After a decade-long absence, Beyoncé returned to the 2026 Met Gala red carpet on Monday night. Given the anticipation around her comeback – and that she was serving a a co-chair – the superstar needed a special look. She turned to her longtime collaborator, designer Olivier Rousteing, who masterminded a custom sheer gown embellished with a literal skeleton of crystals (the “Fashion is Art” dress code encouraged guests to explore the body), accessorised with a shimmering crown and a sweeping train that was dramatic even by First-Monday-in-May standards.
This being the Met Gala – and Queen Bey – there was never going to be just a single look. Once inside the event, the star switched out her Rousteing skeleton for a black-and-nude crystallised trompe l’oeil mermaid gown by London-based couturier Robert Wun (it’s believed to be inspired by look 25 from the designer’s spring 2026 couture collection). This too came with a dramatic headpiece: the crown was swapped for a sheer black organza veil that shimmered under the lights.
Her plus-one for the occasion? None other than her eldest daughter, Blue Ivy, who made her Met Gala debut alongside her mum (a seven-time attendee and therefore a veteran, even if she has been on hiatus). Beyoncé, who last attended the Met Gala in 2016 in nude Latex Givenchy, for the “Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology” exhibit, said on the livestream that it felt “surreal” to be back at the ball after so long – especially with her now 14-year-old daughter in tow.
It’s not as though Beyoncé hasn’t been busy in the meantime – last year she took her Cowboy Carter tour on the road, with hundreds of thousands of fans turning out to hear her perform songs from the record that finally earned her that long overdue Album of the Year Grammy.