The most talked-about looks at this year's Met Gala

It's the biggest night in fashion.

Celebrities arrived to the 2026 Met Gala with their take on this year's theme - Costume Art - where organisers asked attendees to experiment with the lavish and whimsical dress code.

The annual event is a fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, and serves as chance for celebrities and design houses to go all-out on spectacle.

The golden-voiced Broadway star Joshua Henry, took the drama up a notch by opening the carpet with a rendition of "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" with a band and dancers on the Met's iconic steps, which were outfitted to look like mossy bricks in a lush garden.

The guest list was especially starry this year, with the event's co-chairs including the musical multihyphenate Beyoncé, actress Nicole Kidman, tennis star Venus Williams, and Global Editorial Director of Vogue Anna Wintour.

A parade of celebrities, including Naomi Osaka, Angela Bassett, Madonna, and Sabrina Carpenter posed for the cameras. Some famous faces - Bad Bunny, Heidi Klum, and Katy Perry - were nearly unrecognisable thanks to their commitment to the "costume" theme.

Here's a look at some of the highlights and most talked-about looks.

Beyoncé made her first Met Gala appearance in 10 years, and to make up for lost time she sported a monumental look.

The creation, by French designer Olivier Rousteing, took on the Gala's theme with a gown with an embellished skeleton design, and added a giant feathered cape.

The BBC's Nada Tawfik asked Beyonce how it felt to be back at the Gala. She told us it felt great to be here with her daughter and husband.

The star took the carpet with husband, rapper Jay-Z, and her daughter, Blue Ivy, who at 14 years old marks one of the youngest attendees. The Gala typically only allows guests who are 18 or older.

As is tradition, the musical power couple arrived at the Met Gala after nearly all the other guests arrived.

Rihanna donned a custom Maison Margiela by Glenn Martens with the rapper, who co-chaired last year's Gala, arriving in a long pink coat.

Anna Wintour, the Global Editorial Director of Vogue magazine, wore a feathery custom Chanel confection to her signature event.

Actress and event co-chair Nicole Kidman donned a red, long-sleeved beaded column gown by Chanel. She attended with her daughter, Sunday Rose.

American tennis star Venus Williams, a five-time Wimbledon winner, also co-chaired the event. She wore a black sparkling gown with a luxurious silver, jewel-encrusted neck adornment.

She let out a cheer when the BBC asked her how it felt to co-chair the gala. "I'm dancing inside," she said.

The other Williams sister, Serena, wore a silver Marc Jacobs creation that echoed the classical art on display in the museum.

Lauren Sánchez Bezos, the wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is an honorary chair at this year's gala.

Her Schiaparelli gown invokes one of the most famous (and scandalous) dresses in art history: the gown portrayed in John Singer Sargent's "Madame X".

"Ragtime" star Joshua Henry didn't just attend the red carpet. He opened the evening with a performance of Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody", accompanied by dancers and a band.

Domingo isn't afraid to take big fashion swings, and this unusual suit has costume elements while remaining sleek.

The supermodel took her penchant for extravagant Halloween costumes to the Met Gala, where she dressed as one of the many marble statues gracing the museum's halls.

Bad Bunny followed in Klum's footsteps with another very costumey look. The 32-year-old singer wore makeup that made him look like an old man. But a very dapper old man, regardless.

Bassett wore a pink gown designed by Prabal Gurung that was inspired by a Harlem Renaissance painting, "Girl in a Pink Dress" by Laura Wheeler Waring.

She told the BBC's Nada Tawfik that fashion was integral to getting into character.

Influencer Emma Chamberlian wore a multi-colored gown, courtesy of Mugler by Miguel Castro Freitas, that resembles a painting.

Philip is the first wheelchair user to attend the Met Gala, according to Vogue magazine.

For so long, disabled people were not represented anywhere," Philip told Vogue. "The thought of even being able to exist at an event like this... nobody even went there. To go from that to now, somehow finding myself there - I can't say how blessed and honored I feel attending.

Teyana Taylor brought her fringed dress to life by dancing on the carpet.

Famed Indian designer Manish Malhotra paired a bandhgala with an almost impossibly ornate cape. The cape's design is a tribute to Mumbai, which took a team of 50 artisans 960-hours to make.

The Bollywood director also wore a design by his friend Manish Malhotra.

It consisted of a vintage jacket under a hand-painted cape with detailed embroidery. Johar's team described the paintings featured on his outfit as characters from Indian mythology.

Johar told the BBC that fashion was a massive part of his movies, which have been cemented as some of the most iconic in modern Bollywood. He added that the day had him feeling emotional.

Delevingne's Ralph Lauren gown seemed simple from the front. But when she turned around, the dramatic sheer details had a vivid effect on the Met stairs.

Actress Chase Sui Wonders dripped with diamonds in a pale lavender dress.

Lena Dunham, creator of the HBO show "Girls", wore a vivid Valentino red dress made out of feathers and sequins.

She told Vogue that her dress was inspired by Artemisia Gentileschi's Renaissance-era painting, "Judith Slaying Holofernes" - specifically, the blood spraying from the Assyrian general's neck.

The carpet might have hues of green, but Charlie XCX opted against her signature color for a sophisticated Saint Laurent black gown with a floral embellishment on the front.

Doja Cat wears a classically Grecian Saint Laurent dress in an unconventional fabric: silicone.

Activist, writer, public speaker Sinéad Burke made her return to the Met Gala in a black corseted gown with flowing sleeve embellishments.

Tennis Grand Slam champ Naomi Osaka, who arrived in white and red Robert Wun, had not one but two looks. She took off her white coat to reveal a second outfit, this time a deep maroon dress with a lace-up back.

Trust us: This is Katy Perry. The pop star's unique, and somewhat eerie mirrored mask obscured her face. But don't worry, it opens!

Connor Storrie, one of the stars of hit show Heated Rivalry, walked the carpet in daring menswear by Saint Laurent.

Meanwhile, Storrie's "Heatedy Rivalry" co-star Hudson Williams' opted for a matador-esque suit from Balenciaga.

But the real star of his look was his makeup, which Williams said was inspired by the movie "Black Swan."

Lisa, a member of the K-Pop group BLACKPINK, wears a white Robert Wun gown with an interesting illusion: mannequin arms hold up a white veil, while her real arms are free to pose.

Lisa's fellow BLACKPINK bandmate Rosé was also in attendance, wearing Saint Laurent.

Zoe Kravitz wore a black lace Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello gown. But she frequently posed with her hand in her pocket, amid rumours of an engagement to pop star Harry Styles.

Pop star Sabrina Carpenter wears a dress made out of celluloid film strips.

When asked what the film on the dress is from, the Grammy-winning singer simply shouted, "Sabrina" - possibly referring to the classic film with Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart from 1954.

Sam Smith arrived in a glamourous robe, with a towering feathered headpiece that made the look stand out.

Schafer wears a custom Prada Met Gala dress, which takes inspiration from Gustav Klimt's 1912 painting Mäda Primavesi, which is part of the Met's collection.

The rock icon swept the Met Gala stairs in a voluminous black gown with a top hat.

Perhaps in tribute to Nicks' "Leather and Lace", another notable diva, Cher, wore a black dress with a jacket that felt both elegant and tough.

The winds must have blown favorably to bring Madonna to the Met Gala. Her nautical-witch look featured a headpiece shaped like a tall ship, an ethereal grey veil, and an entourage of models to help guide it down the carpet.

Kardashian said that the British design duo Whitaker Malem made her look.

Influencer and reality star Kylie Jenner's Schiaparelli dress at first appeared to be falling off her. But a cleverly designed nude bodice held the entire look together.

Kendall Jenner arrived in a dress that thematically rhymed with her sister Kylie's, this time by Zac Posen for GAP.

This didn't escape the attention of reporters on the red carpet, asking Kendall if the two got ready together.

Actress Sarah Paulson wore a mask fashioned out of a dollar bill, obscuring part of her face.

When the BBC asked her what is signified, she simply said the "1 percent".

Source: BBC
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