Celebs Who Nailed The 2026 Met Gala Theme & Looked Like Walking Art

Each year, the arrival of spring is underscored by one of the most fascinating red-carpet events for fashion fans everywhere: the Met Gala. The charity event is held annually on the first Monday of May, raising funds for New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Benefiting the museum's Costume Institute, the Met Gala signifies the start of spring art exhibits at the historic institution. In 2026, the Met Gala dress code was "Fashion Is Art" in honor of the "Costume Art" theme, and several celebrity guests channeled this concept to a tee.

The worst-dressed celebs at the 2025 Met Gala let us down last year, but this go around, on Monday, May 4, several stars fully understood the assignment. The celebs who nailed the dress code included Janelle Monáe, Nicole Kidman, and Emma Chamberlain, to name a few. Without compromising their respective sense of style, each celeb earned their flowers at the 2026 Met Gala in dress designs that looked as pretty as a painting. 

On the 2026 Met Gala red carpet, Emmy-nominated TV host Kéla Walker dazzled viewers in a fitted turquoise gown adorned with sparkling silver details. This would've been stunning enough on its own, but the addition of a gauzy side train elevated the ethereal blue look from Jovani even further. Once Walker gave life to her dramatic dress detail by tossing it up, up, and away, looking like a beautiful ocean wave, she completely took our breath away.

One celebrity guest who fully manifested the 2026 Met Gala theme was British actor Gwendoline Christie. The "Game of Thrones" star resembled a John Singer Sargent portrait in a scarlet-red, floor-skimming garment from Giles. Apart from the jaw-dropping gown, Christie sported a feathered headpiece in shades of pink, blue, and green and a handheld mask accessory. With so many elegant details to admire, Christie's red-carpet look was composed as beautifully as a classic painting.

Another gorgeous lady in red at the 2026 Met Gala was none other than Nicole Kidman, whose style evolution is always a treat to see. In what felt like a nod to her "Moulin Rouge" days, Kidman stole the spotlight in a sumptuously sequined crimson Chanel gown. Its mid-length train skimmed the Met Gala's floor gracefully, and we couldn't get enough of the feathery red cuffs, either. To keep the focus on her gorgeous dress design, the strawberry-blond actor accented the look with pin-straight hair and a few pieces of simple silver jewelry.

We can always count on Janelle Monáe for her exceptional dress sense for every event, and the American artist came in clutch as usual at the 2026 Met Gala. Her "Fashion Is Art" interpretation included elements from nature and technology, featuring butterflies, mossy green patches, and steely cables interwoven throughout its sculptural silhouette. Like any great work of art, Monae's thought-provoking outfit from Christian Siriano had us doing some deep thinking — and double takes!

Whether or not you consider yourself an Emma Chamberlain fan, you have to admit that she had one of the most on-theme outfits for the Met Gala's "Fashion Is Art" dress code. Major props are in order for Chamberlain, her stylist, and Mugler, as the social media star appeared to be Gustav Klimt's "Lady in Gold" come to life at this year's event. Between the gorgeous cascade effect of her textured dress and its fringed, floor-length cuffs, few red-carpet looks were quite as captivating as Chamberlain's at the 2026 Met Gala.

All too often, stars miss the mark in little black dress looks at events, but Irish academic and disability activist Sinéad Burke earned a round of applause for her Met Gala LBD, fitted with jet black sequins, gauzy Watteau trains, and a satin and lace corset bodice. Burke set things off with a pair of silver pumps and sleek, side-parted locks, giving the ensemble a dreamy, Art Deco-era vibe that may make it one of the most memorable Met Gala looks from this year.