5 unforgettable looks from the Met Gala 2026 Fashion, politics, and provocation
New York has been buzzing for weeks. The exhibition just افتتاحed at the Met Museum, Costume Art, required long preparation times, just like the Met Gala dedicated to it. But this year, alongside the usual popular excitement for the most glamorous event of the year, there has been a massive wave of anger: with Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez among the main sponsors, hundreds of people (Amazon employees and others) gathered in protest. The organization Everyone Hates Elon coordinated the posting of anti-event posters throughout the city and hid, around the museum, small bottles filled with fake urine, to denounce the poor working conditions of Amazon employees.
As every year, Met Gala guests tried to bring their best. Between political statements and marketing stunts (there were so many full looks it felt like Paris Fashion Week), the evening was full of surprising appearances - even if we expected something more.
Here, then, are the most interesting looks from the Met Gala 2026.
Lauren Sanchez in Schiaparelli
Considering the controversies surrounding her public image, it was almost impossible for Lauren Sanchez to make a good impression at the Met Gala, no matter what she chose to wear. Following the dress code, Fashion is Art, the tech first lady wore Schiaparelli, a mermaid gown designed by Daniel Roseberry with a strap, made of precious stones, deliberately slipping off the shoulder. Together with stylist Law Roach, for this look Roseberry and Sanchez drew inspiration from the portrait of Virginie Gautreau by painter John Singer Sargent, Madame X, a work from 1883 that scandalized the public at the time for its perceived vulgarity.
Interviewed on the Met Gala red carpet, Sanchez explained she was struck by how such a small detail could have caused so much outrage, as well as how quickly standards of good taste can change. In recent months, Sanchez has been criticized not only for marrying one of the richest men in the world (the wedding took place in Venice, and Bezos rented the entire city), but also for allegedly lacking the class to be invited to Fashion Week. This evening’s choice, therefore, is nothing more than a subtle jab at all the haters.
Kim Kardashian "curated by" Allen Jones and Nadia Lee Cohen
We hear less and less about Kim Kardashian, but the star continues to be invited to the most exclusive events in America. This night, however, she surprised the Met audience with a look curated by Nadia Lee Cohen, and the most interesting aspect of the collaboration wasn’t so much the outfit - a metallic space-age bodysuit with an attached skirt by artist Allen Jones - but the way the multidisciplinary artist Cohen was credited: creative director. As if Kim Kardashian were a brand, rather than a person, and Nadia Lee Cohen, rather than simply choosing what she wears, were tasked with managing her entire narrative.
Sarah Paulson in Matières Fécales
Despite the high level of controversy, a small number of celebrities chose to bring political statements to the red carpet. Among them was Sarah Paulson, who wore a look from the FW26 collection of the French brand Matières Fécales, The ONE Percent, a collection that critiques privilege, corruption, and greed. In a massive gray tulle dress with long white evening gloves, Paulson wore the boldest accessory of the night: a banknote over her eyes. One wonders whether she had the chance to exchange a few words with Bezos, the Gala’s sponsor.
Stevie Nicks, Marta Ortega and Bad Bunny in Zara
After years of campaigns to clean up its image and move closer to the luxury world that once snubbed it but now admires it, this year Zara managed to enter the Met. It did so by dressing Stevie Nicks in the first look by John Galliano for the brand, Bad Bunny, who had already worn custom Zara at the Super Bowl in February, and Marta Ortega, daughter of the founder of Inditex, of which she is now president.
Madonna in Saint Laurent
Madonna’s arrival at the Met Museum was a performance. Seven attendants held the veil of the pop star, dressed in a total black look by Saint Laurent. The outfit, designed by Anthony Vaccarello, draws inspiration from the surrealism of Leonora Carrington, an artist who also influenced Madonna’s 1995 music video for Bedtime Story. As the singer stood still - a gothic figure with long raven hair, topped with a hat shaped like a ghostly ship - the sheer veil floated all around her, moved by these seven models in pastel-colored outfits. Madonna certainly knows how to build anticipation among her fans ahead of the release of her new album, Confessions II.