![\"Chloe](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Chloe_Mac_Donnell_Next_Gen.png\")
Chloe Mac Donnell<\/p>\nStars walk red carpet on fashion’s biggest night of the yearChloe Mac Donnell<\/p>\n
Hello and welcome to the Met Gala live blog 2026!<\/p>\n
Chloe from the Guardian\u2019s fashion desk here. My colleague Lauren and I are here to bring you all the best looks, the possible questionable looks and of course, what everyone is talking about from this year\u2019s extravaganza.<\/p>\n
For anyone unfamiliar with the event, a brief recap. For the fashion industry the Met Gala is the equivalent of Hollywood\u2019s Oscars or the Super Bowl. It takes place every year on the first Monday in May to mark the opening of the Metropolitan Museum of Art\u2019s Costume Institute latest exhibition. Anna Wintour, the global editorial director of Vogue and chief content officer at publisher Cond\u00e9 Nast, is responsible for making the Met Gala what it is \u2013 namely the biggest party in fashion and a lucrative fundraiser for the Costume Institute.<\/p>\n
This year it is even a bigger deal because it will also mark the opening of the Costume Institute\u2019s new home \u2013 a 12,000-sq-ft space named the Cond\u00e9 M Nast Galleries after the publisher who made Vogue the fashion bible. Each year the exhibition has a specific theme. This year it is Costume Art which will explore \u201cdepictions of the dressed body across the Met\u2019s vast collection, pairing garments with artworks to reveal the inherent relationship between clothing and the body\u201d. You can read more about that here<\/a>.<\/p>\n The theme of the gala always takes its lead from the exhibition but it is different to the exhibition (yes, we know this is confusing!). This year guests have been given the dress code \u201cFashion is Art.\u201d The blurb explains this is a moment for attendees to \u201cexpress their own relationship to fashion as an embodied art form and celebrate the countless depictions of the dressed body throughout art history\u201d.<\/p>\n So what can we expect? Well, some celebrities now consider the body itself an art work so there could be a lot of naked dressing. You can imagine some guests might turn up holding an art work wearing something inspired by said art work. Remember in 1965 Yves Saint Laurent paid homage to Mondrian by creating a series of dresses inspired by his abstract canvases so you never know! Plus, the Met Gala has a reputation for people taking risks on the carpet. Jared Leto dressed as a cat in honour of Karl Lagerfeld in 2023, Katy Perry arrived as a glow-up chandelier for 2019\u2019s Camp theme while Rihanna channeled the pope in a mitre for 2018\u2019s Heavenly Bodies dress code.<\/p>\n As always it is set to be starry as Wintour appoints several co-chairs to assist her in overseeing the event. This year they include Beyonc\u00e9, Nicole Kidman and Venus Williams. As Jeff Bezos and Lauren S\u00e1nchez have provided the majority of funding for both the exhibition and the gala, they have been given honorary chair titles. This has led to outrage from some activist groups. Our NYC readers may have already spotted anti-Bezos posters<\/a> calling for a boycott of the gala placed near the museum and on the subway. There is also expected to be some kind of protest outside the event itself, so watch this space.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, some are rebranding it the \u201cTech Gala\u201d thanks to several companies hoovering up tickets. At $100,000-ish a pop for an individual ticket (that\u2019s up from $75,000 last year) and tables fetching upwards of $300,000, who else can afford them? Meta, Snapchat, OpenAI, ShopMy and of course, Amazon have all bought tables. Last year\u2019s Met raised a record $31m, now we\u2019re wondering if this year\u2019s could smash that record?<\/p>\n It is important to note that even if you buy a table, you don\u2019t have the final say on who will join you. Instead each guest needs to be approved personally by Wintour. She also suggests various names. While the guest list is not disclosed, we can expect to see appearances from the host committee, this year led by Saint Laurent\u2019s Anthony Vaccarello and Zoe Kravitz alongside members Doja Cat, Sabrina Carpenter, Alex Consani, Misty Copeland, Teyana Taylor, A\u2019ja Wilson, Chase Sui Wonder and Sam Smith. Plus would it even be a Met Gala without a Kardashian\/Jenner or two, even three?<\/p>\n One person we won\u2019t be seeing however, is New York\u2019s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani. Michael R Bloomberg, Bill de Blasio and Eric Adams have all previously hotfooted it up the Met\u2019s steps, but in an interview<\/a> Mamdani said while he loved the Met his focus is \u201con affordability and making the most expensive city in the United States affordable, and that\u2019s what I\u2019m looking to spend a lot of my time focused on\u201d. A wise move perhaps, considering the backlash Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez got (and still continues to get) when she attended in \u201821 wearing a \u201cTax the Rich\u201d dress.<\/p>\n Inside guests can expect a look around the exhibition followed by drinks, dinner and a surprise performance. Previous acts include Madonna and Rihanna, this year there are rumours of Bad Bunny, Olivia Rodrigo and even Beyonc\u00e9<\/a>.<\/p>\n OK, the first arrivals are beginning to trickle in. Apparently Wintour considers 10 minutes early, 10 minutes late \u2013 that explains the prompt start. Buckle up!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.57 EDT<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n Lauren Wasser, the model and activist with prosthetic limbs known as \u2018the girl with the golden legs\u2019 online, goes with the gold theme, in an outfit made by Prabal Gurung.<\/p>\n Share<\/a> Mannequins of the Irish disability advocate Sin\u00e9ad Burke are included in the accompanying exhibition as part of its representations of the Disabled Body section. For tonight Burke, who became the first little person to attend the Met Gala<\/a> in 2019, has chosen a black corseted gown with a sheer train that she has been enjoying tossing around dramatically on the steps.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.41 EDT<\/p>\n Katy Perry has also got the mask memo. The internet is describing her look as \u201cgiving fencing astronaut\u201d. Let the memes begin.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.38 EDT<\/p>\n Never let it be said that Gwendoline Christie doesn\u2019t stick to the bit. Her Met Gala<\/a> look, made by her partner, the designer Giles Deacon, was inspired by no less than three artists: John Singer Sargent, surrealist photographer Madame Yevonde, and 70s poet and photographer Ira Cohen. If that wasn\u2019t enough, the mask of her face that Christie is carrying was made by an actual artist \u2013 Turner prize winner Gillian Wearing. If this was assessed, Christie would get an A*.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.40 EDT<\/p>\n Luke Evans bringing a look worthy of a Tom of Finland drawing to the Met Gala<\/a> red carpet is something we can all co-sign. If we have had references to blue chip artists \u2013 Singer Sergent, Matisse, Artemisia \u2013 it\u2019s even cooler to go counter-culture.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.30 EDT<\/p>\n And here\u2019s the inspiration behind Lena Dunham\u2019s Valentino dress \u2013 the painting Judith Slaying Holofernes created by the Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi c 1620. Speaking to Vogue, Dunham says: \u201cI shared that inspiration with Alessandro, but because his brain works in the most magical ways, rather than leaning into the Renaissance garments or the swords or any of it, he was attracted to a particular blood spatter on the neck of Holofernes.\u201d Pinterest could never!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.29 EDT<\/p>\n After a eight-year hiatus, Lena Dunham is back on the Met Gala<\/a> steps. Tonight she is wearing a striking sequinned and feathered dress from Valentino by Alessandro Michele. Dunham says she wrote \u201can elaborate fan letter\u201d to Michele in the hope of persuading him to dress her. Much better than a text!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.25 EDT<\/p>\n Shot by arrows, with the claws of a dragon and a hat that looks like a flying saucer, Naomi Osaka\u2019s outfit feels like a tour through the images of art history, but there\u2019s actually more to it than that. The outfit, designed by Robert Wun, has two parts. The tennis pro will later remove the coat to reveal a dress utilising 659,000 stitches of embroidery and thousands of Swarovski crystals illustrating the human anatomy. Talk about acing it.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.23 EDT<\/p>\n Doja Cat loves a theme \u2013 especially a Met Gala<\/a> theme. Remember this is the singer that previously dressed as a cat complete with feline facial prosthetics in honour of Karl Lagerfeld. Tonight she has gone for a look inspired by the ancient Greek statues that feature in the accompanying exhibition. Her modern take is by Anthony Vaccarello for Saint Laurent. On first glance it looks like latex, but it is in fact silicone complete with matching silicone platform mules. We imagine it\u2019s pretty squeaky.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.13 EDT<\/p>\n Part Vel\u00e1zquez, part highwaywoman, Zo\u00eb Kravitz\u2019s outfit \u2013 created by Saint Laurent designer Anthony Vaccarello \u2013 gives good Met Gala<\/a>. A cursory nod to the theme while also managing to look chic and sexy, 10\/10 no notes.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.06 EDT<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a closer look at Charli xcx\u2019s Saint Laurent flower, which is in fact, an iris. Apparently it is a reference to Yves Saint Laurent\u2019s spring\/summer 1988 collection where the designer paid tribute to Vincent van Gogh. Speaking to Vogue, Charli says: \u201cMy dress tonight has an iris flower made out of resin, stitched on to its center. We\u2019ve tried to kind of mirror that in the makeup by using more sheer and translucent tones to reflect the resin.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.03 EDT<\/p>\n Back to Sergey Brin \u2013 and his lapel. Featuring an Iranian flag, with the lion and the sun symbols there pre-1979 revolution, it\u2019s the first overtly political move at a Met Gala<\/a> red carpet preceded by the most controversy the event has had for years. Eyes peeled for more.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.00 EDT<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the OG brat, Charli xcx. The singer is wearing a strapless black gown by Saint Laurent with what looks like a glass flower stem blossoming across the bodice.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.55 EDT<\/p>\n Sam Smith\u2019s arrival with designer Christian Cowan is proper Met Gala<\/a> stuff. This black gown, complete with headpiece designed by Stephen Jones, is inspired by fashion illustrator Erte. The quote on Cowan\u2019s instagram says it all: \u201cart is not a thing; it is a way\u201d. Facts.<\/p>\n Share<\/a> Rev Al Sharpton, the 71-year-old civil rights activist, hasn\u2019t necessarily looked at the art theme but his suit with pinstripe sequins looks great and shows that sometimes simple really is the best.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.50 EDT<\/p>\n Sergey Brin and Gerelyn Gilbert-Soto at the 2026 Met Gala in New York City on 4 May. Photograph: Gilbert Flores\/Variety\/Getty Images<\/p>\n The tech crowd is probably always going to get excited about a chance to go a bit wild for a fashion red carpet. Google co-founder Sergey Brin\u2019s suit has recreated Matisse-style drawings in blue sequins and he looks very pleased about it. His partner, wellness influencer Gerelyn Gilbert-Soto, is matching, wearing feathers and a clutch bag in the colour of Google.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.40 EDT<\/p>\n Normally celebrities are asked \u201cwho are they wearing\u201d on the red carpet. For the French content creator and podcaster L\u00e9na Mahfouf tonight that question is: \u201cWhose hands are you wearing?\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.38 EDT<\/p>\n Venus Williams, gala co-chair, in a classic black gown Co-chair Venus Williams goes for a classic black gown but brings the art reference in her necklace \u2013 made by Swarovski, it recreates the one worn by her younger self in Robert Pruitt\u2019s 2022 painting of the tennis star. Sticking to the art theme while also going slightly meta? Top marks.<\/p>\n![\"Lauren](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Lauren-Cochrane,-L.png\")
Lauren CochraneUS-ENTERTAINMENT-FASHION-CELEBRITY-MUSEUM-METGALA
US model activist Lauren Wasser arrives for the 2026 Met Gala celebrating “Costume Art” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York, on May 4, 2026. (Photo by Angela Weiss \/ AFP via Getty Images) Photograph: Angela Weiss\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\nChloe Mac DonnellSin\u00e9ad Burke attends the 2026 Met Gala in New York City on 4 May. Photograph: Mike Coppola\/Getty Images<\/p>\nChloe Mac DonnellKaty Perry attends the 2026 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on 4 May in New York City. Photograph: Theo Wargo\/FilmMagic<\/p>\nLauren CochraneGwendoline Christie poses during the 2026 Met Gala in New York City on 4 May. Photograph: Daniel Cole\/Reuters<\/p>\nLauren CochraneLuke Evans arrives at the Metropolitan Museum of Art\u2019s Costume Institute benefit gala in New York. Photograph: Evan Agostini\/Invision\/AP<\/p>\nChloe Mac DonnellJudith Slaying Holofernes, a painting by Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi, at Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence. Photograph: Hemis\/Alamy<\/p>\nChloe Mac DonnellLena Dunham attends the 2026 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on 4 May in New York City. Photograph: Mike Coppola\/Getty Images<\/p>\nLauren CochraneNaomi Osaka attends the 2026 Met Gala in New York City. Photograph: David Fisher\/Shutterstock<\/p>\nChloe Mac DonnellDoja Cat at the 2026 Met Gala in New York City on 4 May. Photograph: Gilbert Flores\/Variety\/Getty Images<\/p>\nLauren CochraneAnthony Vaccarello and Zo\u00eb Kravitz attend the 2026 Met Gala on 4 May in New York City. Photograph: Jamie McCarthy\/Getty Images<\/p>\nChloe Mac DonnellA close-up of Charli xcx\u2019s Saint Laurent gown. Photograph: Julian Hamilton\/Getty Images<\/p>\nLauren CochraneSergey Brin poses during the Met Gala in New York City on 4 May. Photograph: Daniel Cole\/Reuters<\/p>\nChloe Mac DonnellCharli xcx attends the 2026 Met Gala in New York on 4 May. Photograph: Jamie McCarthy\/Getty Images<\/p>\nLauren CochraneMet Gala 2026, Costume Art, Arrivals, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA – 04 May 2026
Christian Cowan and Sam Smith
\nMet Gala 2026, Costume Art, Arrivals, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA – 04 May 2026 Photograph: Matt Baron\/Shutterstock<\/p>\nLauren CochraneAl Sharpton attends the 2026 Met Gala in New York City on 4 May. Photograph: John Salangsang\/BEI\/Shutterstock<\/p>\nChloe Mac DonnellL\u00e9na Mahfouf attends the 2026 Met Gala in New York City on 4 May. Photograph: David Fisher\/Shutterstock<\/p>\nLauren CochraneVenus Williams attends the 2026 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on 4 May in New York City. Photograph: Theo Wargo\/FilmMagic<\/p>\n