Fashion may have taken centre stage at the Met Gala 2026, but honestly, it’s the accessories that were strikingly unhinged and took the looks a notch above. With the theme being Costume Art and the dress code Fashion is Art, it was practically an open invitation for the guests to push boundaries. It is fashion’s most chaotic and extra night of the year, and the museum’s steps always serve as a runway for wearable sculptures, maximal art and dramatic couture. This year was no different! While many looks fell flat, others stole the spotlight and sparked conversations.
Accessories are always those unexpected extras that transcend from mere finishing touches to full-blown plot twists, delivering unmissable moments. And the Met Gala was no exception. While the outfits did a lot of the heavy lifting, we couldn’t help notice the other elements that stitched up the looks together. Think headpieces that demand attention, jewellery that looks like it belongs in a museum, avant-garde bags and other statement pieces.
Here are the quirkiest accessories that caught our eye at the Met Gala 2026
Accessories at the Met Gala are never just an afterthought. They’re essentially part of the whole artistic vision of a look. Staying true to this year’s dress code and theme, many such accessories turned heads on the carpet and made us look twice.
Isha Ambani’s mango sculpture
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To complete the look and piece it all together perfectly, Isha Ambani carried a 20-year-old Subodh Gupta steel mango sculpture inside a custom crochet bag by 3.10 by Guggi. As Anaita Shroff Adajania mentions in her Instagram post’s caption, “it was a symbolic nod to her heritage and a literal embodiment of art in hand.”
A$AP Rocky’s pomegranate bag
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A$AP Rocky showed up in a custom Chanel look by Matthieu Blazy. His ensemble was complemented by Chanel’s high jewellery pieces and an adorable pomegranate bag.
Madonna’s headpiece and horn
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For her look inspired by Leonora Carrington’s painting The Temptation of Saint Anthony (1945), Madonna worked with Saint Laurent’s Anthony Vaccarello on the gown. She accessorised it with a ship headpiece with a billowing veil around it, and also carried a golden horn to complete the vision.
Sarah Paulson’s money mask
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Actress Sarah Paulson took a political route for her Matières Fécales (faecal matter) Destroyed Tulle Debutante Ballgown with a ‘Blinded by Money’ leather mask. It was a reflection of how extreme power leads to greed and corruption.
Sabrina Harrison’s heart bag
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Archival fashion collector and philanthropist Sabrina Harrison walked the MET steps carrying a beating heart jewellery bag by Chrishabana to complement her Jean Paul Gaultier look. As quoted in the Instagram post’s caption, “the piece reimagines Frida Kahlo’s iconic symbolism through the lens of their shared Mexican heritage—transforming the heart into a living object that blurs jewelry, sculpture, and machine.”
The design was brought to life by robotics and fashion engineering specialist Cameron Hughes. Additionally, Sabrina also had her excessively long hair braided and flung around her arms as an accessory.
Ananya Birla’s face mask
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Complementing Ananya Birla’s Robert Wun look is a stainless steel Subodh Gupta mask. It’s been imagined as both a disguise and a visage of foreboding strength.
María Zardoya with her porcelain doll
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As a child, singer, songwriter and musician María Zardoya was often called ‘the little porcelain doll’ by her cousins and aunt. They would dress her up, and she’d love it. For the Met Gala 2026, she decided to dress as her younger, porcelain doll self and also carried one in her arms.
Gwendoline Christie’s handheld mirror mask
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The Game of Thrones and Wednesday star stepped onto the Met Gala 2026 carpet wearing a Giles Deacon gown that was perfectly accessorised with a feather headpiece and a handheld Gillian Wearing mirror mask, the latter featuring her face on it.
(Hero Image: Courtesy Gaurav Gupta/Instagram; Saint Laurent; Matières Fécales/Instagram; Featured Image: Courtesy Saint Laurent)
Note : The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.