The Tamesis
Never one to be timid about her entrance, Madonna made a major statement on the 2026 Met Gala red carpet.
Witchy dresses, raven hair, and seven maids in lavender cloaks, this is a reinterpretation of the 1945 oil painting Temptation of Saint Anthonyby one of the singer’s favorite artists, the British-Mexican surrealist Leonora Carrington.
It all seemed set for a show-stopping centerpiece: a towering tiara featuring a skull ship dripping with tulle and beads. The hat once belonged to notorious fashion editor Isabella Blow, who commissioned it from fashion’s leading milliner, Philip Treacy, who said it was one of his favorite creations. “Madonna wore a boat hat to the Met Ball, which was a very exciting thing,” Tracy said in an exclusive video. “I think Isabella would be excited,” he added. “Isabella will go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in spirit as Madonna.”
Boat caps are more than just a casual accessory. It’s actually as much a part of Carrington’s work as the French horn that Material Girl carried with her on the steps of the Met. She said the painting was an artistic representation of Antony the Great, the patron saint of lost objects, wonders and travelers. “His whole story is about the struggle of the soul,” the singer said. “And Leonora, she saw this as the struggle of women and the divinity of women.”
