See the Best, Worst and Most Oops of the 2026 Met Gala

The “Costume Art” theme of the 2026 Met Gala invited interpretations good, bad and baffling

Celebrities have officially made their way up the iconic steps at the 2026 Met Gala, leaving behind a night full of memorable fashion moments and plenty to talk about.

As is tradition, some of the biggest names in film, music, and fashion gathered at the exclusive Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, each offering their own interpretation of the evening’s dress code. This year’s theme, inspired by the exhibition “Costume Art” and centered around “Fashion as Art,” encouraged bold creativity. The result was a wide range of looks some stunning, some unexpected, and a few that leaned into the eerie or unconventional.

From standout group moments on the red carpet to outfits that may haunt viewers long after the event, the night delivered no shortage of conversation starters. Ahead, take a closer look at the best, worst, and most questionable fashion choices, along with the accessories and trends that defined this year’s Met Gala.

Oops, Were There Other People Coming?

Beyoncé wasn’t the last to arrive on the Met Gala steps, but don’t tell that to the poor celebrities who had to follow in her massively-trained wake as photographers screamed for her to stop for just one more photo.

Worst Time to Obstruct Your Vision

You couldn’t pay us enough to don some eye-blocking accessories just before ascending a notoriously steep set of stairs in front of hundreds of cameras, but that’s what separates us from the people (like Katy Perry, Sarah Paulson, Luke Evans and Rachel Zegler) who got a ticket to the event this year.

Best Reason to Break the Rules a Bit

Technically, people under 18 aren’t invited to the Costume Institute Gala. But for co-chair Nicole Kidman (and co-chair Beyoncé!), when your daughter is a fashionista in her own right, rules were made to be broken.

Bust — Oops, We Mean Best

Of course, with an exhibit that is all about how the human body is a vessel for fashion, we expected to see quite a few naked interpretations of the theme. Some of the artsiest? Chase Infiniti’s Thom Browne, Doja Cat’s Saint Laurent and Hailey Bieber’s Saint Laurent.

Oops, Did They Not See Each Other Before They Left the House?

We’re envisioning that Spider-Man meme between Kim Kardashian and her sisters Kylie Jenner and Kendall Jenner: “Wait, you’re wearing the sculpted boob dress? I thought I was!”

Best Princess of Genovia Moment

On a night when so many go high-concept, we can appreciate a look that’s just plain pretty — like Anne Hathaway’s Michael Kors gown, handpainted by artist Peter McGough and worn with some spectacular Bulgari jewelry. Just add a tiara and you’ve got Princess Diaries 3 material.

Biggest Time Commitment

Ciara’s tribute to Nefertiti included a painstakingly gilded spiked coif, which she admitted took quite some time to achieve. Worth it for this photo, to be honest.

Best Night for Cool Couples

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky (as well as these other celebrity duos) prove that all you need to keep the spark alive is to be extremely hot, get invited to very exclusive events and then dress better than anyone else there. How hard can that be?

Worst Bunny

He’s always Bad Bunny, but tonight, he aged himself up with extremely realistic prosthetics to, as Vogue suggests, reflect the idea of the aging body and its relationship to art. Bring back Benito! (Oh, who are we kidding. He’s still hot.)

Worst Sleep Paralysis Demons

When we heard the dress code, we imagined a lot of naked dresses. We never imagined things would get quite so scary. But Jordan Roth, Heidi Klum and Gwendoline Christie delivered very imaginative and labor-intensive takes on the theme, which we both appreciated for the work that went into them and will probably be haunted by for some time to come.