It’s the first Monday in May, and for those of us living and breathing fashion, that only means one thing: the MET Gala. This year, the red carpet felt less like a runway and more like a living canvas.
This year the MET Gala was centered around the “Costume Art” exhibition, which explores the 5,000-year relationship between the dressed body and fine art, the “Fashion as Art” dress code asked attendees to treat their looks as sculptural, museum-worthy pieces.
For those of us working in the industry, we know the immense level of creativity required for designers to bring these visions to life. This year, the Met reminded us exactly why art remains in the heart of the fashion world. In a time where AI is rapidly shifting the creative landscape—and where the irony of certain attendees at the Gala can make the industry feel a bit "bought out"—seeing these looks offered a necessary spark of inspiration. From hand-painted masterpieces to sculptural silhouettes that took real designers months to perfect, it was a vivid reminder that fashion truly is art and creative minds can’t be replicated.
While the MET Gala is never without its controversy, this year’s theme resonated in a way others haven't. It felt like a true celebration of the MET’s fashion history rather than just a spotlight on the guest list. Narrowing down our favorites was no easy task, but from our Creative Director to the founders of OOTD, we’ve handpicked the looks that defined the night. We’ll let you decide who has the best taste.
Photo: Getty Images
The Look: A Van Gogh-inspired "living canvas" by Miguel Castro Freitas.
Jamie: “Being very into art, anything Van Gogh-inspired immediately has my eye. The dress is almost a mirror to Impressionist style, especially with it being hand-painted. The texture—between the layers of paint and the layering of the ruffles—is so eye-catching, and the way the paint was used to perfectly accentuate her silhouette is just brilliant. The dress sent a true message: fashion is art, and art is meant to be moved in.”
Ava is a Creative Editor at OOTD. She graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology and now covers your favorite fashion figures, events, and trends.
Photo: Getty Images
The Look: A hand-painted corset dress referencing 18th-century oil paintings.
Nicole: “I loved Sabine Getty’s Met Gala look because it truly felt like art in every form. The dress being designed as a painted interpretation of her own body made it feel both surreal and incredibly elegant at the same time. What stood out most to me was the attention to detail. Every element felt intentional, from the illusion aspects to the sculptural embellishments. It blurred the line between fashion, painting, and sculpture in such a beautiful way.”
Photo: Getty Images
The Look: A gown made of moss and wires, the visual of nature taking over technology.
Nic: “Janelle Monáe is always going to understand the assignment and take it one step further, and as fan and follower of Christian Siriano since his season of Project Runway, I have a newfound respect for his artistry after Monday night. The future of art as it relates to big tech and AI is a scary one, and there’s a world in which a statement look like this could have been executed poorly, or tacky, but this was quite the opposite.”
Photo: Getty Images
The Look: Head-to-toe black leather suit with a matching leather tie.
Cory says: “"This is perfectly clean, it’s leather, and it’s got a great Prada '90s vibe. While it’s simple, the detail in the cut and silhouette makes it much more interesting than just another black suit. I love this new trend of cropped leather on men. This is definitely something I would rock at the Met."
Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty Images
The Look: A custom suit designed in collaboration with Zara, featuring a dramatic silhouette and very realistic “aged” prosthetics.
Alex: “Bad Bunny interpreted the theme in such a unique way. The prosthetics and the ‘decaying’ floral bouquet turned the red carpet into a moment about time and mortality, it felt like a walking piece of conceptual art. It was thoughtful and strange in the best way. It’s surprising that with just a few accessories and a dramatic bow, he was able to make Zara feel that high fashion.”
Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/MG26/Getty Images
The Look: A deconstructed, "undone" sculptural gown.
Call me basic if you must, but you can’t look at this dress and not fall in love. Kylie’s Schiaparelli moment made me realize why Timothée chose the Knicks over the Met, he absolutely could not have matched the perfection of this look.
The dress gave the impression of a garment falling away to reveal the body underneath, held up by a snatched, molded corset that played perfectly into the 'anatomical' side of the theme (if I owned a corset that cinched me like that, I’d cancel my Equinox membership and spend the summer happily, barely breathing). The look acts as a modern Venus de Milo, focusing on the human form as the ultimate canvas. Between the bleached brows and the 'intentionally unraveling' hair, every final touch added to the masterpiece.
The Met Gala is always an experience. It’s a night of critique, inspiration, and a celebration of how fashion is the ultimate art form. For me, it’s a reminder of being a little girl watching from across the country—dazzling, hopeful eyes fixed on the screen, wishing I could be in the same room (or at least the same city) as these artists and designers.
Today, I’m in the hustle and bustle of New York, and the Met Gala isn't just a one-night event in my suburban living room anymore. It’s an energy that’s all around me every day. While the MET can definitely feel like a display of wealth, it’s still a night for designers to inspire the girls watching at home to realize their own creative potential.
OOTD continues to show the real world of fashion—what people are actually wearing in major cities and at major events. I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by a team of fashion-obsessed people who watch the Gala every year, yap about our favorite looks (and the ones we hated), and share all of our opinions with you.
