The Met Gala this year was held in The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, where it has always been held. This event is known for its more extravagant themes where fashion designers can show off their talent in making “out there” dresses or suits (even if the men’s outfits are usually more boring than the women’s). Personally, my favorite theme will always be the 2019 “Camp.” This theme had a lot of iconic looks, not counting any of Zendaya’s. This year’s theme was “Fashion is Art,” so I was expecting their looks to be original art. A good example would be something like what Ms. Rachel wore to the 2025 Glamour Women of the Year Awards to give support to kids from Palestine. Instead of the dresses being “original,” a lot of the looks on the carpet were based on statues or paintings. For example, Hedi Klum dressed as Raffaele Monti’s Veiled Vestal.
Before I made the list of people I thought had the best looks, I made a set of criteria to base my list on. First, the overall outfit; does it even look good enough to be on the red carpet? Second, fitting the theme, does the outfit seem like a painting or a statue? Is it even based on an artist? Finally, how much would they remind someone of their inspiration if they were compared?
- Gracie Abrams
Gracie Abrams’ look this year was absolutely gorgeous. I love that it looks like the painting or it at least gives off the same vibes. Her painting inspiration was “The Woman in Gold” by Adele Bloch-Bauer I (1907).
- Emma Chamberlain
Emma Chamberlain’s overall look on the carpet was my favorite look from this year; she looks amazing. Her dress has been the most popular outfit from what I’ve seen on the internet, and I totally understand its popularity. This look came from her father’s work with oil paint and watercolor.
- Sabrina Caprenter
I think she looked really beautiful, especially after knowing her inspiration. It really reminds me of the time the movie her look was referencing was made. She looks like a flapper girl from that time of her inspiration, and she just looks so good. The inspiration for her look was the movie Sabrina from 1954 starring Audrey Hepburn.
- Beyoncé
Honestly, who doesn’t love anything Beyoncé does? Her look was so gorgeous on the carpet this year, and when you actually research her inspiration for this look, the designer did an amazing job putting that lithograph on her body, and it was the perfect amount of “out there” and just beautiful for the Met Gala. Her inspiration for her carpet look was “The Visitor” by Caroline Durieux in 1944.
The Met Gala this year had so many beautiful looks; it was so entertaining to see everyone on the carpet. Maybe some of the men could have done a better job at not just being in a boring black and white tux. Asap Rocky did wear pink, but from what I saw, he didn’t have a muse for his look. Men really need to step up their red carpet game. I look forward to the Met Gala every year. It’s a beautiful way for fashion designers to have fun with designs, and the theme is so fun every year. This year is a perfect example of that.
https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/met-gala-2026-red-carpet-celebrity-arrivals-live
