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Met Gala 2026: 10 Musician Looks That Defined the “Fashion Is Art” Carpet
At the 2026 Met Gala, musicians delivered some of the night’s most memorable interpretations of the “Fashion Is Art” dress code, from SZA’s upcycled couture to Beyoncé’s return after 10 years away.
The 2026 Met Gala wrapped Monday, May 4, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, with a dress code of “Fashion Is Art” tied to the Costume Institute’s spring exhibition, Costume Art. Co-chaired by Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, Anna Wintour, and Beyoncé, the night marked Beyoncé’s first Met Gala appearance in a decade.
The exhibition, according to the Met, explores links between fashion and artwork across formal, conceptual, political, and symbolic lines. On the carpet, musicians took that brief in very different directions, with standout looks ranging from upcycled couture to character-driven styling.
These were the 10 musician looks that stood out most:
Lisa
Lisa arrived in a sculptural look that leaned into sharp structure and high-contrast styling, a clean fit for the night’s art-forward prompt.
SZA
SZA wore an upcycled couture look that played directly into the exhibit’s conversation around form, material, and reinterpretation.
Sam Smith
Sam Smith chose an exaggerated silhouette with theatrical tailoring, continuing their recent red-carpet streak of fashion built around shape and proportion.
Sabrina Carpenter
Carpenter’s look balanced classic glamour with stylized detailing, landing in a lane between Old Hollywood polish and costume-inspired drama.
Janelle Monáe
Monáe, long one of music’s most reliable fashion risk-takers, brought graphic styling and conceptual layering that read immediately on-theme.
Doechii
Doechii delivered one of the night’s strongest fashion statements with a bold, high-concept look that matched her fast-rising profile in pop and rap.
Gracie Abrams
Abrams opted for a softer, romantic interpretation, using texture and silhouette over spectacle.
Madonna
Madonna leaned into her long-running relationship with fashion provocation, wearing a look that fused archival attitude with sharp modern styling.
Beyoncé
In her return after 10 years away from the event, Beyoncé delivered one of the night’s biggest moments with a commanding look that underscored her co-chair status.
Bad Bunny
Bad Bunny took a character-led approach, incorporating a senior-inspired styling concept that became one of the most talked-about fashion swings of the evening.
With a broad theme and fewer rigid rules than past years, the 2026 carpet produced a wide range of interpretations. Not every look landed, but these 10 musician appearances gave the night its clearest fashion narrative.
