Overview: The 2026 Met Gala and the Best Dressed
- Pedro Sena
- May 11
- 5 min read
The Met Gala
Well, the magnificent 2026 Met Gala just happened, and I’m here to guide you through everything that went down that night. This year’s theme, Fashion is Art, ran in parallel with the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s newest exhibition, Costume Art. Because of that, the main directions we saw on the carpet leaned into historical references, fashion house archives, tributes to iconic moments, and the use of color and silhouette as ways of expressing the body itself.
The Carpet
Florals for spring? Groundbreaking. The steps of the Metropolitan Museum once again became the stage for the Met Gala. Staying close to the theme, the setting itself felt like an extension of an artwork. The white carpet, layered with soft greens, blue florals, and painted details cascading from above, evoked something close to a Monet painting — almost like Japanese Bridge. It placed everyone inside a living canvas, where the focus wasn’t just the looks, but the atmosphere: light, texture, and movement, like water and spring translating into fashion.
The Arrivals
The night doesn’t begin at the Met; it builds across Manhattan. Hotels like The Carlyle and The Mark turn into staging grounds, where the final details come together before everyone makes their way to the most photographed carpet in fashion.
Then, we’re off to the Met. The arrivals open with the latest Vogue correspondent (and clearly one of the best dressed of the night), Emma Chamberlain. She steps onto the carpet in custom Mugler couture, referencing La Chimère from the 1997 collection. The execution feels precise and intentional, with the oil-painted surface giving the look a sculptural presence, as if it moved straight from canvas to body.
Following her, the devil didn’t wear Prada. Anna Wintour (always on time) arrives in a custom Chanel by Matthieu Blazy. It’s exactly what you expect: controlled, familiar, precise, holding its place without trying to compete.
Arriving alongside her, Nicole Kidman wears custom red Chanel, with her daughter Sunday Rose in Dior by her side. The pairing is clean: red and pink, classic and new, each one holding its own without overpowering the other. Then comes Venus Williams, the second of the three hosts in arrival order, dressed in Swarovski with her husband Andrea Preti. Her look leans into presence, a kind of polished drama, with subtle references to Breakfast at Tiffany’s, especially in the black dress and pearl details associated with Audrey Hepburn.
Across the carpet, one thing becomes clear: Yves Saint Laurent is everywhere. Black dominates, not in a flat way, but as structure and silhouette. Beige and white follow, keeping everything within a restrained palette that still feels deliberate. Charli XCX stands out within that direction, wearing a look inspired by the Spring/Summer 1988 couture collection, referencing Van Gogh’s Irises.
The feelings about this night’s looks are mixed, I confess. We have two sides: one side is for the people who are ABSOLUTELY KILLING IT, like Yu-Chi Lyra Kuro dressed in Jean Paul Gaultier in tribute to the Winged Victory of Samothrace, one of the most famous statues in the world, and Sam Smith in Christian Cowan, referencing Dior’s 1998 couture by John Galliano — or the other side of more forgettable looks, like Bill Skarsgård in a plain black Thom Browne coat or the (i’m sorry) hideous Laura Bezos in an apparent “mother of the groom” fit by Schiaparelli (I’m dying I swear that was a slow death for me).
Another standout moment of the night came when Janelle Monáe stepped onto the Met stairs. She wore custom Christian Siriano couture, and her approach immediately set her apart. While much of the carpet leaned into archives and historical references, Monáe shifted the focus forward. The look was built with precision, incorporating cables and motherboard elements that gave it a structured, almost engineered feel. It landed somewhere between fashion and technology, creating a sense of future nostalgia that felt intentional and distinct from the rest of the night.
One moment of the night that genuinely took my breath away was Sabrina Carpenter’s arrival. She stepped onto the carpet wearing a FULL dress constructed from the analog film of the movie Sabrina. Designed by Jonathan Anderson alongside the Dior team, the look didn’t try to be subtle, it was a literal translation of cinema into fashion, and that’s exactly why it worked. It felt sharp, self-aware, and completely in line with her current moment. And honestly? That’s what Sabrinawood would do: from Coachella to the Met stairs.
As for the first-timers at the Met Gala, I’m impressed. From the Heated Rivalry stars, Connor Storrie in Saint Laurent and Hudson Williams in Balenciaga, to the iconic rock star Stevie Nicks dressed by (gasp) Zara by (another gasp) John Galliano, to EJAE, fresh off an Oscar win for the hit song Golden. It was a lineup that mixed new faces with unexpected choices, but still held its place within the scale of the event.
Speaking of icons, this carpet was packed. From Stevie Nicks, as mentioned, to Cher, Katy Perry, Angela Bassett, The Rock, Bad Bunny, and the triumphant entrance of Madonna in a gothic look inspired by The Temptation of St. Anthony, Fragment II (1945) by Leonora Carrington, it felt dense, almost overwhelming in the best way. One of those years where you could keep naming people and still feel like you’re leaving someone out.
And finally, to close the night, the two people the Met Gala simply can’t exist without. First, the host of the evening, making her long-awaited return after 10 years: Beyoncé. She arrived in a dramatic gown structured like a skeleton, covered in diamonds and pearls, designed by her longtime collaborator Olivier Rousteing. It was direct, almost anatomical, taking the idea of “fashion as art” and placing it onto the body itself. The entire event paused for her. Cameras shifted, people stopped and screamed, everything reorganized around that moment: her, Blue Ivy, and Jay-Z. That’s power, that’s legacy, and that is Beyoncé.
And last but not least, the biggest and most talented new mother arrived. Rihanna stepped onto the carpet in Maison Margiela Couture alongside her husband Asap Rocky. The look carried a strong sense of time — gold tones, aged textures, something between armor and artifact. It felt like a piece that had lived before arriving there. Riri looked calm, almost understated in her presence, but the reaction said everything: we missed Rihanna.
And just like that, another Met Gala is over. A night full of references, risks, things that worked and things that didn’t. Some people leaned into the past, others tried to push things forward, and a few actually managed to do both.
At the end of the day, that’s what makes the Met what it is. Not everyone gets it right, and that’s kind of the point. The theme only really exists through how people choose to interpret it. Some play safe, some go all in, and some completely ignore it.
And then it’s done. The carpet is empty, the looks stay online, and we’re left talking about it until next year.
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