Welcome back to Hot Takes! In this edition we are going to be ranking the best and worst outfits for the most anticipated night in fashion- The Met Gala. When dealing with multiple themes, a wide variety of looks is expected. However, there still are many who, in our opinion, just simply did not do the theme any justice. While some of these celebrities devoured their looks for this occasion, others, to put it simply, left one too many crumbs on the plate.
Favorites:
Beyoncé
First up, we have a woman who needs no introduction. In this look she completely encapsulated the theme of “Dressed Body”. Since Beyoncé is a co-chair for this event, a lot of high expectations were put on her. We think it’s pretty safe to say that these expectations were met. Wearing a diamond-crested skeletal gown, which was accompanied by a long cloak, she definitely asserted her dominance on this carpet. This was also her first Met Gala since 2016, and she definitely came back strong and let her jeweled crown speak for itself. And of course, it wouldn’t be a night with Beyoncé if she didn’t make history somehow. Blue Ivy, her daughter, walked the Met Gala carpet at just 14 years old. While The Met Gala is 18+, it’s safe to say that only the daughter of Beyonce could bend these rules.
Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter perfectly fits this year’s other theme, “Fashion is Art”. This fashion moment became even more iconic to us when we realized that she draped herself in actual film. Her outfit even included actual pieces of film from the iconic Audrey Hepburn movie Sabrina. Everything about this look is flawless. One thing you can appreciate about Sabrina is her attention to even the smallest details. Clearly not only does she look stunning, but so much thought went into curating this one of a kind piece. Bringing the art of film to life while also dousing herself in crystals definitely secures her spot in our favorites.
Emma Chamberlain
Our jaws dropped as soon as Emma strolled onto the carpet. If this isn’t a perfect embodiment of the theme, we don’t know what is. This dress is “Fashion is Art” to a t. Wearing a custom Mugler piece, Emma is definitely channeling Starry Night by Van Gogh in this long dramatic hand painted dress. And If anyone could pull off that preposterous haircut, it would be Miss Chamberlain (no shade we promise). We cannot wait to see what she’ll put together next year.
Bad Bunny
What a breath of fresh air to finally see a man do The Met Gala right. Every year, Bad Bunny does not come to play. This year, he has only further cemented himself as one of the best in men’s fashion. Dressed by Zara, he embodied the theme of “Costume Art”, dressed as an aging body with surreal makeup by Mike Marino. Yes, he wore a plain suit, but the portrayal of it is what separates a plain tux from an actual look. This originality and execution is exactly what the men should be taking notes on. We usually don’t see this much effort from men at the Met Gala, so he really set himself apart from everyone else. He and Marino took four hours to display a story of our aging bodies while following the theme. The next time a male celebrity is preparing his next Met Gala look, we hope he uses pictures of Bad Bunny for reference.
Heidi Klum
If there’s one person to look for on every red carpet, it’s Heidi Klum. Klum is known for her out of the box looks and sacrificing her beauty to pop out in these uncanny costumes.
The Met Gala is no exception to this, and this year she did not come to play. Clearly, neither did Mike Marino, as he strikes again on this list, transforming Heidi into the “Veiled Virgin” sculpture.
Least Favorites:
Lauren Sanchez
To start off this list, we have Lauren Sanchez, who is none other than the wife of billionaire Jeff Bezos. Yet, somehow, even with all of that money, she still managed to have one of the worst looks. At this point, just give us the money, and we’ll style you. Not saying that her dress was ugly, it is just far too simple and totally off theme. For some reason, the internet seems to be trying their hardest to back this dress up by saying it was a replica of the painting “Madame X”. Still, that doesn’t take away the fact that she has access to 279.8 billion dollars and wore a dress that looks like it could be found at a prom store. Go girl, give us nothing!
Sarah Paulson
Okay, we understand the message Ms. Paulson was trying to send, but we think that it is a bit hypocritical. Attempting to call out the one percent at an event with everyone in Hollywood who pays upwards of half a million dollars to attend while dripping in the most expensive jewels and gowns made by the best designers. The enemy might be closer than you think Sarah. It doesn’t make sense. Just enjoy being rich and stop trying to be an activist. Not to mention, it also completely doesn’t follow the theme and is just ugly in general.
Cara Delevingne
While she does look beautiful, Cara set the bar so high when it comes to her Met Gala looks that this one is just sooooo boring. Cara typically goes all out, like covering herself in gold, painting colorful stripes on her face, making political statements, or wearing a blinged out headwrap. So, this black skin tight dress with a slick back was definitely a step down from that, especially since it doesn’t fit the theme. This outfit is definitely one of the most disappointing looks from this year’s Met Gala.
Jay-Z
Oh Jay-Z…you know staying home was an option right? First of all, this is the 10th black suit of the night so that’s an automatic drop to worst dressed. Second, you’re showing up with Beyoncé as your date of all people, and this is what you wear? I could totally understand if he was toning it down to let Beyonce shine, but every past Met Gala he has worn a regular suit. Please stop inviting this man.
While the 2026 Met Gala had its disappointments, there were still some who reminded us why it’s called the biggest night in fashion. Some made hypocritical political statements, had outfits that were completely off theme, or just simply acted like this was any other celebrity event, but there were still many people who gave the energy we all needed.
That’s all the Hot Takes we have for now. We can’t wait to see which celebrities stun the carpet next year!!