The Tamesis
The Met Gala always demands explanations, but this year it was practically begging. Inside the museum, the “Art of Costume” exhibition is a thoughtful, almost academic meditation on the clothed body—how fashion has shaped, molded, and occasionally distorted it over the centuries. Out on the steps, the “fashion is art” dress code is something else entirely: a reminder, a courage, a permission to be a little literal. Some guests nodded politely at the theme. Others prepared to hang themselves.
Because if the show is about ideas, then the red carpet is about references—big, bold, occasionally delightful, eye-catching references. Gracie Abrams shines straight out of Klimt Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer Iwhile Rachel Ziegler via Execution of Lady Jane Grey. Madonna didn’t just reference Leonora Carrington – she performed her, entourage and all – while Heidi Klum went completely hallucinating in the wearable. veiled virgin. And then there’s the unexpected trio: Lauren Sanchez’s three different takes on Sargent Portrait of Ms.courtesy of Claire Foy, Lauren Sánchez and now Julianne Moore – proving that even an off-putting watch strap can have a long life. These expressions not only understand the assignment, but also reference their sources.
Photo: Taylor Hill/Getty Images
Hans Bellmer, Lapupi. Seconde Partie (Doll. Part Two)1936, hand-colored photo.© 2026 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: Bridgman Pictures
Cardi B wearing Marc Jacobs – Hans Bellmer sculpture
Cardi B transformed into a surreal fever dream with the help of Marc Jacobs, who had her body reshaped into Hans Bellmer’s uncanny proportions. Bellmer was a 1930s provocateur best known for his disturbing, carefully arranged photographs of dolls—limbs rearranged, torsos doubled, and bodies split into something both hyperfeminine and deeply disturbing. Jacobs drew directly from this visual language, exaggerating Cardi’s hips, shoulders and silhouette into something sculptural and slightly off-kilter.
Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Gustav Klimt, Adele Bloch-Bauer Igold leaf, oil on canvas.Photo: Heritage Images/Getty Images
