The 2026 Met Gala is still unfolding in New York, and the red carpet has already left the realm of arrivals. This is a live exhibition in heels, diamonds, couture and intent. With “Fashion Is Art” as the night’s dress code, the body becomes the frame, the canvas, the sculpture and, in some cases, the entire conversation. From Emma Chamberlain’s paint-marked Mugler to Isha Ambani’s Gaurav Gupta saree and Charli XCX’s Saint Laurent bloom, these are the looks that made us pause the scroll and lean all the way in (so far).
Emma Chamberlain in Mugler
Emma Chamberlain turned the “Fashion Is Art” brief into something literal, but not obvious. In custom Mugler by Miguel Castro Freitas, her body became the canvas, with hand-painted strokes moving across a nude-illusion gown in washes of red, blue, green and yellow. The look was inspired by her own childhood around art, particularly her father’s oil and watercolour paintings, and was hand-painted by artist Anna Deller-Yee. With its eerie watercolour mood, fringe-trimmed sleeves and dramatic train, it felt less like a pretty Met dress and more like a painting caught mid-motion.
Imaan Hammam in Saint Laurent
Imaan Hammam made red feel artistic, controlled and impossible to miss. In Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, she wore a ruffled, tiered dress that brought volume without losing her natural ease on the carpet. The drama sat in the colour and movement, while the styling kept everything clean enough to let the dress breathe.
Charli XCX in Saint Laurent
Even though it almost doesn’t read like our interpretation of the theme at a first glance, Charli XCX took the “Fashion Is Art” brief somewhere darker, moodier and very her. In Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, she wore a black gown crafted from silk, tulle and resin, centred with an iris flower motif that nodded to Yves Saint Laurent’s iconic Spring/Summer 1988 tribute to Van Gogh’s Irises. It was less obvious than a full art-history costume and cooler because of it, a black dress with a secret painting inside, finished with sheer, translucent makeup that echoed the resin bloom. Brat summer may be over, but Charli just made a case for Van Gogh summer.
Katy Perry in Stella McCartney
Katy Perry arrived like a celestial fencing muse, fully committed to the drama in a white Stella McCartney gown with a face-covering headpiece that instantly pulled the look into sci-fi couture territory. Her signature black hair was the only real giveaway, peeking through an otherwise masked, silver-and-white construction. Less red carpet princess, more fashion artefact from another planet.
Isha Ambani in Custom Gaurav Gupta
Isha Ambani brought the sari to the Met steps as high jewellery, heritage and sculpture all at once. In a custom Gaurav Gupta creation for the “Fashion Is Art” dress code, her look centred on a bejewelled blouse featuring over 1,000 diamonds and precious stones, with more than 1,800 carats worked into the piece by artisans across India. The drama continued at the back with a historic Sarpech, once owned by the Nizam of Hyderabad, while layered necklaces from Nita Ambani’s personal collection added full heirloom power. And yes, the detail everyone is talking about, she carried a Subodh Gupta mango sculpture, turning the whole look into a deliciously Indian art-world flex.
Lisa in Custom Robert Wun
Lisa went full celestial body for the red carpet, arriving in a diaphanous custom Robert Wun gown that looked carved from light, bone and air. The sheer, sparkling white dress leaned into the idea of the sculpted body, giving her an almost angelic presence while still feeling sharp, strange and futuristic. As a member of this year’s Met Gala host committee, she didn’t just attend the brief, she floated through it.
Doja Cat in Saint Laurent
Doja Cat took the red carpet into Grecian statue territory, but with a Saint Laurent imagination. In a sculptural silicone gown by Anthony Vaccarello, the draped silhouette nodded to classical sculpture while the glossy, almost plastic finish made it feel futuristic and slightly alien. With matching platform mules and minimal jewellery, the look didn’t need noise, or…did it?
Heidi Klum in Marina Hoermanseder
Greek Goddess or Halloween energy? Heidi Klum arrived as a full-bodied sculpture, turning the Met steps into her own marble-muse moment. Created by German designer Marina Hoermanseder, the look was built around a moulded body piece, giving the effect of a statue brought sharply to life. It was dramatic, slightly unsettling and completely on-brand for Heidi, who has always understood the power of fashion as transformation. Less gown, more performance object.
Lily-Rose Depp in Chanel
Not begging on her knees to be popular, she rather let the Chanel do the talking. Lily-Rose Depp stayed close to the house that has shaped so much of her red carpet identity.
Anne Hathaway in Michael Kors
Anne Hathaway arrived fresh off a very Miranda Priestly-adjacent press run, but this Michael Kors gown gave her Met moment its own art-history weight. The black-and-white dress was hand-painted by artist Peter McGough, with a dove on the front and the Greek Goddess of Peace on the back, reportedly inspired by Ode on a Grecian Urn. Finished with a high-jewellery necklace, it was poetry in motion.
Anok Yai in Balenciaga
Anok Yai doesn’t need much to make a carpet bend around her, and this look knew exactly that. In a sculptural Balenciaga gown by Pierpaolo Piccioli, inspired by the ‘49 archives, she moved like a carved figure brought into the present, with the sharp architecture of the dress softened by wet waves and gilded beauty. The effect was statuesque, powerful and very expensive to look at.
Teyana Taylor in Custom Tom Ford
The queen of red carpet arrives! Teyana Taylor gave the carpet movement, texture and full-body attitude in a custom Tom Ford by Haider Ackermanngown that looked like it was shifting with every step. She described the look as the “ghost of a body,” appearing and disappearing as she moved, which makes the silver fringe feel less like decoration and more like choreography. Paired with a wet-look slick-back, smoky eyes and a soft Revlon lip, it kept the focus exactly where she wanted it, on the outfit, the face and the performance of arrival.
