The Verdict Is In: Our 5 Best Dressed at the 2026 Met Gala
We’ve spent the night discussing the most noteworthy red carpet looks from the 2026 Met Gala. The theme of the 2026 exhibition is “Costume Art” which The Metropolitan Museum of Art shared examines “the centrality of the dressed body”. Now that the red carpet has concluded, it’s clear that some of the looks adhered to the theme, while others strayed. On-theme or not, there are the top looks that stand out as the best-dressed on the evening.
Beginning with some of the theme-adherent looks, Hailey Bieber was dressed in Saint Laurent, wearing a look that referenced a 1969 haute couture collection in collaboration with Claire Lalanne, which famously featured a gilded body casts worn over diaphanous dresses. Gracie Abrams, too, wore an art-forward look by Matthieu Blazy for Chanel that took Gustav Klimt as inspiration. Chase Infiniti’s look designed by Thom Browne brought the form of the body to the dress itself. Ahead, see the best Met Gala looks of 2026.
On Gracie Abrams: Chanel dress and jewelry
On Hailey Bieber: Saint Laurent dress and cape; Balperron earrings
On Alex Consani: Gucci dress
On Paloma Elsesser: Francesco Risso dress
On Chase Infiniti: Thom Browne dress; Marli jewelry
Kristen Nichols is the Associate Director, Special Projects at Who What Wear where she oversees luxury, runway content, and wedding features, and covers fashion within the luxury market, runway reporting, shopping features, trends, and interviews with leading industry experts. Kristen has worked with brands including Prada, Chanel, and Tiffany & Co., and her style has been featured in publications including The New York Times, Vogue.com, Vogue France, WWD, and the CFDA. Kristen began her career at Rodarte, where she worked on styling, photo shoots, and runway shows, and at Allure, where she moved into print and digital editorial. She graduated from the University of Southern California, where she studied art history and business, and currently lives in New York.