For the 2026 Met Gala on May 4, the theme was “Costume Art,” with the idea of celebrating fashion itself as a form of art.
The official dress code for the evening was “Fashion Is Art,” encouraging all designers and gala guests to treat the body as a canvas and create a look that is inspired by paintings, sculptures and anything else from art history. The event was hosted at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, with Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and, of course, Anna Wintour being co-chairs.
While the theme concept sounded interesting, many designers and guests missed the mark with their outfits. That is not saying every one of them did, but many felt as if the event had lost the plot. There were many tech CEOs and corporate sponsors present, which led to distaste for many. Another aspect that many did not enjoy was the all-in fashion looks that gave more Halloween than high fashion.
Notable looks include the following:
Gracie Abrams in Chanel (Gustav Klimt), inspired by “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I” (1907)
Claire Foy in Erdem (John Singer Sargent), inspired by “Portrait of Madame X” (1884)
Julianne Moore (John Singer Sargent), also inspired by “Portrait of Madame X” (1884)
Hunter Schafer in Prada (Gustav Klimt), inspired by “Mäda Primavesi” (1912)
Madonna in Saint Laurent (Leonora Carrington), inspired by “The Temptation of St. Anthony. Fragment II” (circa 1945)
Ben Platt in Tanner Fletcher (Georges Seurat), inspired by “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” (1884–1886)
Heidi Klum in Mike Marino (Giovanni Strazza), inspired by “The Veiled Virgin” (circa 1850s)
There are many more notable looks that are inspired by various pieces in art history; taking a look at this is link is encouraged to see outfits and what they were inspired by: https://www.vogue.com/article/art-references-2026-met-gala-explained
