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MET THEM EAT CAKE

These Celebs Absolutely Nailed the Met Gala’s Insane Theme

The 2026 theme celebrated fashion as an art form. These are the attendees who weren’t afraid to take big swings.

Sam EscobarSenior Editor, The Looker

PublishedMay 4, 2026, 6:34 PM EDT

UpdatedMay 5, 2026, 12:31 PM EDT

Updated May 5, 2026, 12:31 PM EDTPublished May 4, 2026, 6:34 PM EDT

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The annual, invitation-only Met Gala is different from every other major red-carpet event because it is the only one where the red carpet is the event.

People may obsessively follow livestreams to see what their favorite actors, musicians, and artists are wearing to the Academy Awards, the Grammys, the Tonys, and sometimes even the Golden Globes (if it’s a slow year), but their gaze soon shifts to the bigger questions of those evenings: Who won the awards?

However, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit—led by American Vogue’s legendary former editor in chief, Anna Wintour—the real winners are chosen outside the event.

“Fashion Is Art” is the 2026 event’s theme (“Costume Art” is the museum’s spring exhibition), and there are innumerable ways to interpret this nebulous directive. Fashion is simultaneously public and personal, completely subjective and constantly evolving.

In a world full of athleisure and A-lines and plain black tuxes, attendees and co-chairs who went all out with the theme proved there’s still room to take risks—and have fun—on the red carpet. From musicians (Jon Batiste, Janelle Monae, Sombr) to athletes (Naomi Osaka, Lindsey Vonn) to the event’s multitalented co-chairs (Venus Williams, Nicole Kidman, Beyonce), the event was filled with artistry.

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Georgina DiNardo

So, who went big, and who went home (or at least deserved to)? We’ll be updating this list all night with the cream of the wild-and-crazy crop.

Jordan Roth

Such oddity! Such weirdness! Such whimsy! Everything about the look worn by ATG Entertainment creative director Jordan Roth, 50, is absolutely unreal—and unlike anything you’ll see on another major red carpet. This might be the least “beige” beige look in the history of fashion.

Naomi Osaka

Tennis phenom Naomi Osaka, 28, blew this theme out of the water. It is simply impossible to look at her outfit and not see the artistry involved.

Emma Chamberlain

Bold, bright, and practically painted, 24-year-old influencer Emma Chamberlain stunned on the steps of the event. Hairstylist

Venus Williams

Venus Williams, one of the event’s three co-chairs, embodied the theme with a striking look that radiates artistry on multiple levels. As fashion and costume expert Alia Pyatt pointed out on Threads, the 45-year-old tennis legend’s Met Gala ensemble is directly inspired by artist Robert Pruitt’s portrait of her, titled “Venus Williams, Double Portrait.” She finished the look with a chic custom manicure from Kiss Nails.

Nicole Kidman & Sunday Rose Kidman Urban

Few celebs have captivated fashion lovers quite like Nicole Kidman, 58, and her post-divorce ensembles. Naturally, a great fashion sense runs in the family: Kidman’s 17-year-old daughter, whom she shares with singer Keith Urban, walked the red carpet with her mother wearing an equally playful gown and Cher-like hair extensions.

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Roosa Rahkonen

Sam Smith

Am I biased toward people with whom I share a first name? A little bit, yes, but their outfit would have made me gasp even without this incredibly inconsequential detail (of which neither of us has any control). Smith, 33, wore an absolutely fantastic all-black look with a long feathered headpiece.

Jon Batiste

Is there anything that says “artistic” quite like a sculpture? Musician Jon Batiste, 39, wore a billowing cloak that cascaded down the red carpet, framing his monochromatic outfit that did the impossible: making a cummerbund look cool.

Sombr

Six-foot-seven musician Sombr, 20, was ethereal in a head-to-toe shimmery look for the occasion. The outfit was exceptionally striking as he posed on the geometric floor of the Mark Hotel.

Lindsey Vonn

Like Osaka, skier Lindsey Vonn showed that athletes can be just as—if not more—fashion-forward than any actor, musician, or artist. Vonn, 41, who is still recovering from the devastating injury she sustained at the Winter Olympics in Italy, walked with a custom-made cane created for her by designer Thom Browne.

Citizen cane

Lindsey Vonn Walked With a Custom Cane at the 2026 Met Gala

Roosa Rahkonen

Janelle Monae

Janelle Monae, 40, wore an intricate and eye-catching garment that felt like a walking piece of art (and fittingly so).

Stevie Nicks

Stevie Nicks’s custom Zara gown looked cool as hell, and I will fight anyone who tries to argue with me about this.

Hamish Bowles

Hamish Bowles, famed fashion journalist and Vogue’s global editor at large, swung big and knocked it out of the park. (I type this knowing full well that this man could eviscerate my entire wardrobe in four sentences or less.)

Audrey Nuna

Audrey Nuna, the 26-year-old voice of Meera in Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters, proved that black and white can be anything but boring with her Jackson Pollock-like floor-length gown and wide-brimmed hat.

Anne Hathaway

The Oscar winner wore a show-stopping, hand-painted Michael Kors design for the occasion, which featured a hand releasing a dove across the gown. Another A-plus for the impeccably dressed Andy Sachs.

Chase Infiniti

One Battle After Another actress Chase Infiniti, 26, interpreted the theme beautifully with a vibrant, flowing gown.

Beyoncé

As expected, Beyoncé—the biggest celebrity of the evening and the final co-chair of the evening—was one of the final arrivals, and she did not disappoint.

Awe-inspiring gown and headpiece aside, the iconic artist’s appearance at the event was made even sweeter as she proudly posed alongside her eldest daughter, 14-year-old Blue Ivy.

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Sam EscobarSenior Editor, The Looker

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