Met Gala 2026: The most striking, show-stopping and over-the-top looks

It was one of fashion’s biggest nights, as around 400 high-profile people from tech, sports, art, entertainment and more got together at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City for this year’s Met Gala.

The theme of this year’s annual fundraiser, “Fashion is Art,” left room for creativity and over-the-top looks on the Met Gala’s red carpet.

The theme is inspired by the Met Museum’s upcoming “Costume Art” exhibit, which explores the inherent relationship between clothing and the body, according to the Met Museum.

“What connects every curatorial department and what connects every single gallery in the museum is fashion, or the dressed body,” Andrew Bolton, the curator in charge of the Costume Institute, told Vogue. “It’s the common thread throughout the whole museum, which is really what the initial idea for the exhibition was.”

The Met Gala, held annually on the first Monday in May, is a soirée to raise money for the Costume Institute, the museum’s collection of fashion objects. Each year, a different theme honours a designer, style or look.

This year’s hosts include Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour.

As if that weren’t enough star power, this year, there was an additional host committee with athletes like A’ja Wilson, Hollywood figures like Teyana Taylor and Lena Dunham, musicians like Sabrina Carpenter, Sam Smith and Lisa, and other fashion figures.

Let’s be honest: the real thrill of the Met Gala for us at home is playing fashion critic as Hollywood’s A-listers strut their stuff. Keep scrolling for a roundup of some of the most striking, show-stopping and over-the-top looks of the night.

Doja Cat

Connor Storrie

Zoë Kravitz

LISA

Charli XCX

Venus Williams

Hudson Williams

Rihanna

Lena Mahfouf

Katy Perry

Angela Bassett

Maluma

Nicole Kidman

Jon Batiste

Kylie Jenner

Heidi Klum

Emma Chamberlain

Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster

Damson Idris

Kim Kardashian

Sam Smith

Naomi Osaka

Angel Reese

Gwendoline Christie

Amanda Seyfried

Gigi Hadid

Janelle Monae

Olivia Wilde

Adrien Brody and Georgina Chapman

Alysa Liu

Felicity Blunt and Stanley Tucci

Tyriq Withers

Stevie Nicks

Patrick Schwarzenegger

Sabrina Carpenter

Hailey Bieber

Serena Williams

Anne Hathaway

SZA

Kendall Jenner

Sarah Paulson

Cher

Bad Bunny

Cardi B

Blue Ivy Carter

Beyoncé

Madonna

Tate McRae

Sombr

Blake Lively

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