The 2026 Met Gala once again marked fashion’s most anticipated night on May 4. The annual fundraising event for the Costume Institute’s spring exhibition brought together a star-studded guest list that defines red carpet fashion. The event turned the Metropolitan Museum of Art into a living gallery, with its red carpet transformed into a fairytale-like setting beneath cascading floral installations.
The Costume Institute’s 2026 exhibition was titled “Costume Art” and centered on the “inherent relationship between clothing and the body,” exploring how fashion transforms the human figure into a museum-worthy piece. Curator Andrew Bolton described the theme to Vogue as an exhibition of “the centrality of the dressed body in the museum’s vast collection.” Fashion is not just a style, but a cultural artifact that represents both history and art.
Designers drew inspiration from paintings, sculptures and even performance art. The red carpet became an extension of the exhibition, turning celebrities into moving art installations.
Among the night’s standout designers was Robert Wun, whose more sculptural approach defined the gala. Wun dressed several high-profile attendees, including Beyoncé and LISA. Their gowns embraced architectural construction and three-dimensional design, from Beyoncé’s rhinestone skeletal dress to LISA’s surreal look, which featured life-sized sculpted arms holding a veil over her face. “Who won the Met Gala? The answer is easy – @robertwun,” reacted ideservecouture, a popular fashion Instagram account, to his night.
Many celebrities took the theme in a different direction by making direct references to existing works of art.
Actress and model Hunter Schafer wore a Prada custom gown inspired by famed Austrian painter Gustav Klimt’s “Mäda Primavesi (1903-2000).” With a tattered floral dress and a white-painted face, Schafer was a living reinterpretation of the girl in the painting.
Pop icon Madonna embraced surrealism in a custom ensemble designed by Anthony Vaccarello for Saint Laurent. The look reenacted “The Temptation of St. Anthony. Fragment II” by surrealist artist Leonora Carrington, complete with six women carrying the train of her gown in a direct reference to the figures in the original painting.
Content creator-turned-celebrity Emma Chamberlain wore a Vincent van Gogh-inspired dress, created by Anna Deller-Yee and Mugler’s creative director, Miguel Castro Freitas.
One of the most shocking looks of the night was supermodel Heidi Klum’s hyper-realistic costume of Raffaele Monti’s 1847 sculpture “Veiled Vestal,” done by makeup artist Mike Marino. The look rendered her unrecognizable, as every part of her body was completely covered except her eyes, which protruded in an unsettling manner.
Other looks reimagined more contemporary works of art, like rapper Cardi B’s inflated dress by Marc Jacobs. Television host Melissa Rivers described the look as “a Marc Jacobs intestine.”
Popstar Sabrina Carpenter took a different approach, with a dress created from 35mm film strips from Audrey Hepburn’s 1954 movie “Sabrina.”
Despite the beautiful spectacle inside the museum, the 2026 Met Gala occurred amidst significant public backlash. Protesters gathered outside the venue, many criticizing the event for featuring controversial Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, as honorary chairs.
The gala faced a high-profile boycott supported by several A-list celebrities who usually attend the Gala. While they did not publicly comment, Bella Hadid, Zendaya and Meryl Streep were missing. Actress Taraji P. Henson spoke out more directly about the situation.
“I am so confused by some ppl that are going. I am just like WTF ARE WE DOING!?!?!?!” Henson commented on influencer Meredith Lynch’s Instagram post.
Anna Wintour, the former editor of Vogue and the event’s lead chairperson, defended Sánchez when asked about the backlash by CNN.
“We’re very grateful for her incredible generosity, and she’s a great lover of costume and obviously of fashion, so we’re thrilled she’s part of the night,” Wintour said.
The 2026 Met Gala red carpet was more than just a showcase of beautiful outfits; it was a live exhibition where fashion, performance and visual art converged. While these works are meant to be admired, the backlash surrounding the event serves as a reminder that fashion is deeply tied to economic power and influence.
Kayla Luke Colon is an Arts & Entertainment Intern for the spring 2026 quarter. She can be reached at klukecol@uci.edu.
Edited by June Min and Joshua Gonzales