Met Gala 2026: Art-Inspired Looks From Sam Smith, Sabrina Carpenter and Rosé

The 2026 Met Gala opened Monday at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York under the exhibition theme ‘Costume Art,’ with the dress code asking attendees to treat fashion as literal art — and several prominent guests delivered interpretations that drew directly from the visual and cinematic canon.

The Details

The annual fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute returned May 4 with an exhibition titled ‘Costume Art’ and a corresponding dress code of ‘Fashion Is Art.’ The event also marked the debut of the Costume Institute’s new 12,000-square-foot Condé Nast Galleries, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. Yahoo’s live coverage noted that the gala functions as the annual fundraiser for the Costume Institute.

Context

According to The Hollywood Reporter, its best-looks roundup framed the evening around attendees who took the ‘Fashion Is Art’ brief as a direct invitation to channel artistic and cinematic references into their red-carpet ensembles. The Hollywood Reporter published its standout-looks coverage on May 5.

Sam Smith, who served on the 2026 host committee alongside Sabrina Carpenter, wore a custom Christian Cowan look built around a cocoon coat embellished with more than 230,000 crystals and beads. The Hollywood Reporter reported that the design required 800 hours of handcraft by 45 artisans and drew on the work of Art Deco artist Erté.

Sabrina Carpenter, also a host committee member, appeared in a Dior halter gown crafted by Jonathan Anderson largely from strips of black-and-white film drawn from the 1954 movie ‘Sabrina.’ The Hollywood Reporter, the Los Angeles Times, and Yahoo all described the dress as made from literal film tied to the film of the same name. On the red carpet, Carpenter told reporters that ‘Sabrina’ is one of her favorite films of all time.

The Guardian reported that this year’s host committee was led by Anthony Vaccarello and Zoë Kravitz, with Carpenter and Smith listed among its members.

Rosé, identified by the Los Angeles Times in its red-carpet roundup, wore a Saint Laurent dress featuring a high slit. The Los Angeles Times included her look in its Met Gala red-carpet coverage alongside Carpenter and Smith.

What's Next

The ‘Costume Art’ exhibition is now open to the public in the Costume Institute’s newly expanded Condé Nast Galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.