The Met Gala. The first Monday in May. Fashion’s Super Bowl. Whatever you call it, this best dressed guests at this year’s singular style showcase satisfied every fashion fantasy.
Besides the glittery guest list, much-papped staircase and no-cameras-allowed after-party lore, the evening functions as an eight-figure fundraiser benefitting The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, spearheaded by Anna Wintour. This year, it celebrates the opening of the spring 2026 exhibition “Costume Art,” which explores the body as a canvas.
The dress code? “Fashion is Art,” a very open-ended directive that yielded a wide mix of interpretations and some of the most thoughtful and wow-worthy garments in years.
Heavy hitting co-chairs Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman and Venus Williams helped distract from the gala’s controversial lead sponsors, billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sanchez Bezos, while red carpet newcomers (hello, “Heated Rivalry” boys!) made their big fashion moments count.
Here are the best dressed celebs on the 2026 Met Gala red carpet.
Béyonce
A decade since her last appearance at the Met Gala (remember the latex Givenchy?) Beyoncé made the long wait well worth it. Decked out in custom Olivier Rousteing, fresh from ending his tenure at Balmain, Queen B stood out in a glittery skeleton gown, topped by a goddess-like headpiece and feather-adorned cape. Could this red carpet return signal the beginning of “Act III”? All signs point to yes.
Zoë Kravitz
It’s never, ever a miss with Zoë Kravitz. Wearing an unlined lace dress featuring a Victorian-era basque waist, the Met Gala co-chair came arm-in-arm with Saint Laurent designer Anthony Vaccarello. It wasn’t the Harry Styles engagement hard launch we were hoping for, but her drama-inducing silhouette more than made up for it.
Rihanna
It wouldn’t be the final minutes of the Met Gala red carpet without Rihanna snapping us back to attention. Opting for Maison Margiela by Glenn Martens, her sculptural metallic look glimmered with hand-sewn embellishments, a crinkly, cocooning shawl and an Art Deco-esque headpiece. The other essential accessory: Partner A$AP Rocky, who wore the hell out of a pink Chanel bathrobe, complete with a feather camellia.
Nicole Kidman
No matter the dress code, perfection is in the cards for Nicole Kidman. For her third stint as Met Gala co-chair, the star showed out in custom Chanel by Matthieu Blazy, a slinky, candy apple-red gown was embellished with plumes of monochromatic feathers on the wrists and drop waist. Kidman’s date, her daughter Sunday Rose, was dolled up in Dior.
Connor Storrie
Now this is a debut done well. Storrie’s first spin on fashion’s biggest stage was both soft and sculptural: the former, a polka-dot halter top from Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello that was floating in the New York City breeze; the latter, Storrie’s famed biceps, perfectly framed by the silhouette. It will go down as the night’s most nuanced take on the masculine-feminine style spectrum.
Katy Perry
Whether she’s shooting up into the stratosphere or attending Coachella with boyfriend Justin Trudeau, Katy Perry knows a headline-making moment when she sees one. Her face-obscuring appearance at the Met Gala was no exception. Wearing a strapless Stella McCartney dress with a severe neckline and burnt train, Perry’s closed mirrored face mask eventually opened to reveal her face for maximum drama.
Chase Infiniti
Hot off a fruitful awards season with Oscars Best Picture “One Battle After Another,” Chase Infiniti punctuated her big year with an insider-y fashion pick for the Met Gala. Her primary-hued Thom Browne gown boasted light-catching sequins, fringed adornment and a trompe l’œil design fashioned to look like a marble bust. On paper, it’s OTT; on the person, it’s sublime.
Lisa
One of the few celebs to really nail the body-conscious theme was Lisa of Blackpink and “The White Lotus” fame, whose gauzy gown turned heads and (literally) raised hands. Achieving this out-of-the-box concept required a little ingenuity from designer Robert Wun. His team used a 3D scan of her arms to craft the veiled sculpture in the shape of traditional Thai dance positions. It was art, culture and fashion all wrapped up into one unforgettable look.
Sabrina Carpenter
Fresh from her headlining slot at Coachella, the “Man’s Best Friend” singer did her best impression of the second most famous Sabrina: Audrey Hepburn’s mononymic character in the iconic 1954 film. The custom look by Dior’s Jonathan Anderson was covered in bedazzled film strips and topped with a crystal head piece. It was campy, yes, but this night celebrates a Costume Institute and we’ll take a flamboyant statement over a plain Jane dress any day.
Hudson Williams
From a little-known Canadian TV show to Balenciaga on the Met Gala red carpet: meteoric rises don’t get much bigger than Hudson Williams’. The “Heated Rivalry” star chose to make a creative declaration on his most fashionable red carpet to date: a shirtless, matador-inspired baby-blue-and-black two-piece—plus “Black Swan”-inspired eye makeup.
Teyana Taylor
Every red carpet needs an undeniably bold guest who is really going to go there, and at this year’s Met Gala, it was Teyana Taylor (no surprise!). Wearing a custom Tom Ford by Haider Ackermann gown, Taylor’s silvery, head-to-toe fringe swished with every step.
Margot Robbie
The on-point press tours, the box office-smashing films: everything Margot Robbie touches turns to gold. Tonight, her gilded mastery came via custom Chanel. From the front, the gathered, gold lamé gown was streamlined, if a little simple, but once she turned her back to the cameras, that Margot-esque showmanship was revealed: a trail of nearly 1,100 flower petal embroideries that decorated the train.
Emma Chamberlain
Before reprising her hosting duties as one of the most likeable celebrity interviewers, the internet It girl and fashion darling took to the red carpet in painterly Mugler. Inspired by the “La Chimère” gown from the designer’s fall 1997 collection, its delicately fringed sleeves, watercolour hues and ruffled train was an early contender for best dressed.
Naomi Osaka
From the hard court to high fashion, tennis star Naomi Osaka always aces the moment. Tonight, she wore not one, but two Robert Wun looks, and her big swing paid off. The result of 3,280 hours of handiwork, this theatrical red carpet turn started with a sculpted ivory coat punctuated by stark red feathers and ended at the top of the steps in a Swarovski-encrusted fitted gown.
Sombr
Anyone have this modern-day rockstar and Met Gala-first-timer in their best-dressed pool? Given the 20-year-old musician’s self-assured lead up to this red carpet (think back to that shirtless, silvery suit at the Grammys), we probably should have. His custom Valentino look had all the ultra-glam hallmarks of the brand’s designer, Alessandro Michele: a hand-embroidered cape requiring more than 500 hours of work to complete and a lamé lace top that crept up the neck.
