At the Met Gala, experience is the only look that can’t be borrowed from a designer.
The glitzy annual fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute drew some of the biggest names in entertainment, fashion and culture to the steps of the Metropolitan Museum in New York City on Monday night. This year’s co-chairs were Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour. The dress code: “Fashion is Art.”
It celebrates the Costume Institute’s spring exhibition, Costume Art, on view May 10 through Jan. 10, 2027. The exhibition is organized into thematic categories, including the “Classical Body,” “Pregnant Body,” “Anatomical Body,” and “Aging Body.”
Adrienne Jones, who has taught Fashion Design at Pratt Institute for more than 25 years, says the stars who bring it all together — clothing, fit, hair, makeup, jewelry and the confidence to carry it — tend to be the ones with the most lived experience.
“One needs the confidence, style, and stature to carry the entire package,” she tells AARP.
For Jones, what separates a true Met Gala moment from a beautiful outfit that could have worked anywhere else is the scale of the event.
“This is not just any red carpet,” Jones says. The Met Gala is the Formula One of fashion. This is where the wildest of imagination is allowed to show up and show out.”
Jared Depriest Gilbert, a New York-based stylist who has worked with Mariska Hargitay and Retta, says the stars who land best on a theme this open are the ones who start from the inside out.
“For celebrities over 50, I think the key to a commanding look is leaning inwards and really wearing options that feel authentic to oneself and [comfortable],” he says. “It’s a long evening with 360 cameras, so comfort will be key.”
The details, he adds, are where looks are won or lost.
Below are the 50-plus stars who brought that experience to the 2026 Met Gala carpet.
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