In typical fashion, the Met Gala depended on shock value to impress viewers.
In a nutshell: Galagoers paid homage to the intersection of fashion and art, Stevie Nicks performed with a surprise guest, Beyoncé returned to the gala after a decade in a crystal skeleton gown, Indian billionaire Sudha Reddy wore a $15 million necklace and Rihanna arrived fashionably late in a sculptural metallic gown.
Heidi Klum, in keeping with her own bold tradition, arrived dressed like a Greek statue, appearing as if she had turned to stone — stunning viewers in a look reminiscent of works found at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which the gala supports.
The look was inspired by the “Veiled Christ” by Giuseppe Sammartino and the “Veiled Vestal” by Raffaele Monti. “I look hard, but I’m soft,” Klum said of her look, per The New York Times.
Here are some highlights from the 2026 Met Gala.
The $100,000 ticket
Tickets to the Met Gala cost a whopping $100,000 — a $25,000 increase from last year — and a table at the event starts at $350,000.
Met Gala tickets are not available for public purchase, as attendance is strictly by invitation only. The guest list, curated and approved by Anna Wintour, typically includes Hollywood A-listers, prominent athletes, influencers and other culturally significant figures.
Guests don’t typically pay their own way; they are invited by brands that cover the cost of the ticket, travel and other expenses. In return, the guests showcase the brand through their fashion.
The money adds up. The Met Gala raised a record $42 million for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, which is exclusively used toward the museum’s exhibitions and operations and taking care of the fashion artifacts.
What does the $100,000 ticket get you?
- Red carpet entry
- Cocktail hour
- First look at the Met’s new exhibit
- Formal dinner
- Surprise musical performance
- Afterparty
‘Fashion is art’
The 2026 met Gala Theme was “Costume Art,” celebrating the intersection of fashion and fine art, and exploring how the dressed body connects multiple artistic mediums. The dress code was “Fashion is Art.”
Many of the attendees took the theme literally, drawing direct inspiration from famous works of art.
Actress Angela Bassett’s gown was a nod to the notable Harlem Renaissance painter Laura Wheeler Warning’s “Girl in Pink Dress.”
Gracie Abrams wore a gold Chanel gown inspired by Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss,” Venus Williams drew inspiration from a Robert Pruitt piece and Kendall Jenner wore a gown that mirrored the sculpture, “Winged Victory of Samothrace.”
Other notable looks included Anne Hathaway’s Michael Kors gown inspired by the work of British poet John Keats, particularly his “Ode on a Grecian Urn,” and Julianne Moore’s custom Bottega Veneta gown, which pointed to John Singer Sargent’s portrait of Madame Gautreau, known as Madame X.
The reason behind the look, explained art critic Jonathan Jones, is that “it was the dress that caused the distress,” adding that it is ”aristocratically anti-bourgeois,” per The Guardian.
“Madame Gautreau wears a black dress that is almost strapless except for two slender gold threads; money and sex are both flaunted by a fashion utterly incompatible with bourgeois life,” Jones said.
Lindsey Vonn ditched her crutches
Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn ditched her crutches to walk the Met Gala steps in a Thom Browne gown.
“From a wheelchair 3 months ago to the Met gala. Slowly I have made my way back. Thank you Thom Browne for making me feel like a princess. It was truly a magical night,” Vonn shared in an Instagram post alongside photos from the event.
Three months ago, the Alpine skier shattered her leg in a catastrophic crash just seconds into her downhill run at the Milan Cortina Olympic Games.
Vonn left her crutches at home for the first time and walked with a cane, marking a significant milestone in her recovery.
“It’s been the light at the end of the tunnel,” the skier said during a May 1 interview with CNN. “From the start to the top of the stairs, if I can make it with no crutches, that’s a huge win.”
A ‘Landslide’ duet
Delivering one of the greatest surprises of the night was Sabrina Carpenter, who joined Stevie Nicks on stage for a duet of Fleetwood Mac’s song “Landslide.”
Carpenter, who served as a member of this year’s Met Gala host committee, started off the night by singing several of her own hits, including “Espresso” and “Please Please Please.”
Before taking the stage, Carpenter arrived in a custom Dior gown made entirely from vintage film strips from the 1954 film “Sabrina,” paying homage to its star, Audrey Hepburn.
A party crasher with a cause
New York City police arrested a protester accused of jumping a barricade at the Met Gala, who observers identified as Chris Smalls, a labor activist who co-founded the Amazon Labor Union.
The NYPD did not identify the activist, describing him as a “disorderly male,” per The Independent.
“A 37-year-old male was taken into custody and charges are pending at this time,” a police spokesperson added.
The activist’s barricade jump is the latest move in a wave of protests against the event, which were sparked by the fact that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sánchez, served as lead sponsors and honorary chairs of the gala.
Some attendees didn’t mind billionaire Bezos’ involvement. The Rev. Al Sharpton said billionaires on the guest list are the norm.
“There have always been billionaires here,” Sharpton said, per The Associated Press. “I may not agree with everything Bezos does, but do I abandon Beyoncé and Venus Williams?”
He added that the gala “brings a cultured meeting space” for guests who have not met yet.