Ten for Ten: Met Gala looks

The world’s biggest names across a variety of specialties arrived at the Met Gala on Monday night, and while the carpet might’ve been rolled up, the looks are on loop in our heads. Fashion Editor Ujjesha Singh (Red Text) and Fashion Writer Lucy Bartholomew (Black Text) give us their favourite looks from the event.

Rachel Zegler

As sincere and unembellished as this dress seemed upon first glance, I think it stood as one of the most elegant of the night. This Prabal Gurung piece was accompanied by a sheer blindfold, all to represent The Execution of Lady Jane Grey by Paul Delaroche. 

Amy Sherald 

There is a lot to be said about this gorgeous creation by Thom Browne based on the evening dress in her artwork Miss Everything (Unsuppressed Deliverance) from 2013. Late Renaissance art has some of the most well known self references so it seems fitting that one of America’s leading painters decided to use that tool to bring to life an evening dress from an artwork that ended up making her the first woman as well as the first African American to win the Outwin Boochever prize. She did the theme in a way only she could have – by wearing what she made on canvas.

Sabrina Carpenter

This design stands out within the current Dior playbook, and we know I scarcely write about fashion without mentioning the brand beneath Jonathan Anderson: it’s a brief but welcome departure from the House’s usual floridity, and perfectly aligned with the performer’s aesthetic following her Coachella appearance. The tulle provides a camera-ready backdrop for the film‑reel appliqués, complemented by Old Hollywood-esaue rhinestone accessories. Most fantastically, the film strips themselves are sourced from Sabrina, the Audrey Hepburn classic and one of the singer’s favourite movies (apart from Shrek 2…of course). It also intersected with another of Jonathan Anderson’s passions, and proved that film is as valid an art form as any.

Image Courtesy of Dior

Karan Johar

When I heard the theme of the Gala, the first thing in my mind was that I would have probably referenced Raja Ravi Varma’s paintings in whatever I wore so seeing Karan’s outfit was like seeing something I had thought of done in a way that went beyond my expectations. Having a blend of hand painting, sculpting, quilting and Zardozi embroidery to show Hamsa Damayanti, Kadambari, Madri, Arjuna and Subhadra, Krishna Shishtai and more is non pareil designing. 

Emma Chamberlain

It was a starry starry night for Emma Chamberlain. The regular was a pictorial and vivid addition to the carpet in a custom Mugler gown, an eddying homage to her artistic childhood. I adored how deeply personal this piece was, a collage incorporating hand painting by Anna Deller-Yee, custom-dyed Stuart Weitzman heels, and her own appreciation for the industry. While she has an imposing portfolio of Gala appearances, this year’s goes down as one of the most distinctive.

Cardi B

The only reason I have her in my top ten is because her look made me feel uncomfortable when I first saw it. After sitting with it I started thinking why and what all it reminded me of and that made me truly appreciate the vision. I thought of Rei Kawakubo and her work, then I stumbled upon the Hans Bellmer dolls and I also thought of the body horror genre (even Mahito from Jujutsu Kaisen and Attack on Titan). There is something about fashion when it is unsettling; be it in a spellbindingly beautiful way or disturbingly gruesome manner or existing in the intersection between them and her outfit lands up in this venn diagram in a manner befitting the themes of the exhibition and the gala.

Lisa

All eyes were on Lisa, host committee member for the Gala - and arms, apparently. Robert Wun struck gold again with an interpretation taken from the 2025 couture collection. The arms themselves were 3D-printed using Lisa’s own, and shimmered with almost 67,000 Swarovski crystals. Apart from being a statement in and of itself, the look was exquisitely visionary to garner so many potential analyses. 

Anok Yai

When your face is art then most outfits will look artistic; referencing Mater Dolorosa in a Balenciaga gown by Pierpaolo Piccoli that was built on a blueprint by Cristobal himself (the 1949 coquillet technique) was fantastic on its own and when you account for the gorgeous sculpturally styled hair and the shining tears on her face, Anok’s look is easily in the running for best dressed. She is the canvas, she is the muse and she is the moment and funnily enough has been that for every Met Gala appearance.

Anne Hathaway

American artist Peter McGough hand-painted this beauty, with strokes so precise I initially mistook it for print. Influence was drawn from Keats and his 1819 poem “Ode on a Grecian Urn”, and while I’m still devoted to Hathaway’s Carolina Herrera look she wore to the 2025 Met Gala, I was quite enamoured with the custom Michael Kors mikado gown. It was another case of trisecting mediums, an outstanding interpretation of a poem written to appreciate the relationship between beauty and art. Paired with a Bulgari necklace that perfectly complimented the neckline, we expected nothing less from our very own Andy Sachs.

Isha Ambani

Another Raja Ravi Varma reference for the lovers of his work aka me! This Gaurav Gupta creation is an ode to Padmini; there was also a mango and jasmine flowers which were all hand crafted from metals by artists Subodh and Sourabh Gupta. A look with layers, structural elements, architectural facets and homage to art. One of the best displays of Indian maximalism and also true to the theme of the Gala. 

Janelle Monae

According to Janelle Monae’s Instagram, the components of this dress consisted of live moss, 8 succulents, 4 moving butterflies, 2 dragonflies, 5000 black crystals, a motherboard, 230 electrical wires, Ethernet polarized cables, and electric server centre wires. If you think that’s a mouthful, imagine how Christian Siriano felt creating a piece to show nature swallowing the machine. I love the meaning behind the dress, and the subsequent activism. 

Diya Mehta Jatia

A custom outfit by Mayyur Girotra based on the Shola craft from West Bengal and designs based on 18th century Baroque panels. A garment handcrafted by artisans that have honed, honoured and preserved the art form and with a base of the most exquisite Kanjeevaram silk woven with gold and silk threads; storytelling and craftsmanship taking center stage to showcase art from Asia and Europe.

Hunter Schafer

Hunter Schafer arrived in custom Prada with a look that lifted Gustav Klimt’s Mäda Primavesi straight out of the museum, and I was obsessed straight off the bat. The young Primavesi is shown in the painting in a white dress, scattered with florals designed by Klimt’s close collaborator, Emilie Flöge. Prada’s interpretation picked up that delicate visual language and translated it into something beautifully contemporary. The edges were raw and the flowers architectural, but what made the transformation so striking was how literally the beauty direction echoed the painting. Make‑up artist Sandy Ganzer recreated Primavesi’s soft blue shadow and flushed pink cheeks, while hairstylist Rena Calhoun treated the hair almost like canvas, shaping it to mimic Klimt’s careful brushstrokes. 

Bad Bunny

No notes - what can one say? A timeless black suit at a black tie event that has been going for decades however you yourself as the canvas have aged. Referencing the aging body part of the Costume Institute’s exhibit and looking suave whilst doing it should give him and his fantastic team solid tens across the board. The walking stick adds an air of elegance and character to the look and it is conceptually sound. 

SZA

SZA arrived in a blaze of yellow, her gown and translucent wings conceived as a living echo of Oxum imagery - a contemporary homage to the Orisha’s feminine radiance. Bode Aujla created the ensemble, piecing it together from fabrics sourced everywhere from specialist suppliers to eBay. The wings, hand‑painted and edged with beaded quartz cuffs running the length of her arms, added a stunning silhouette, and crowning the look was a handmade headpiece threaded with fresh flowers.

Yseult

Someone who knows how to dress and style their body in a way that honours every atom was bound to serve up a delicious dish regardless of the dress code. She and her team absolutely nailed the execution and also honoured the theme of the exhibition. The dramatic eyes, the marvellous headgear, the fantastic proportions and silhouette constructed by CSM star Harris Reed all combined to craft an outfit that was in itself a celebration of body, fashion and art.

Gracie Abrams

One of Chanel’s golden girls, Gracie Abrams, stepped onto the Met Gala carpet in a luminous gold look by the gilded world of Gustav Klimt. Another understated look if not for the brushed gold Klimt was so famed for, but I loved it most for how I immediately caught the reference. The recognition is most effective from further away, where the colours tend to amalgamate into a Portrait of Adele Bloch Bauer. Bejewelled halter neck and all, complete with a Tweed Byzance ring from Chanel’s bank of High Jewellery, the look would be incomplete without a pair of Manolo Blahnik sandals peeking out from beneath the tulle.

Yu Chi Lyra Kuo

A potential breakout star here with the custom Jean Paul Gaultier referencing the Winged Victory of the Samothrace (our second Winged Victory reference of the night!). By making herself the canvas and having the sculptural element on the front of the dress and designing with origami in mind, she added an element to the outfit that would have been missing had she herself decided to embody the sculpture. 

Jisoo

Pink is absolutely Jisoo’s colour, and I doubt there’s a single better inspiration for Dior in Spring than Claude Monet; Jonathan Anderson’s Paris Fashion Week show at the Tuileries seems to have followed the regulars right to the Met. Blackpink star Jisoo wore a strapless, backless column of gazar as the foundation for the look. The architectural silhouette was transformed by dense embroidery that unfurled into one of Monet’s waterlily pieces. To finish, a coordinating headpiece was set with fabric‑embroidered flowers. 

Image Courtesy of Dior

Jeremy Pope

Vintage Vivienne Westwood is always a good shout especially when it is one half of the two made by iconic corsetmaker Mr Pearl. The garment in question – a jacket from FW 1996 – gains bonus marks when one finds out that the other half of the duo is a part of the Costume Institute’s exhibit. A great outfit, a fantastic idea to go and get the twin and just a fantastic way to honour the legendary British designer, the exhibition and the concept of bodies as canvases.  

SPECIAL MENTIONS

Alexa Chung

I of course have to mention Alexa Chung and her gorgeous Dior gown, taken straight from Paris Fashion Week and another Monet reiteration. I’m in love with the colours and, of course, the waterlily brooch holding the satin piece with its chiffon detail beneath in place. It would’ve been incomplete without the  lily-of-the-valley headpiece. 

Image Courtesy of Dior

Naomi Osaka

A woman who treats the tennis courts like the Met Gala is sure to handle the event like an expert. Robert Wun certainly did a number on the carpet, and Naomi Osaka was no exception whatsoever. The balloon-sleeved outer layer, marred and scathed with glittering wounds and spurting scarlet feathers, soon shed to reveal the crystallised subcutaneous underdress. Any reveal at the Met Gala garners interest, but this one was wonderfully biological.

Sudha Reddy (The cape! The necklace! The embroidery! The rich colours! The grandeur!)

Beyonce (The homage to Louisiana painter Caroline Durieux (Visitor, 1944) and the collaboration with Olivier Rousteing!)

Paloma Elsesser (She is angelic and the gorgeous work of art she was in complemented her perfectly! Hundreds of dresses from the ‘20s to the ‘40s amalgamated to create a stunning custom dress with paint, metal and bead work!)

Hamish Bowles (he is one of one and a personal icon and he always looks exquisite!)

Angela Bassett (the reference to the fabulous Laura Wheeler Waring painting Girl in Pink Dress that was finished 99 years ago! The Harlem Renaissance homage a year after the Black Dandyism is beautiful; reminding everyone of the contributions that African Americans have made in fashion, art and other spheres is necessary for we live in an age where certain entities are quick to take ‘inspiration’ from marginalized communities without giving them their due!)

Everyone in Robert Wun! A darling designer with some of the best couture pieces on display in the Institute and on the steps! Naomi Osaka and Jordan Roth especially!