Met Gala 2026: Beyonce, Rihanna shine on the red carpet; Katy Perry's masked and mysterious look steals the spotlight

Met Gala guests from Beyoncé to Naomi Osaka to Emma Chamberlain did not play it safe this year for the Met Gala, delivering custom works of art in honor of the dress code “Fashion is art.”

Beyoncé left the cowboy hat at home and dazzled in a custom Olivier Rousteing sculptural skeleton dress with a cream and dust blue feathered train fitted with a diamond crown for “Queen Bey.” The Grammy winner and husband Jay-Z and daughter Blue Ivy, stopped to pose as a unit on the carpet together.

Osaka stunned in a dramatic Robert Wun white sculptural fitted dress with exaggerated shoulders and adorned with red feathers and a matching headpiece. To complete her dramatic look, Osaka’s hands were dipped in dripping red paint. A similar look by Wun sits inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute exhibit, “Costume Art.”

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On the Met steps, Osaka opened her dress and removed her headpiece for a grand reveal underneath. She wowed in a sleek red beaded gown embellished with the form of a body.

Chamberlain arrived in a breathtaking Mugler by Miguel Castro Freitas hand-painted dress. The star was dipped in a rainbow of colors from her décolletage down to the spiral train of her body-hugging dress with fringe falling down the cuffs of the long-sleeve gown.

With all the fanfare around the “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” Met Gala Co-chair Anna Wintour opted for a cool mint ensemble — not the trendy cerulean blue from the first film. Wintour’s look featured a feathered cape and a beaded dress by Matthieu Blazy for Chanel that she classically paired with her signature bob and oversized sunglasses.

Other co-chairs of the evening Nicole Kidman and Venus Williams chose more subdued looks. Williams wore a sparkling black off-the-shoulder gown with a dazzling bejeweled neckpiece in homage to a painting of herself done by Robert Pruitt for the National Portrait Gallery. Event sponsor Lauren Sánchez Bezos arrived in a form-fitting Schiaparelli gown, which she told Vogue was influenced by John Singer Sargent’s 1884 painting “Madame X.”

Some guests brought out their artistic side as they transformed their dresses into works of art. TikTok followers watched along as Jessica Kayll, who designs colorful silk robes, finished painting her dress in the days leading up to the gala. Kayll painted her own take on the famous Monet water lily scene right on top her dress for the gala.

While her “Devil Wears Prada 2” cast mates kept it classic in black, Anne Hathaway made a statement in her custom Michael Kors Grecian-inspired strapless dress, which was hand painted with a dove of peace.

“She is the goddess of peace,” Kors told Vogue.

Rather than wear art, models showed off their toned bodies as part of “Costume Art” exhibit’s theme celebrating artistic representations of the body. Supermodels Gigi Hadid and Irina Shayk both wore revealing looks on the carpet.

Bad Bunny went full costume, carrying a cane and dressing up as an older version of himself with gray hair and special effects makeup to add years to his face. The artist joked with Vogue that it took 53 years to finish the look. And supermodel Heidi Klum, known for taking her Halloween costume to new heights, brought that same dedication to the Met Gala as she arrived as a draped statue.

Katy Perry steals the show

Katy Perry's appearance at the 2026 Met Gala left everyone surprised as the singer arrived in a completely masked look, hiding her identity on the red carpet.

The event, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on May 4, saw Perry making a return to fashion's biggest night after missing the last few editions. However, this time she chose to go incognito, covering her face with a metal and mesh mask that revealed nothing except her long, sleek black hair.

Fans were left guessing as she walked the carpet, and if not for her earlier TikTok teaser, many may not have realised it was Perry under the mask. She later revealed her face on the carpet, adding to the moment.

Perry's outfit included a long strapless gown with a flowing cape. The outfit was made from repurposed Italian duchess satin, adding a unique touch to her look. One of the most talked-about elements was her white glove, which featured an extra sixth finger.

The detail was a reference to AI-generated images of Perry that had circulated online during past Met Galas.

With added inputs from agencies