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Go Inside the Met Gala With These Unseen Celebrity Photos You Missed
Who says you can’t be thrifty at the Met Gala? Just ask SZA.
After all, the fabric for the elaborate, golden gown she wore on May 4 was sourced entirely off eBay.
“We worked with a vintage dealer,” designer Emily Adams Bode Aujla explained to Vogue, “who sourced over a hundred yards of yellow fabrics for us in various materials—tulle, taffeta, silk faille, and beadwork on lace.”
To nail this year’s theme of “Costume Art” and dress code “Fashion is Art,” Emily looked to the Wiener Werkstätte—a.k.a the Vienna Workshop—a pre-war design collective rooted in craftmanship and the natural world.
She learned Viennese artists often filled their studios with fresh flowers, which Emily revealed, “aligned with SZA’s spontaneity and love of the natural world. Her affinity for moths, butterflies, and other insects, alongside her world travels and [interest in] specific deities, played a significant role in shaping the final look.”
Thus why SZA’s look included a floral headpiece and butterfly wings that appeared when she raised her arms.
Also influencing the look, and some of the South Asian elements within it, was a recent trip SZA (real name Solána Imani Rowe) made to India.
Kevin Mazur/MG26/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
“One of the things I laid out during the process was floral appliqués cut from remnants of saris,” the designer explained. “These remnants melded well with antique rhinestones and cabochons from Europe, quartz beads from New York, and hand-painted silk wings from my studio.”
But SZA’s showstopping gown wasn’t the only Met Gala look that featured material from an unusual source. After all, Sabrina Carpenter’s Dior dress was covered in celluloid film strips from Audrey Hepburn's iconic movie Sabrina.
The look, styled by Jared Ellner, featured intricate beading, a see-through black skirt with a high slit and an elaborate, jeweled headpiece on top of Sabrina’s blonde curls—done into an old Hollywood hairstyle for the evening. As she previously told Vogue, "My look for every year has been totally different.”
They weren’t the only celebrities to bring the drama. Read on for every must-see look at the Met Gala 2026…
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Sabrina Carpenter
The "Manchild" singer adhere to the "Fashion Is Art" dress code by donning a Dior dress covered celluloid film strips of the Aubrey Hapburn movie Sabrina. She complete the look with Christian Louboutin heels.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Rihanna
Shining bright like a diamond was the "Work" singer, who wore a Maison Margiela creation featuring over 115,000 crystal beads, antique jewels and other artistic baubles.
John Salangsang/Shutterstock
Emma Chamberlain
The YouTuber looked like she had just stepped out of an oil painting in this custom Mugler design.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Beyoncé
The Grammy winner paid homage to the human body with this Olivier Rousteing number embellished to resemble the skeletal system.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Anne Hathaway
It wasn't Prada, but the Devil Wears Prada 2 star nonetheless embodied the "Fashion Is Art" dress code with a Michael Kors gown complete with hand-painted designs by artist Peter McGough.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Connor Storrie
The Heated Rivalry star heated up the red carpet in a Saint Laurent ensemble featuring a polka-dot halter top that cascaded into a flowing train.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Venus Williams
As one of the 2026 Met Gala co-chairs, the tennis supersrtar aced the assignment of sticking to the "Costume Art" theme with a Swarovski crystal mesh gown and a statement-making necklace inspired by the Wimbledon plate.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Doja Cat
The rapper told Vogue her Saint Laurent silicone dress was inspired by "the way fabric draped over the body of a Grecian statue."
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Kim Kardashian
In keeping with the "Fashion is Art" dress code, the Kardashians star enlisted British pop artist Allen Jones to make her a fiberglass breastplate.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Hunter Schafer
The Euphoria star practically took a page out of Gustav Klimt's 1912 painting
"Mäda Primavesi" with this Prada look.
David Fisher/Shutterstock
Hailey Bieber
Inspired by sculptures, the Rhode Skin founder's Saint Laurent dress included a sculpted bodice made of 24-karat gold.
Theo Wargo/FilmMagic
Tyla
The "Water" singer made it hotter in skin-baring custom Valentino gown as a nod to the Costume Institute's body-centric exhibit.
As for her glam, hairstylist Yusef Williams told E! News he aimed for a "very ethereal, like an art sculpture" vibe.
"To achieve the look, I used the Wavytalk Steam Sesh to smooth out the roots of her hair before going in and defining the curls with the Cool Curl Pencil," he shared in a statement, "and I used the Turblow Pro with the diffuser at the end to lock everything in."
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
A$AP Rocky
Fashion Killa, indeed. The rapper stepped out in a pink wool pink robe with black satin lapels and matching piping custom designed by Chanel.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Laura Harrier
The Michael actress' custom DiPetsa gown took inspiration from Italian sculptors and how they chiseled stone to resemble draped frabrics.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Keke Palmer
Baby, the Nope star looked like a million bucks in this red-hot Prabal Gurung number with matching Prabal Gurung. Oh, did we mention that her Wempe necklace was actually worth a million dollars?
Mike Coppola/Getty Images
EJAE
The KPop Demon Hunters star tapped into her Korean heritage with a Swarovski look inspired by female courtesans of the Joseon dynasty.
“These women were artists," she told Vogue, "the most culturally refined figures of their time, in music, poetry, and conversation."
Head to E! Online for every must-see moment from the Met Gala 2026.
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