Well, not everyone, but more than a few stars embraced the naked-dressing trend at the 2026 Met Gala, from Gigi Hadid revealing (almost) all in Miu Miu to Irina Shayk deploying the time-honored ab reveal and Doechii pairing bare feet with a nearly-bare torso.

Lena Dunham referencing blood splatter (in a feminist way)

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At first glance, it might have appeared that the actor, director, and Famesick author was just clad in scarlet Valentino sparkles and feathers for the fun of it, but as it turns out, Dunham’s 2026 Met Gala look was a reference to Artemisia Gentileschi’s circa-1620 painting Judith Slaying Holofernes, one of the most significant feminist works in art history. “I shared that inspiration with Alessandro, but because his brain works in the most magical ways, rather than leaning into the Renaissance garments or the swords or any of it, he was attracted to a particular blood spatter on the neck of Holofernes,” Dunham told Vogue.

Sabrina Carpenter being unafraid to reference (or not reference) Hollywood’s golden era

It’s no secret that the film industry has fallen on some hard times lately, which made Carpenter’s 2026 Met Gala look—a custom Dior tulle dress made of rhinestone film strips from Audrey Hepburn’s 1954 film Sabrina—as poignant as it was sartorially powerful.

Heidi Klum outdoing herself, costume-wise (yet again)

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