The First Monday In May
Holly Austen
Once a year on the first Monday in May, the biggest names in fashion gather at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York for what is often deemed the fashion event of the year; The Met Gala.
Originating in 1948 as a midnight dinner to raise funds for The Met Museum, the event is now a globally renowned fashion event, with each year following a different theme, and the expectations for celebrities and fashion houses to show up and outperform are not to be taken lightly. With the fashion displayed at the met gala becoming the topic of conversation across the internet, the looks often spark mass debate; who is the best dressed? Who fell short? Who was an unexpected star? I'm here to unpack some of that, here are my thoughts on the 2026 Met Gala: Costume Art.
Best Dressed
There is a clear name that comes to mind when discussing the best dressed of the night, and the internet seems to be in agreement (for once) that Emma Chamberlain, dressed in Mugler by Miguel Castro Freitas takes the top spot. The garment was inspired by various archival Mugler looks and was hand painted by Anna Deller Yee to create a spectacular dress that looks as though it has come straight off an artist's easel. It was reported to have taken 958 hours of work to create, and the pay off was huge, Emma Chamberlain well and truly ‘understood the assignment’, with the textural elements and use of colour the look feels truly in keeping with the theme of this year's met, something that will gain you huge brownie points across the boards of internet critics. Truly one of my favourite met looks of all time.
Runners up
Although Emma takes the cake for me, that isn't to say that there weren’t some close contenders, with my runners up being; Madonna in Saint Laurent. In a look that referenced artist Leonara Carrington’s ‘The Temptation Of St. Anthony. Fragment II’ , Madonna appeared in a slip dress and an organza cape that spanned the entire width of the staircase, carried by 6 women, creating her own personal coven. The performance of the outfit and the direct reference to art truly created a spectacle, reminding everyone of the icon that Madonna is, Lisa in Robert Wun. Wearing a custom look, with 3D printed models of her arms posed above her head to replicate movements from traditional Thai dancing, Lisa evoked an angelic aesthetic, initially covered by a mesh veil held up by the model arms, the look is unique and visually interesting, as well as just simply being gorgeous with the hair and makeup complimenting the look perfectly, I truly have no notes.
Other honourable mentions include Janelle Monae in Christian Siriano, Chase Infiniti in Thom Browne, Sabine Getty in Ashi Studio and Jeremy Pope in archival Vivienne Westwood (we love to see the men wearing more than a plain black suit).
Highs and Lows
As always with the Met Gala and the looks that are presented, you cannot please everyone, and though the highs of the night were undeniably high, unfortunately it feels as though many attendees played it safe, rather than truly leaning into the ‘fashion is art’ narrative presented. With Chamberlain opening the night, it felt like the bar was set incredibly high, and that many looks that followed didn’t live up to expectations, I couldn't help but wonder, Carrie Bradshaw style, why people seem to shy away from the themes. On the one night a year where you can truly experiment with fashion, why wear a simple gown? That's not to say that the attendees didn't look incredible and out of context the looks may have been highly praised, but when faced with the opportunity and resources to create true art, or to pull iconic archival looks and represent the theme thoroughly, I struggle to understand the hesitation. Here’s to hoping next year even more people embrace the theme wholeheartedly.
HMUA
Although fashion dominates the Met Gala, I felt compelled to address the absolute artistry that was some of the hair and makeup on display, particularly on model Anok Yai, with makeup created by Sheika Daley. With a bronze shimmer covering her skin and crafted tears dripping down her face, the vision was to create a statue come to life, to blur the lines between being human and being art and they absolutely succeeded. Dressed in Balenciaga many failed to comment on or take notice of the outfit itself due to the spotlight staying firmly on the HMU, turning a good but unremarkable dress into an absolute vision.
Conclusion
In conclusion this Met Gala has created some of the best looks that I have seen in years, the theme allowing for true craftmanship and passion to be on display, but there is always more unlocked potential and I look forwards to next year to discover how brands and celebrity will continue to develop their image. Here’s hoping for a good theme, see you next year.
Holly x
