The most talked-about looks at this year's Met Gala

It's described as the biggest night in fashion.

Celebrities arrived at the 2026 Met Gala with their take on this year's theme - costume art - where organisers asked attendees to experiment with the lavish and whimsical dress code.

The annual event is a fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, and serves as chance for celebrities and design houses to go all-out on spectacle.

The golden-voiced Broadway star Joshua Henry, took the drama up a notch by opening the carpet with a rendition of I Wanna Dance With Somebody with a band and dancers on the Met's iconic steps, which were outfitted to look like mossy bricks in a lush garden.

The guest list was especially starry this year, with the event's co-chairs including singer Beyoncé, actress Nicole Kidman, tennis star Venus Williams, and global editorial director of Vogue Anna Wintour.

A parade of celebrities, including Madonna, Sabrina Carpenter, Naomi Osaka and Angela Bassett posed for the cameras.

Some famous faces - Bad Bunny, Heidi Klum, and Katy Perry - were nearly unrecognisable thanks to their commitment to the theme, with several stars directly referencing famous artists or artworks with their outfits.

Beyoncé made her first Met Gala appearance in 10 years, and to make up for lost time she sported a monumental look. The creation, by French designer Olivier Rousteing, took on the Gala's theme with a gown with an embellished skeleton design, and added a giant feathered cape. The star took to the carpet with husband, rapper Jay-Z, and her daughter, Blue Ivy, who at 14 years old was one of the youngest guests. The Gala typically only allows guests who are 18 or older.

As has become almost tradition, the musical and fashionable power couple Rihanna and A$AP Rocky closed down the Met Gala carpet, arriving virtually after everyone. Rihanna donned a custom Maison Margiela by Glenn Martens gown encrusted with thousands of jewels and beads. A$AP Rocky, who co-chaired last year's Gala, arrived in custom Chanel. He donned a pink coat with black satin lapels.

Anna Wintour, the global editorial director of Vogue magazine, wore a feathery custom Chanel confection to her signature event. It marked her first Gala since stepping down as editor-in-chief of American Vogue. She has co-chaired the event nearly every year since 1995.

Actress and event co-chair Nicole Kidman donned a red, long-sleeved beaded column gown by Chanel. She attended with her daughter, Sunday Rose.

American tennis star Venus Williams, a five-time Wimbledon winner, also co-chaired the event. She wore a black sparkling gown with a luxurious silver, jewel-encrusted neck adornment.

The other Williams sister, Serena, wore a silver Marc Jacobs creation that echoed the classical art on display in the museum.

Lauren Sánchez Bezos, the wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is an honorary chair at this year's gala. Her Schiaparelli gown invokes one of the most famous (and scandalous) dresses in art history: the gown portrayed in John Singer Sargent's "Madame X".

"Ragtime" star Joshua Henry didn't just attend the red carpet. He opened the evening with a performance of Whitney Houston's I Wanna Dance With Somebody, accompanied by dancers and a band.

Colman Domingo isn't afraid to take big fashion swings, and this unusual suit has costume elements while remaining sleek.

The supermodel Heidi Klum took her penchant for extravagant Halloween costumes to the Met Gala, where she dressed as one of the many marble statues gracing the museum's halls.

Bad Bunny followed in Klum's footsteps with another very costumey look. The 32-year-old singer wore makeup that made him look like an old man. But a very dapper old man, regardless.

Angela Bassett wore a pink gown designed by Prabal Gurung that was inspired by a Harlem Renaissance painting, "Girl in a Pink Dress" by Laura Wheeler Waring.

Influencer Emma Chamberlain wore a multi-colored gown, courtesy of Mugler by Miguel Castro Freitas, that resembles a painting.

Aariana Rose Philip is the first wheelchair user to attend the Met Gala, according to Vogue magazine.

Teyana Taylor brought her fringed dress to life by dancing on the carpet.

Famed Indian designer Manish Malhotra paired a bandhgala with an almost impossibly ornate cape. The cape's design is a tribute to Mumbai, which took a team of 50 artisans 960-hours to make.

The Bollywood director Karan Johar also wore a design by his friend Manish Malhotra. It consisted of a vintage jacket under a hand-painted cape with detailed embroidery.

Cara Delevingne's Ralph Lauren gown seemed simple from the front. But when she turned around, the dramatic sheer details had a vivid effect on the Met stairs.

Actress Chase Sui Wonders dripped with diamonds in a pale lavender dress.

Lena Dunham, creator of the HBO show "Girls", wore a vivid Valentino red dress made out of feathers and sequins.

The carpet might featured hues of green, but Charlie XCX opted against her signature color for a sophisticated Saint Laurent black gown with a floral embellishment on the front.

Doja Cat wears a classically Grecian Saint Laurent dress in an unconventional fabric: silicone.

Activist, writer, public speaker Sinéad Burke made her return to the Met Gala in a black corseted gown with flowing sleeve embellishments.

Tennis Grand Slam champ Naomi Osaka, who arrived in white and red Robert Wun, had not one but two looks. She took off her white coat to reveal a second outfit, this time a deep maroon dress with a lace-up back.

Katy Perry's unique, and somewhat eerie mirrored mask obscured her face. But it opens!

Connor Storrie, one of the stars of smash hit series Heated Rivalry, walked the carpet in daring menswear by Saint Laurent.

Storrie's co-star Hudson Williams' opted for a matador-esque suit from Balenciaga. The real star of his look was his makeup, which Williams said was inspired by the movie "Black Swan."

Lisa, a member of the K-Pop group Blackpink, wears a white Robert Wun gown with an interesting illusion: mannequin arms hold up a white veil, while her real arms are free to pose.

Lisa's fellow Blackpink bandmate Rosé was also in attendance, wearing Saint Laurent.

Zoë Kravitz wore a black lace Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello gown.

Pop star Sabrina Carpenter donned a dress made out of celluloid film strips.

Singer Sam Smith arrived in a glamorous robe, with a towering feathered headpiece that made the look stand out.

The Euphoria actress Hunter Schafer wore a custom Prada dress, which took inspiration from Gustav Klimt's 1912 painting Mäda Primavesi - an art piece in the Met's collection.

The rock icon Stevie Nicks swept the Met Gala stairs in a voluminous black gown with a top hat.

Perhaps in tribute to Nicks' "Leather and Lace", another notable diva, Cher, wore a black dress with a jacket that felt both elegant and tough.

Madonna's nautical-witch look featured a headpiece shaped like a tall ship, an ethereal grey veil, and an entourage of models to help guide it down the carpet.

The businesswoman and reality star Kim Kardashian said that British design duo Whitaker Malem made her orange bodice dress.

Businesswoman and reality star Kylie Jenner's Schiaparelli dress at first appeared to be falling off her. But a cleverly designed nude bodice held the entire look together.

Model Kendall Jenner arrived in a dress that thematically rhymed with her sister Kylie's, this time by Zac Posen for GAP.

Actress Sarah Paulson wore grey tulle dress and a mask fashioned out of a dollar bill, obscuring part of her face.