Arguably one of the biggest and most anticipated events in fashion, the Met Gala gathers celebrities, influencers, and people in power at the Metropolitan Museum in New York adorned in exaggerated silhouettes, headpieces, and props crafted by top fashion houses to showcase their cutting-edge take on red-carpet glam. An annual, invite-only fundraising benefit gala for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute managed by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and held on the first Monday of May, the Met Gala has become a cultural landmark for fashion enthusiasts expecting a visual spectacle to unfold as every guest on the highly exclusive guest list arrives.
A collective nod to sculpture and fashion
This year’s Met Gala celebrates the theme “costume art,” which is also the name of this year’s exhibition.
Outfits expected to grace the carpet should feature some sort of sculptural elements presented as high couture, and deliver affirmation for diverse body types.
Co-chairs for the 2026 edition include Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Anna Wintour, Venus Williams, and honorary chairs Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez.
Check out adobo Magazine’s picks for the most creative outfits at Met Gala 2026.
Body-sculpted for the gods
Chase Infiniti, popularly known for starring in The Testaments, marked her Met Gala debut wearing a sequined, body-mapped illusion dress by Thom Browne and accessories by Marli. The creation was inspired by the Venus de Milo statue.
From eBay to the biggest event in fashion
R&B singer-songwriter SZA graced the occasion clad in a yellow corset dress paired with an embroidered skirt by Emily Adams Bode Aujla. As she posed for photographers, she extended her arms to reveal a sheer butterfly cape. A striking flower headpiece completed her garden fairy ensemble.
One hundred yards of fabric was reportedly sourced from eBay to make SZA’s look a reality. Creativity truly has no boundaries, especially if it means you’re going to stand out in one of the biggest nights in fashion.
Something personal
Social media darling Emma Chamberlain is no stranger to the Met Gala; she always attends as the correspondent for Vogue Magazine. She trumps her look year after year, and it ‘d be hard to top this one.
For this year’s Met Gala, Emma wore a custom Mugler gown designed by Miguel Castro Freitas and styled by Jared Ellner. Hand-painted by artist and designer Anna Deller-Yee, Emma’s outfit was an embodiment of the gala’s “Fashion is Art” dress code, gradually blessing spectators with a myriad of colors from the decolettage down to the kaleidoscopic spiral train. Emma’s look pays homage to her father, an oil and watercolor painter.
Aging gracefully
Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny shocked the Met Gala crowd as the older version of himself. He was almost unrecognizable with white hair, a beard, and artificial wrinkles cosmetically and strategically placed on his face, neck, and hands. He brought a cane for added effect.
Prosthetics makeup artist Mike Marino was responsible for Bad Bunny’s transformation. The Latin singer collaborated with Zara in putting together his black suit, which was adorned with an oversized black bow.
A grandiose nod to his roots
Attending the Met Gala for the first time,Indian filmmaker Karan Johar went all out with a custom-made Manish Malhotra ensemble styled by Eka Lakhani.
His overall look, inspired by 19th-century Indian painter Raja Ravi Varma, integrated 3D sculpting, quilting, zardozi embroidery, and hand-painting.
Sustainable fashion to the hilt
A regular at the Met Gala, singer-actress Janelle Monáe never disappoints.
Her look this year was a juxtaposition of nature and tech. The custom Christian Siriano gown was made with real moss, electrical wires, and recycled materials.
Beyoncé’s back
Everyone has been waiting for Beyoncé’s return to the Met Gala after a decade-long hiatus from attending the event.
One of the gala’s co-chair this year, Queen B arrived wearing an Olivier Rousteing crystal-encrusted gown with a bodice resembling a skeleton and a crown-like bejeweled headpiece. Ostrich feathers on the side surprisingly complemented the look.
Beyoncé attended the event with her husband, Jay-Z, and daughter, Blue Ivy.
The queen of the Met Gala is here
Rihanna’s A-list cred and unforgettable looks have been her ticket to the event for years and reason enough for her to be dubbed the Queen of the Met Gala., BADGIRLRIRI’s show-stopping liquid metal look this year is courtesy of Maison Margiela’s fall 2025 couture collection.
More than 3,000 hours of work for one outfit
Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka is no stranger to fashion. She has constantly delivered not only on red carpets, but also on tennis courts at every tournament.
She brought the same dedication to the Met Gala this year with a two-part ensemble by Robert Wun, composed of an elegant white overcoat and an intricately embroidered crimson gown. The embroidery is reportedly made of 659,000 stitches that took 3,280 hours to finish.
A walking artwork
Swiss-Lebanese jewelry designer Sabine Getty was a vision in a custom gown by Ashi Studios featuring a hand-painted corset inspired by 18th-century paintings.
Go for gold
Model and activist Lauren Wasser arrived wearing gold leg prosthetics that perfectly complemented her two-piece gold lamé suit by Prabal Gurung.
Lauren has been raising awareness about toxic shock syndrome — a condition that led to the loss of her right leg in 2012 and, due to further complications, her left in 2018.
And the winner is…
Heidi Klum, known for throwing the most insane Halloween parties, brought her camp and artistic vision to the Met Gala by arriving in character as a marble sculpture.
Instead of working with a fashion designer, the German supermodel took a different route and teamed up with her long-time collaborator, Oscar-nominated makeup artist Mike Marino – who also did Bad Bunny’s prosthetics – for a look inspired by classical sculptures like the “Veiled Christ” by Giuseppe Sammartino and “Veiled Vestal” by Raffaele Monti.
READ MORE
Weaving heritage with innovation: How Get Spotted grew through purpose and digital transformation
Kapampangan craftsmanship walks the runway at ‘Kariktan’
‘Magsaysay as Muse’ shows how terno defines Filipino cultural pride and artistic legacy
