The first Monday of May, the widest staircase you’ve seen, a red (but not actually red in color) carpet, almost two hundred photographers and the burning question: will the guests dress on theme? 

The Met Gala, held annually every year to raise funds for the Met Museum’s Costume Institute, was co-chaired this year by Beyonce, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour. Debuting the museum’s new 12,000 square foot Conde M. Nast gallery and Spring 2026 exhibit titled “Costume Art,” this year’s theme was “Fashion Is Art.” 

Vogue’s explanation of the dress code references the “Costume Art” gallery focus on forms, moments and eras of the human body. This could refer to the way in which art history shows the evolution of costumes, cultural clothing, sculptures, fabric and paintings, or depictions of birth, pregnancy, biology, organs, disabilities, age and physicality. 

My initial prediction was to see paintings remade, like interpretations of artwork with literal paint, metal and other materials falling off of bodies. I envisioned sculpted torsos, stone and marble manipulated, years-old costumes made anew and literal costumes of organs (I really wanted to see Gaga in a crazily fashioned and molded bedazzled heart with blood pouring out). 

What is camp in fashion: it’s an idea that comes to life, a dream made to fabric, an exaggerated mockery of everyday norms and a leap of faith. This is what the Met Gala is supposed to be, and no, I am not taking any other opinions. 

Immediately, what I must say: all South Asians in attendance won by a mile. Do not come to my town because we will shut down any notions of un-fashionability or ignorance of the arts. 

Isha Ambani wore a beige and gold custom handwoven sari by Guarav Gupta with her mother’s jewelry sewn into the blouse. The textured, sculpted cape above her head, draping down into the sari, is so camp to me because of its exaggerated wrinkles and seemingly out-of-proportion presentation. She held a steel mango and wore metal jasmine flowers on her arm, symbols of South Asian resilience. I loved the confidence it carried. 

Karan Johar allowed his outfit to become a canvas, telling a story inspired by Raja Ravi Varma (an Indian painter). The outfit was built by Manish Malhotra and took over 5,600 hours of work. The outfit, “Framed in Eternity,” is a short tailored jacket with strong shoulders and a cape, both hand-painted using acrylic and oil with lotuses, swans and sari-wearing courtesans playing the sitar (an Indian instrument similar to a guitar). For me, this was perfectly on theme because no shortcuts were made, and the entire ensemble is a testament to Indian craftsmanship and the art of Fashion. 

Manish Malhotra didn’t just create Johar’s look; he also walked the carpet for the second time in his own creation. Wearing a bandhgala (high-collared) suit, from Jodhpur, India, Malhotra literally depicted his workroom and workers on the cape of his outfit. My favorite bit was the 3D depictions coming out of his cape of workers sewing, crafting and collaborating; he wore his craft on his body.  

Debuting their first Met Gala, the Maharaja of Jaipur Sawai Padmanabh Singh, or Pacho, and Princess Guaravi Kumari blessed the carpet with royalty dressed by designer Prabal Gurung. The princess incorporated an old Jaipur pink sari from her grandmother, the ever-iconic Maharani Gayatri Devi, drawing from the past and present to create a piece of couture. Pacho wore a blue, deep velvet Phulgar coat with heavily embroidered Rajasthani elements such as zarzodi, aari, dabka and resham embroidery. 

For both royals, jewelry was an intentional part of their outfits, with the princess wearing pearls from Jaipur’s Gem Palace and Pacho wearing buttons and necklaces of polki (uncut diamonds) embedded into jadau (pure gold). They were literal perfection and showed that you didn’t have to come up with a completely new concept to be Met-worthy. You just had to have a worthy enough story. 

Bhavitha Mandava, Hyderabad-born, is a model made famous for being the first Indian to open a Chanel show last December after being scouted on the Subway. She’s every Brown kid’s Western dream come true, making it to the fashion stage where her skin is recognized for beauty. Styled by Chanel, Mandava wore a reiteration of the look that she opened the Winter Chanel Métiers d’Art show: blue jeans and a brown quarter-zip. Except they weren’t jeans; the pants were a silk illusion and the top was a sheer blouse rather than a sweater. 

I’m torn in two about this look: for one, it’s a powerful show of the body that gave her her “made it” moment. But I’m also going to rage for a moment: why do we have to continue to prove ourselves worthy by reminding the world of the moment we caught their attention?! Mandava should have been put into an outfit worthy of her courage and confidence to make a new statement: I’m more than worthy. Love you Mandava, but shame on Chanel. 

Special shoutouts include Rama Duwaji, first-lady of New York City, who turned down the Met Gala invitation with her husband Mayor Mamdani, explaining that they would be continuing their focus on the city’s sustainability movement. I commend the strong commitment to values, but oh I just know Duwaji would have stunned the carpet as an illustrator and animator herself. Emma Chamberlain walked the carpet first in a dress of paint (I called it; see my predictions above), and someone nazar’d (evil eye) the rest of the guests because 80% of everyone was wearing beige, white or black. Hailey Bieber wore a custom YSL in basically a lehenga and dupatta, but they’ll never admit it. I did love the blue on her, though (a rare moment of color on this year’s carpet). Sabrina Carpenter, in a custom Dior by Jonathan Anderson, was adorned in film strips from the Oscar-nominated Sabrina, most definitely an iconic moment of nameplay. But the ‘tiara’ esque headpiece she wore screams tikka or South Asian, Arab inspired to me (I’m saying, we’re everywhere). SZA wore a whimsical yellow dress by Bode inspired by Viennese culture, but also incorporated bits of sari fabric. Structurally, the outfit was beautifully camp, with her headpiece feeling playful. 

I feel like I’ve been too nice, so here are my least favorite (because truly the majority disappointed me). Blue Ivy, why were you there? You’re not even 18? And if you are going to crash, maybe wear something on theme (she wore Balenciaga, a white dress with a ballooning bottom and a white cape-style jacket). Margot Robbie, in a light gold Chanel lamé gown, could have worn anything from the Wuthering Heights premiere tour or even the actual set, and she would’ve been more on theme. Hero Fiennes-Tiffin, Dwyane Wade, Jay-Z, Bill Skarsgård, and more, cool people in boring suits. We need to ban black suits (at least Steph Curry added a cool hood). 

I leave you with a question: does it say something that those (I believe) dressed anywhere close to this year’s Met Gala theme had culture and ancestors to pull inspiration from, while the majority of others in attendance seem to choose looks that favor their own already curated images rather than taking a leap of faith to artistically express what the biggest night in fashion means to them? Is the Met Gala becoming Instagram Face’d?