The looks turning heads on the Met Gala carpet

The looks turning heads on the Met Gala carpet2 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleKayla Epstein and Scarlett Harris

REUTERS/Daniel Cole Katy Perry is seen from the shoulders up. She has on a metal and white mask. She has on a white top with bare shoulders and she has long black hair

The biggest night in fashion has begun.

Celebrities are arriving to the 2026 Met Gala with their take on this year's theme - Costume Art - where organisers asked attendees to experiment with the lavish and whimsical dress code.

The annual event is a fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, and serves as chance for celebrities and design houses to go all-out on spectacle.

WATCH LIVE: Met Gala 2026 red carpet

The golden-voiced Broadway star Joshua Henry, took the drama up a notch by performing "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" with a band and dancers on the Met's iconic steps, which were outfitted to look like mossy bricks in a lush garden.

The guest list is especially starry this year, with the event's co-chairs including the musical multihyphenate Beyoncé, actress Nicole Kidman, tennis star Venus Williams, and Global Editorial Director of Vogue Anna Wintour.

Here's a look at some of the highlights. We will be updating with more looks throughout the night.

Anna Wintour's feathery confection

Getty Images Anna Wintour wears her hair in her signature bob and sports dark sunglasses. Her dress is an avian-inspired confection, with a turquoise feathered cape on top of a darker-green dress whose embroidery resembles feathers.

Anna Wintour, the Global Editorial Director of Vogue magazine, wore a feathery custom Chanel confection to her signature event.

Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman goes red

Getty Images Actress Nicole Kidman wears a long-sleeved beaded column gown in a deep red shade. Red feather ruffles adorn her sleeve cuffs and midriff.

Actress and event co-chair Nicole Kidman donned a red, long-sleeved beaded column gown by Chanel. She attended with her daughter, Sunday Rose.

Venus Williams' sparkling accessories

Getty Images Venus Williams wears a black, sparkling gown with a flared train, but the star of the outfit is her large silver neck adornment.

American tennis star Venus Williams, a five-time Wimbledon winner, also co-chaired the event. She wore a black sparkling gown with a luxurious silver, jewel-encrusted neck adornment.

Lauren Sánchez Bezos channels "Madame X"

Getty Images Lauren Sánchez Bezos, wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, wears a tight-fitting navy blue dress with off the shoulder, embellished sparkling straps.

Lauren Sánchez Bezos, the wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is an honorary chair at this year's gala.

Her Schiaparelli gown invokes one of the most famous (and scandalous) dresses in art history: the gown portrayed John Singer Sargent's "Madame X".

Broadway star Joshua Henry puts on a show

Getty Images Broadway actor Joshua Henry wears a red double-breasted tuxedo with silver lapel embellishments. He stands on the stairs and sings as he performs for the press.

"Ragtime" star Joshua Henry didn't just attend the red carpet. He opened the evening with a performance of Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody", accompanied by dancers and a band.

Yes, that is Heidi Klum

REUTERS/Daniel Cole Heidi Klum stands on the white stairs at the Met Gala dressed as a marble statue wearing a veil

The supermodel took her penchant for extravagant Halloween costumes to the Met Gala, where she dressed as one of the many marble statues gracing the museum's halls.

Angela Bassett reigns over the carpet

Getty Images Angela Bassett wears a pink gown with a single shoulder strap.

Bassett wore a pink gown designed by Prabal Gurung that was inspired by a Harlem Renaissance painting, "Girl in a Pink Dress" by Laura Wheeler Waring.

She told the BBC's Nada Tawfik that fashion was integral to getting into character.

Emma Chamberlain's painting-inspired gown

Getty Images Influencer Emma Chamberlian wears a multi-colored gown that resembles a painting. It begins with dark blue colors at the base before transforming into a yellow and teal abstraction. Her sleeves also have fringes down to the floor.

Influencer Emma Chamberlian wore a multi-colored gown, courtesy of Mugler by Miguel Castro Freitas, that resembles a painting.

Model and activist Aariana Rose Philip makes historic Gala debut

Getty Images Philip wears a black dress. She is the first wheelchair user to attend the Met Gala, according to Vogue magazine.

Philip is the first wheelchair user to attend the Met Gala, according to Vogue magazine.

"For so long, disabled people were not represented anywhere," Philip told Vogue. "The thought of even being able to exist at an event like this... nobody even went there. To go from that to now, somehow finding myself there - I can't say how blessed and honored I feel attending."

Cara Delevingne's gown saves its drama for the back

Getty Images Cara Delevingne is seen standing on the Met staircase, her back to the camera. Her Ralph Lauren has dramatic sheer details and a long train in the back.

Getty Images Cara Delevingne is seen standing from the front on the Met staircase.

Delevingne's Ralph Lauren gown seemed simple from the front. But when she turned around, the dramatic sheer details had a vivid effect on the Met stairs.

Chase Sui Wonders' soothing lavender

Getty Images Chase Sui Wonders wears a lavender gown with panels in alternating fabrics. She holds a long piece of fabric emanating from her neck bow in her right hand.

Actress Chase Sui Wonders dripped with diamonds in a pale lavender dress.

Lena Dunham returns to the Met

Getty Images Lena Dunham wears a vivid red dress made out of feathers and sequins.

Lena Dunham, creator of the HBO show "Girls", wore a vivid Valentino red dress made out of feathers and sequins.

She told Vogue that her dress was inspired by Artemisia Gentileschi's Renaissance-era painting, "Judith Slaying Holofernes" - specifically, the blood spraying from the Assyrian general's neck.

Charlie XCX chooses black over 'Brat'

Getty Images Charlie XCX wears a black gown with a floral embellishment on the front.

The carpet might have hues of green, but Charlie XCX opted against her signature color for a sophisticated Saint Laurent black gown with a floral embellishment on the front.

Doja Cat's classic draping comes with a twist

Getty Images Doja Cat wears a classically Grecian dress in an unconventional fabric: silicone.

Doja Cat wears a classically Grecian Saint Laurent dress in an unconventional fabric: silicone.

Sinéad Burke's corset-inspired dress

Getty Images Activist, writer, public speaker Sinéad Burke made her return to the Met Gala in a black corseted gown with flowing sleeve embellishments.

Activist, writer, public speaker Sinéad Burke made her return to the Met Gala in a black corseted gown with flowing sleeve embellishments.

Naomi Osaka's surprise reveal

Getty Images Naomi Osaka wears a white coat dress and dramatic white hat.

Getty Images Naomi Osaka reveals a red dress underneath her coat.

REUTERS/Daniel Cole Naomi Osaka's hands are seen close up in red gloves with long nails against a full white skirt

Tennis Grand Slam champ Naomi Osaka, who arrived in white and red Robert Wun, had not one but two looks. She took off her white coat to reveal a second outfit, this time a deep maroon dress with a lace-up back.

Katy Perry's feeling reflective

Getty Images Katy Perry wears a white gown. Her face is obscured by a mirrored headpiece.

Trust us: This is Katy Perry. The pop star's unique, and somewhat eerie mirrored mask obscured her face. But don't worry, it opens!

Connor Storrie heats up the green carpet

Getty Images Connor Storrie wears a black dotted halter top with a long train flowing from the neck.

Connor Storrie, one of the stars of hit show Heated Rivalry, walked the carpet in daring menswear by Saint Laurent.

Getty Images Lisa, a member of the K-Pop group BLACKPINK, wears a white gown with an interesting illusion: mannequin arms hold up a white veil, while her real arms are free to pose.

Lisa, a member of the K-Pop group BLACKPINK, wears a white Robert Wun gown with an interesting illusion: mannequin arms hold up a white veil, while her real arms are free to pose.

Rose sports a bow

Getty Images Rosé, a member of the K-Pop group BLACKPINK, wears a strapless black dress from Saint Laurent, with a sequined cutout in the shape of a bird attached to the hip.

Lisa's fellow BLACKPINK bandmate Rosé was also in attendance, wearing Saint Laurent.

Zoe Kravitz makes use of her pockets

Getty Images Zoe Kravitz wears a black lace dress.

Zoe Kravitz wore a black lace Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello gown. But she frequently posed with her hand in her pocket, amid rumours of an engagement to pop star Harry Styles.

Sabrina Carpenter brings Hollywood glamour - literally

Getty Images Sabrina Carpenter wears a dress made out of film strips.

Pop star Sabrina Carpenter wears a dress made out of celluloid film strips.

When asked what the film on the dress is from, the Grammy-winning singer simply shouted, "Sabrina" - possibly referring to the classic film with Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart from 1954.

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