The Met Gala always delivers a treasure trove of content for the fashion obsessives amongst us to pore over—but this year’s edition felt particularly targeted towards the art girlies. The 2026 Met felt as though the most iconic artworks in history came to life, slipped out of their frames, and strutted straight onto the red carpet.
This year’s Met Gala, as always, based its theme upon the Costume Institute’s corresponding Spring exhibition. Titled Costume Art, the exhibition is a strikingly diverse exploration of the inherent relationship between fashion and the body, positing that you cannot understand clothing without considering the bodies that inhabit it. It features over 400 objects from The Met’s collection, and sneak peeks at the expansive exhibition showcase a remarkable mix of body types, cultures, and time periods.
The theme for the Met Gala, however, is a different beast—though intertwined with the Costume Institute’s overall approach, the evening’s prerogative was filtered through an artistic lens. With a theme like ‘Fashion Is Art’, you would expect the evening’s attendees to get a little creative with it, and they hit it out of the park. Heidi Klum is never one to do fashion by halves, and her custom look was a photorealistic interpretation of the 1847 sculpture The Veiled Vestal. On the more subtle side were the Saint Laurent girlies, including Hailey Bieber and pop icon Charli XCX, whose looks were sculpted masterpieces.
Moving from the solidity of marble to the soft stroke of a paintbrush, there were equally as many gowns taking cues from famous paintings. Gracie Abrams opted for a Chanel look nodding to Klimt’s Portrait of Adele Block-Bauer I, while Rachel Zegler’s gauzy blindfold paid homage to The Execution of Jane Grey. John Singer Sargent’s famous Portrait of Madame X also saw a few iconic recreations, notably by Claire Foy and Lauren Sanchez Bezos.
Read on for a mini crash course in art history, where we give you our roundup of the best interpretations of the 2026 Met Gala theme.
Hailey Bieber
Wearing custom Saint Laurent, Hailey Bieber opted for a gown featuring a cobalt blue chiffon scarf paired with a sculpted golden breastplate that took it from couture to a work of art. As one would expect for Mrs Bieber, the breastplate was moulded specifically for her figure, ensuring that it fit like a glove.
Heidi Klum
Klum tapped prosthetic makeup designer Mike Marino to create her bold Met Gala look. Marino used latex and spandex to mimic the lines of carved marble, referencing Raffaelle Monti’s 1847 sculpture The Veiled Vestal. The original sculpture is renowned for masterful handiwork that gives solid Carrara marble the impression of translucence.
Sabrina Carpenter
Carpenter’s custom Dior look was inspired by a much more dynamic art form than sculpture: the art of cinema. The pop icon wore a tulle slit dress paired with a jewelled headpiece and gloves. It wouldn’t be a Sabrina Carpenter look without a touch of whimsy, though—this one features an applique of rhinestone film strips in a nod to Audrey Hepburn’s 1954 movie Sabrina.
Charli XCX
Also in Anthony Vaccarello’s Saint Laurent, Charli XCX donned a sheer black gown featuring a silver resin flower embellishment. The flower in question was an iris, which was a particular source of fascination for Yves Saint Laurent. The legendary designer featured the flower in his 1988 couture collection, in a nod to a Van Gogh painting titled Irises.
Emma Chamberlain
With this custom Mugler gown, Chamberlain paid homage to her father, a watercolour and oil painter, whom she credits with her love of creativity and art. The gown’s brushstroke-like detailing draws inspiration from the works of Van Gogh and Munch.
Gracie Abrams
Gracie Abrams is a Chanel girl through and through, so it’s little surprise that she opted for a custom gown designed by the maison. This gilded creation was inspired by Austrian painter Gustav Klimt and his extensive use of gold leaf, particularly in his 1907 work Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I.
Rachel Zegler
Lady Jane Grey may have only reigned for nine days, but her spirit lives on in this sartorial tribute by actress and singer Rachel Zegler. The custom-designed Prabal Gurung gown was a tribute to an 1833 oil painting titled The Execution of Lady Jane Grey, created by Paul Delaroche and currently displayed at the National Gallery of London.
Claire Foy
John Singer Sargent’s Portrait of Madame X is one of the most iconic works of art in history, so anyone with a cursory knowledge of art could have foreseen a few tributes to the piece during this year’s Met Gala. Depicting a young socialite in a low-necked gown with loose jewelled straps, the piece was highly controversial at the time of its creation—the backlash even forced Sargeant to repaint it to ensure that both straps were placed over the young woman’s shoulders. Claire Foy paid homage to the infamous piece with this dramatic black Erdem look—though it isn’t an exact recreation of Sargent’s Madame X, the jewelled straps and black satin draw an unmistakable parallel.
Lauren Sanchez Bezos
Many eagle-eyed style watchers also noted the similarity between Lauren Sanchez Bezos’ sculpted satin Schiaparelli gown and the ensemble donned by Madame X. For those keen on exploring the symbolism behind a piece, it’s even easier to note a similarity between Madame X’s ability to draw harsh public criticism and Sanchez Bezos’ penchant for dominating the headlines—could it be a deliberate wink to her critics?
Luke Evans
As the only man to make it to this list, you know actor Luke Evans had to pull something special out of the vault. This head-to-toe leather Paloma Spain look in a bold oxblood shade paid homage to Tom of Finland, a legendary 20th-century artist known for his hypermasculine and erotic artworks.
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