The Met Gala’s 2026 theme, “Fashion is Art,” might be the event’s most on-the-nose dress code yet.
Tonight’s annual star-studded fundraiser for the museum’s Costume Institute is inspired by “Costume Art”, the Met’s blockbuster Spring exhibition, which examines how fashion and art have engaged with the human body throughout the ages. It explores depictions of the dressed body through a series of thematic body types: “the naked body,” “classic body,” “pregnant body” and “ageing body.”
Guests have been instructed to “celebrate the countless depictions of the dressed body throughout art history” on the red carpet, and stylists have told us to expect plenty of naked dresses and subversive, sculptural silhouettes. But which celebrities will play it safe, and who will leave us speechless?
Actor Nicole Kidman was one of the first stars to arrive on the blue carpet Monday night in her role as co-chair for this year’s event, wearing a breathtaking sequinned and feathered Chanel gown — gorgeous, but not exactly nailing the theme.
Find our best dressed below…
Nicole Kidman looked sleek and slightly festive in a crimson red gown by Chanel (Getty Images)
The actor’s dress was finished with fluffy, Mongolian wool cuffs (Getty Images)
