Madonna is gearing up to return to the dance floor on July 3 with Confessions II, but on Monday (May 4), the Queen of Pop brought witchy wonders to the 2026 Met Gala red carpet in Manhattan.
Flanked by four women holding her grey veil trains, Madonna, imperious as ever, walked the red carpet wearing a black outfit with a gossamer, old-timey seacraft fixed to the top of her head. With the veils surrounding her headpiece, the effect was of a storm-tossed ship at sea. Designed by Anthony Vaccarello, it was a custom Yves Saint Laurent look inspired by British-Mexican painter Leonora Carrington’s painting The Temptation of St. Anthony, per Harper’s Bazaar. Centered around the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new exhibit “Costume Art,” the Met Gala dress code this year is “Fashion Is Art,” so Madonna’s campy, surrealist look is right on theme (as she always is at the Met Gala).
Madonna recently teased Confessions II with the release of “I Feel So Free” and lead single “Bring Your Love,” a duet with Sabrina Carpenter that dropped last Friday, following Madonna’s surprise appearance during Carpenter’s headlining set during Coachella weekend 2. The Man’s Best Friend singer also walked the Met Gala red carpet, draped in a gown made out of film strips taken from 1954’s Sabrina, a romantic comedy starring Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn, which Carpenter called “one of my favorite films of all time.”
Beyoncé is one of the 2026 Met Gala co-chairs; for her red carpet look, she brought out daughter Blue Ivy and husband Jay-Z, making her appearance a family affair. To see what other musicians hit the 2026 Met Gala, check out this photo gallery.
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