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- Met Gala 2026 highlights: Karan Johar, Jafaar Jackson, and more make debut, celebs stun in 'Costume Art' theme fits
Met Gala 2026 highlights: Karan Johar, Jafaar Jackson, and more make debut, celebs stun in 'Costume Art' theme fits
This year’s dress code, 'Fashion is Art', aligns with the Costume Institute’s latest exhibition, 'Costume Art', at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The showcase blends haute couture with fine art, pairing designer pieces with celebrated works, from Yves Saint Laurent creations displayed alongside Vincent van Gogh’s Irises, to John Galliano designs for Maison Margiela exhibited next to classical sculpture.
Despite the glamour, this year’s gala has sparked controversy following the announcement that Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Bezos will serve as lead sponsors and honorary co-chairs. Some activists have criticised the billionaire couple’s involvement, casting a shadow over the otherwise celebratory event.
Still, the Met Gala, traditionally held on the first Monday in May, remains one of the most anticipated nights on the global fashion calendar. Among the headline attendees, Beyonce is set to make her first appearance in a decade, joining fellow co-chairs Venus Williams and Nicole Kidman.
The host committee, led by Anthony Vaccarello and Zoe Kravitz, includes a high-profile mix of talent such as Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Misty Copeland and A'ja Wilson.
Beyond its spectacle, the gala continues to serve a critical purpose as a fundraiser for the museum’s Costume Institute. According to Met CEO Max Hollein, this year’s event has already raised a record USD 42 million, surpassing last year’s USD 31 million total.
Emma Chamberlain and professional tennis player Naomi Osaka did not play it safe this year for the Met Gala, delivering custom works of art in honour of the dress code “Fashion is art.”
Osaka stunned as she left The Mark Hotel for the Gala in a dramatic Robert Wun white sculptural gown fitted with exaggerated shoulders and adorned with red feathers and a matching headpiece. A similar look by Wun sits inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute exhibit, “Costume Art.”
Chamberlain, who is known to change looks throughout the night, arrived in a breathtaking Mugler hand-painted dress. The star was dipped in a rainbow of colours from her décolletage down to the train of her body-hugging dress with fringe falling down the cuffs of the long-sleeve gown.
Co-chairs of the evening Nicole Kidman and Venus Williams chose more subdued looks. Williams wore a sparkling black off-the-shoulder gown with a dazzling bejeweled neckpiece in homage to a painting of herself done by Robert Pruitt. Event sponsor Lauren Sánchez Bezos arrived in a form-fitting Schiaparelli gown.
I was really inspired by The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo, that moment where life is created through touch. But instead of waiting to be given life, I’m creating my own.
The hands on the dress are in motion. They’re alive because creation is never still. It’s something you’re constantly building, shaping, and rewriting.
So this dress is about power, ownership… and building my story and fulfilling my dream with my own hands."
In a statement to ETimes, an insider said, “Priyanka Chopra is unable to attend the Met Gala this year as she is currently in the middle of an extensive global press tour for the promotions of the upcoming season of 'Citadel', which releases on May 6, followed immediately by her travel to Los Angeles for the Gold House Gala, where she will be honoured with the Global Vanguard Award for the second consecutive year."
It would be interesting to see KJo at Met Gala as he is quite fashionable and never hesitates to experiment with his sartorial choices.
The upcoming edition of Met Gala will be held on May 4.
Last year, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh made his debut at Met Gala in Sabyasachi's all-black creation.
Reddy is known for using her global platform to highlight Indian culture. In the past, she has worn stunning designs by Falguni Shane Peacock and Tarun Tahiliani. This year, the theme is “Fashion Is Art,” and insiders say she is looking to collaborate with Indian icons like Sabyasachi Mukherjee or Manish Malhotra.
"Her goal is always to showcase the beauty of Indian textiles and jewelry,” says a source close to Reddy. “This isn’t just about a party; it’s about making sure Indian craftsmanship is seen by the entire world." Reddy’s trip to New York follows a busy year representing India at major events, including the Paris Olympics, the Cannes Film Festival, and the White House Correspondents' Dinner. When she isn't on the red carpet, she is a director at Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited (MEIL) and heads the Sudha Reddy Foundation on charitable projects.
Didn't snag one of the pricey tickets or a spot on the ultra-exclusive guestlist?
The red carpet spectacle is available for all to watch online with the Vogue livestream. Ashley Graham, La La Anthony and Cara Delevingne will be hosting the livestream starting at 3.30 am IST. with Emma Chamberlain interviewing guests throughout the night.
Archival fashion looks have become a red carpet phenomenon with fashion savvy stars wanting to get their hands on some of the rarer pieces of fashion history.
Designer Elsa Schiaparelli famously collaborated in 1937 with Spanish artist Salvador Dalí to design a white silk dress with a lobster printed on the front. Years later, Yves Saint Laurent would design shift dresses filled with Piet Mondrian’s blocks of color in 1965, and more recently, Marc Jacobs collaborated with artist Takashi Murakami in 2002 to add his designs to Louis Vuitton.
Monday’s carpet is also chance for celebrities to deliver their own performance art.
The late designer Alexander McQueen was heavily regarded by fashion insiders as an artist. He closed his Spring 1999 show with a piece of performance art when machines sprayed Shalom Harlow’s white dress with black and yellow spray paint as she posed on a rotating turntable.
Past Gala dress codes have honored designers and pulled from literature. Last year, the art of tailoring was center stage with the dress code “Tailored for you.” The high-profile event raises money for the museum's Costume Institute, and each year the dress code for the gala takes cues from the Costume Institute’s spring exhibition.
On display this Spring, the “Costume Art” exhibit will “examine the centrality of the dressed body.”
From beyond the museum walls Monday, works of art will move and take shape as the glitterati of guests from Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman to Venus Williams will fashionably ascend the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s steps and exhibit their creative interpretations of this year's dress code, “Fashion is art.”
The question of whether fashion is art has long been topic of conversation for fashion insiders, and this first Monday in May the dress code is leaving nothing up for debate.
The dress code for the starry fundraising event calls for guests to “express their relationship to fashion as an embodied art form."
Fashion has long drawn inspiration from works of art, leaving guests with no shortage of artistic references to show off.
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