Met Gala 2026 Looks That Made Us Go *Chef's Kiss*
Art, indeed!
The 66th edition of the Met Gala brought with itself lots drama, fashion and references to art. With this year’s theme, “Costume Art”, one could really let their imagination run wild. While everyone had their own unique take on art, here our some of our favourite looks.
Mona Patel
For her look, Mona Patel saw the human anatomy as her art. Her sculpted ivory Dolce & Gabbana outfit, which felt a celebration of the human body, had a braided draping on the back of the bodice, that resembled a human spine. The look was also a reference to Da Vinci. Her flowy cape, which they call "Veil of Genius" is created to depict Da Vinci's sketches. If that's not art, we don't know what is!
Isha Ambani
Isha Ambani wore a custom Gaurav Gupta look. Her interpretation of art came in the form of a sari, which she paired with a sculpted cape. The blouse of the sari was covered in dismantled pieces of jewels taken from various jewellery pieces from the Ambani family’s personal collection. The sari also featured paintings of the Ajanta and Ellora caves.
She paired her look with an art piece from Subodh Gupta that resembled a real mango. She also carried another sculpture from the artist Sourabh Gupta, which came in the form of a mogra gajra, made with over 600 jasmine flowers made out of paper, which also resembled a real gajra. We love how she was dripping in jewels! Apart from the ones on her blouse, she wore a layered necklaces from her personal collection.
Karan Johar
Karan Johar wore a custom Manish Malhotra look which was a direct reference to the works of Raja Ravi Varma. He wore an intricately embroidered Bandhgala jacket, with black trousers and an exaggerated cape with the Raja Ravi Varma's paintings on them. The outfits also celebrates Indian craftsmanship, featuring traditional artistry like Zardozi. It also brings together art forms like 3D sculpting and quilting. An ode to one of the greatest Indian artists the world has ever seen? Approved!
Taking inspiration from the Greek sculpture "Winged Victory of Samothrace", Kendal Jenner wore an ivory bridal dress from GapStudio, designed by Zac Posen. Could it have been less or "just a pretty dress" and more of the sculpture? Yes. But do we also love the reference and the fact that she did it in a wedding dress? Also yes!
Sudha Reddy
Sudha Reddy wore a custom Manish Malhotra look. Her look was a homage to her culture. Motifs like Palapitta, Jammi Chettu, Kalpavriksha, Tangedu, Surya, Chandra, Kalpa woven into her outfit were a direct reference to her South Indian roots. Don't you love it when an Indian celebrity represents their culture at a global stage!
Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh and Princess Gauravi Kumari of Jaipur
While Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur chose to pay homage to his Rajasthani roots, Princess Gauravi Kumari Princess Gauravi's look was an ode to her grandmother. Her draped pink sari and pearl jewellery was a reference to Maharani Gayatri Devi, given that chiffon saris and pearls are synonymous with her style.
Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh's outfit was a nod to Indian crafts, and to Rajasthan. He wore a Phulghar coat crafted in velvet, which was quilted, and adorned with traditional embroideries like Aari and Zardozi. Both their looks were created by Prabal Gurung, and completed with jewels from The Gem Palace. It's beautiful how they both had different takes to the theme.
Emma Chamberlain in this custom Mugler dress is referencing the "Garden at Arles" by Vincent Van Gogh. The colors, the fringes, the textured sheer detail? Consider us obsessed! Not to forget, she is making a case for colour galore. We called it!
Bling galore was also huge on the red carpet this year! Case in point: this Olivier Rousteing look on Beyoncé. Like many celebrities this year, Beyoncé took inspiration from the human anatomy to depict art. Her dress was made with a nude mesh fabric that matched her skin tone, and was bejewelled with rhinestones to create the structure of skeleton. The already-dramatic dress was further amped up with a feathered cape and a bejewelled headgear. Love!
Sabrina Carpenter was one of those rare celebrities this year whose interpretation of "art" came in the form of cinema. She wore a custom Dior dress which was made entirely with films of the movie "Sabrina". How cool is that! Not to forget, the bejewelled headgear is going to set a trend!