Gigi Hadid and Venus Williams were among the many stars who touched down in New York City over the weekend, in anticipation of Monday’s Met Gala.
The 2026 Met Gala will take place on May 4, with the theme Costume Art and the dress code Fashion is Art.
While the official guest list is still under wraps, a host of celebrities arrived in the Big Apple over the weekend.
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley looked effortlessly chic in a brown dress, while actress Sarah Paulson cut a chic figure as she joined her pal Ella Beatty.
Harrison Ford, 83, and Romeo Beckham, 23, appeared in great spirits as they wandered around the city.
Tennis superstar Venus will be co-chairing the famous gala alongside Beyonce and Hollywood royalty Nicole Kidman.
Gigi Hadid (pictured) and Venus Williams were among the many stars who touched down in New York City over the weekend, in anticipation of Monday’s Met Gala
Tennis superstar Venus (pictured) will be co-chairing the famous gala alongside Beyonce and Hollywood royalty Nicole Kidman
It’s the first time Venus has co-chaired the famous gala, which sister Serena previously hosted in 2019.
Nicole co-chaired the star-studded event in 2003 as well as 2005 and Beyoncé was an honorary chair in 2013.
The trio will appear alongside Vogue icon Anna Wintour, 76.
The occasion will mark the first time Beyonce, 44, has appeared at the luxurious event since 2016, last attending the Manus x Machina gala.
Nicole, 58, and Venus, 45, have regularly attended the star-studded gathering over the years, including the most recent in May.
The 2026 Met Gala Host Committee will feature Anthony Vaccarello and Zoë Kravitz, along with Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Gwendoline Christie, Alex Consani, Misty Copeland, Elizabeth Debicki, Lena Dunham, Sam Smith, and Teyana Taylor.
Last year, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Vogue announced that ‘Costume Art’ will be the theme of the spring 2026 exhibition at the Costume Institute.
The New York City museum will pair historical and contemporary garments from the Costume Institute for the exhibition, which will be loosely divided into three categories, including the classical body and the nude body, aging bodies and pregnant bodies, and the anatomical body.
Curator Andrew Bolton said he wants to explore the relationship between clothing and the body beneath, with the show organised into thematic body types such as ‘Naked Body’, ‘Pregnant Body’ and the ‘Aging Body.’
‘I wanted to focus on the centrality of the dressed body within the museum, connecting artistic representations of the body with fashion as an embodied art form,’ Bolton said.
‘Rather than prioritising fashion’s visuality, which often comes at the expense of the corporeal, “Costume Art” privileges its materiality and the indivisible connection between our bodies and the clothes we wear,’ he said.
The 2026 Met Gala will take place on May 4, with the theme Costume Art and the dress code Fashion is Art
Gigi cut a casual figure in blue denim jeans and red loafers as she headed out for final preparations ahead of her hopeful Met Gala appearance
Rosie Huntington-Whitely looked effortlessly chic in a brown dress
While the official guest list is still under wraps, a host of celebrities arrived in the big apple over the weekend
Actress Sarah Paulson cut a chic figure as she joined her pal Ella Beatty
The pals enjoyed a lunch in the sunshine at The Mark Restaurant
Hollywood icon Harrison Ford, 83, was also seen in the city
Romeo Beckham, 23, appeared in great spirits as they wandered around the city
The 2026 Met Gala also marks a major moment because it’s the first one since Wintour technically stepped back from one of her famed roles at the publication.
In June 2025, Anna announced she was stepping down from one of her roles at Vogue after 37 years.
The global director for Vogue and global chief content officer at Conde Nast hired Chloe Malle as the new head of editorial content at Vogue.
Earlier in November, Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos were announced as the lead sponsors for Met Gala.
Anna responded to criticism surrounding the couple’s role at the event, telling CNN that Lauren is a ‘great lover of costume and obviously of fashion.’
She said that she believes that Lauren, 55, would be a ‘wonderful asset to the museum and the event.’
‘We’re very grateful for her incredible generosity,’ Anna continued. ‘So we’re thrilled she’s part of the night.’
