“Nipples, handsy moments and cloudy grey” sounds like a fever dream moodboard – but at the 2026 Met Gala, it was practically a dress code. Under the theme “Fashion Is Art,” the expected trends were all there (including body sculpting silhouettes and corsets), dialled up to surreal extremes: hyper-real corsetry moulded to the body, dramatic headpieces, and a continued obsession with the naked dress in ever more conceptual forms.
Then came the unexpected. Designers leaned hard into the body-as-object idea, adding extra limbs, surreal prosthetics, sculpted nipples, facial accessories and moody colourways.
H! Fashion shares the standout trends of the Met Gala 2026: both expected and unexpected…
Architectural Intimacy
With the “Fashion Is Art” dress code celebrating the body in all its forms, figure-baring silhouettes were almost inevitable – but nipples as a deliberate statement moment? Perhaps not. Still, It-girls of the night, including Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner and Kim Kardashian, fully committed to the look, turning exposure into a clear fashion statement.
© Stephen Lovekin/ShutterstockClouds of Grey
If there was one colour palette that dominated the red carpet this year, it was tones of grey. The moody hue drifted across the red carpet as one of the night’s most unexpected colours, with stars like Gigi Hadid and Sabrina Carpenter embracing the palette in head-to-toe greyscale looks.
© David Fisher/Shutterstock
© David Fisher/ShutterstockStructured Corsetry
Structured corsetry became one of the night’s most defining visual codes. Across the red carpet, stars like Kylie Jenner, Doja Cat and Gigi Hadid leaned into sharply engineered bodices and moulded silhouettes, where the waist was less ‘defined’ and more constructed.
© John Salangsang/Shutterstock
© David Fisher/ShutterstockHands off! (or, on)
I think it’s fair to say we did not expect to see as many structural hand-infused outfits as we did on this year’s red carpet. It was a literal take on body interaction, where garments seemed to either guard or grasp the wearer. Léna Mahfouf appeared in a sculptural look featuring metallic hand motifs that framed the bust, whilst Lisa pushed the concept further in a surreal silhouette in which sculpted arms and hands (apparently moulded from her own) became part of the dress itself.
© John Salangsang/Shutterstock
© David Fisher/ShutterstockFace Bijoux
The Met Gala leaned into facial embellishments as one of its standout beauty codes, with face gems appearing across several red carpet looks. Tyla embraced the trend with delicate under-eye gems that tied into her jewel-heavy ensemble, while Rihanna went hell for leather to complement her sculptural, art-driven ensemble. The momentum reflects a broader spike in interest ahead of the event, with “face jewels” seeing a 78% rise in Google searches to around 35,000 monthly queries, according to data from Fresha.
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