads, antique jewels and other artistic baubles.
John Salangsang/Shutterstock
Emma Chamberlain
The YouTuber looked like she had just stepped out of an oil painting in this custom Mugler design.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Beyoncé
The Grammy winner paid homage to the human body with this Olivier Rousteing number embellished to resemble the skeletal system.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Anne Hathaway
It wasn’t Prada, but the Devil Wears Prada 2 star nonetheless embodied the “Fashion Is Art” dress code with a Michael Kors gown complete with hand-painted designs by artist Peter McGough.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Connor Storrie
The Heated Rivalry star heated up the red carpet in a Saint Laurent ensemble featuring a polka-dot halter top that cascaded into a flowing train.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Venus Williams
As one of the 2026 Met Gala co-chairs, the tennis supersrtar aced the assignment of sticking to the “Costume Art” theme with a Swarovski crystal mesh gown and a statement-making necklace inspired by the Wimbledon plate.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Doja Cat
The rapper told Vogue her Saint Laurent silicone dress was inspired by “the way fabric draped over the body of a Grecian statue.”
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Kim Kardashian
In keeping with the “Fashion is Art” dress code, the Kardashians star enlisted British pop artist Allen Jones to make her a fiberglass breastplate.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Hunter Schafer
The Euphoria star practically took a page out of Gustav Klimt‘s 1912 painting
“Mäda Primavesi” with this Prada look. Her manicurist Emi Kudo leaned into the “pale, paper-y nude with blues, whites, yellows and grays” of the artwork by layering six different colors of DND Gel polishes on her nails.
David Fisher/Shutterstock
Hailey Bieber
Inspired by sculptures, the Rhode Skin founder’s Saint Laurent dress included a sculpted bodice made of 24-karat gold.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Laura Harrier
The Michael actress’ custom DiPetsa gown took inspiration from Italian sculptors and how they chiseled stone to resemble draped frabrics.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
A$AP Rocky
Fashion Killa, indeed. The rapper stepped out in a pink wool pink robe with black satin lapels and matching piping custom designed by Chanel.
Theo Wargo/FilmMagic
Tyla
The “Water” singer made it hotter in skin-baring custom Valentino gown as a nod to the Costume Institute’s body-centric exhibit.
As for her glam, hairstylist Yusef Williams told E! News he aimed for a “very ethereal, like an art sculpture” vibe.
“To achieve the look, I used the Wavytalk Steam Sesh to smooth out the roots of her hair before going in and defining the curls with the Cool Curl Pencil,” he shared in a statement, “and I used the Turblow Pro with the diffuser at the end to lock everything in.”
Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Chase Infiniti
Winning one fashion battle after another was the actress, whose Thom Browne dress paid tribute to the famed “Venus de Milo” sculpture using over 1.5 million colorful sequins.
Mike Coppola/Getty Images
EJAE
The KPop Demon Hunters star tapped into her Korean heritage with a Swarovski look inspired by female courtesans of the Joseon dynasty.
“These women were artists,” she told Vogue, “the most culturally refined figures of their time, in music, poetry, and conversation.”
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Keke Palmer
Baby, the Nope star looked like a million bucks in this red-hot Prabal Gurung number with matching Christian Louboutin heels. Oh, did we mention that her Wempe necklace was actually worth a million dollars?
Hairstylist Ashanti Lation completed the look by styling Keke’s scarlet hair using Creme of Nature products.
David Fisher/Shutterstock
Gracie Abrams
The “Close to You” singer’s Chanel gown celebrated Gustav Klimt’s famed painting “The Kiss.” And just like the artwork itself, the gown was adorned in gold.
Leave a comment