Met Gala theme 2026, red carpet live updates: Stars arrive in ‘costume art’ as biggest fashion event begins

If you’re Madonna, nothing is too extra. The pop legend has seven women carrying her train up the famous Met stairs, and that feels about right.

The flowy ensemble includes a literally (presumably unseaworthy) headpiece.

The breakout star of the moment, Chase Infiniti, cuts a striking figure in a sleeveless, floor-length dress that’s swirling with bright colours.

Infiniti was in the 2025 Oscar best picture, One Battle After Another, and is an early favourite to win an Emmy for her performance in The Handmaid’s Tale follow-up, The Testaments.

Rapper Doechii’s dramatic peek-a-boo look is from Marc Jacobs. She’ll have to keep her balance with her headpiece, but that should be made easier with her bare feet.

It doesn’t just look like a lot, it literally is a lot.

SZA’s Bode dress features 91 metres of fabrics comprised of tulle, taffeta, silk and lace. The elaborate work sourced many of its materials from eBay.

They might play onscreen lovers but Heated Rivalry stars Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams turned up an hour apart.

Storrie’s Yves Saint Laurent ensemble featured a dotted halter neck top that cut perfectly across his shoulders to highlight those guns.

Williams chose a more theatrical look with a dramatic winged eyeliner look paired with black and ice blue matador outfit from Balenciaga.

Anticipating is building for Beyonce’s entrance, and Queen Bey is fashionably late – as is her right. Expect her to be one of the last celebs to walk up that red carpet, you always wait for the biggest stars.

As one of this year’s co-hosts, all eyes will be on Beyonce, and with the added swirl of questions over whether she’ll be the musical performer, and if she’ll use the occasion to launch the new album that is tantalisingly around the corner.

Margot Robbie is in a gold Chanel dress with an elaborate train all the way down her back that took, according to Vogue, 761 hours to make. It features more than 1000 pieces of embroidery.

Pop chanteuse Sabrina Carpenter is wearing a Dior sculptural piece that has been stitched together from film stock.

She name-checked designer Jonathan Anderson, who recently took over the creative reigns at Dior.

Serena Williams has won a lot of hardware throughout her career so it’s not a stretch to see her turn up as a prize. She said Marc Jacobs was inspired by statues for her look.

Olympian Eileen Gu wore a bubble-covered dress with real bubbles floating behind her as she arrived.