It’s the first Monday of May, so you know what that means: the Met Gala is here. The Met Gala 2026, sponsored by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, took place as usual on the steps of The Metropolitan Museum of Art (or, simply, The Met), where a red carpet was specially rolled out for whoever Vogue’s Anna Wintour approved to be on the guest list.
This year’s Met Gala was attended by plenty of A-listers, by which we mean Asian celebrities. In fact, they were among the best-dressed on the red carpet this evening. There were the people you would expect, like all of the Blackpink girls. Fellow K-pop stars Karina and Ning Ning, both from Aespa, also made their Met Gala debuts this evening. Icelandic singer Laufey and fellow Wasian star Hudson Williams made an appearance. And Grace Ling, the Singapore-born, New York-based fashion designer, was spotted too. But the glitzy gala wasn’t just reserved for Hollywood actors, pop stars, fashion people or tech billionaires: Olympic athletes Eileen Gu, Alysa Liu and Naomi Osaka showed up, showcasing their interpretations of this year’s Met Gala dress code, “Fashion is Art”.
Ahead, see what the most stylish Asian celebrities wore to grace the Met Gala 2026, and all the artistic inspirations behind their red carpet looks.
The Best Met Gala 2026 Red Carpet Looks From Asian Celebrities
Blackpink’s Jisoo in Dior
Jonathan Anderson’s Dior was a popular choice for Met Gala attendees this year—Jisoo included. The Blackpink singer wore a custom Dior column dress made with the soft pinks and the beautiful florals of a painting by Impressionist artist, Claude Monet. (Monet was cited as a key inspiration for Anderson when he presented Dior’s Fall/Winter 2026 show.) Jisoo’s Met Gala look is also artistic in its craftsmanship: the dress, draped in gazar and embellished in sequins, is also blooming with 3D floral appliqués.
Blackpink’s Lisa in Robert Wun
Blackpink star Lisa leaned into surrealism at the Met Gala this year via her custom Robert Wun ensemble. Her look featured a white bridal gown and a veil, held up by a pair of arm sculptures that extended from Lisa’s own shoulders. (Is a wedding on the cards for Lisa and her beau?) Aside from the sculptures, the K-pop star’s dress also demanded a lot of attention to detail: it is embellished with 66,960 white Swarovski crystals. Lisa is one of many Met Gala attendees who chose to be dressed by Robert Wun—and understandably so, given that the Hong Kong-born, London-based designer has a knack for creating theatrical haute couture looks that toe the line between fashion and art.
Eileen Gu in Iris van Herpen
Remember Eileen Gu’s dreamy Iris van Herpen dress at Paris Fashion Week? The Olympic champion opted for yet another ethereal haute couture look by the innovative Dutch fashion designer for her Met Gala appearance: a bubble dress. The whimsical look is made with 15,000 glass bubbles—and if that isn’t enough, Gu’s dress produces actual bubbles, too.
Alysa Liu in Louis Vuitton
Mere hours after being announced as a Louis Vuitton ambassador, Alysa Liu stepped out onto the Met Gala red carpet in a custom look by the French luxury brand. Her ruffled red dress, which features a voluminous tiered skirt, was as fun as the energy that the 20-year-old brings to the ice skating rink.
Laufey in Tory Burch
Lover Girl Laufey embodied a very Audrey Hepburn-esque elegance at the Met Gala (Hepburn was also more overtly referenced in Sabrina Carpenter’s fun, film strip dress). Laufey’s beaded white gown, designed by Tory Burch, features a mini cape and is meant to resemble the silhouette of a cello—Laufey’s favourite instrument.
Blackpink’s Jennie in Chanel
Is Blackpink’s Jennie in her Blue Period? It seems so: the K-pop star opted for a Chanel bustier column gown that is entirely embroidered with over 15,000 metallic sequins in varying shades of blue. As a nod to the 1920s—the decade when Gabrielle Chanel made her mark on the world as a fashion designer—Jennie also opted for the ultra-thin and long eyebrows that were popular during that era.
Blackpink’s Rosé in Saint Laurent
Like Madonna and Hailey Bieber, Blackpink’s Rosé made a statement at the Met Gala with a custom ensemble from Saint Laurent. The K-pop star, who was styled by Law Roach, stepped out in a black strapless gown designed by Anthony Vaccarello, featuring a thigh-high slit and a giant sparkling bird brooch. The latter embellishment is inspired by Georges Braque’s iconic painting, The Birds, which is showcased at the Louvre.
Naomi Osaka in Robert Wun
Eileen Gu and Alysa Liu weren’t the only fabulous athletes at the Met Gala this year. Japanese tennis champion Naomi Osaka donned a Robert Wun design: a white ballgown with slashes, through which red feathers poked out. Osaka’s surreal ensemble, which she accessoried with a matching white hat and clawed red gloves, was adapted from a look in Wun’s debut couture collection for Spring/Summer 2023, which is currently displayed at The Met’s Costume Art exhibition. After she ascended the steps at the gala, Osaka removed her coat dress to show off a sparkling red gown, inspired by human anatomy and covered in crystals.
Aespa’s Karina in Prada
For her first-ever Met Gala appearance, Karina of K-pop girl group Aespa kept things simple. The South Korean star donned a white satin dress from Prada that is sprinkled with beads and crystals around the neckline. Her haute couture-inspired ensemble was completed with a black satin evening cape, making her look gala-ready.
Aespa’s Ningning in Gucci
Fellow Aespa member Ninging also made her Met Gala debut in style. The K-pop star wore a custom Gucci gown crafted with pleated silk organza ruffles that are frosted with rhinestones. Texture aside, Ningning’s dress features a classic red carpet silhouette, with its voluminous skirt.
Audrey Nuna in Robert Wun
K-Pop Demon Hunters songstress Audrey Nuna had a winning style streak on the red carpet during Hollywood’s awards season this year. She clearly hasn’t lost the sauce: at the Met Gala, Nuna opted for a look titled “The Pigment”, from Robert Wun’s Fall/Winter 2025 haute couture collection. It consists of a white coat and a hat covered with what looks like black ink spots—but are actually made with over 15,000 jet black Swarovski crystals.
EJAE in Swarovski
Like her K-Pop Demon Hunters co-star Audrey Nuna, EJAE was also covered in crystals. At her first Met Gala, the Korean-American singer sparkled in a fully-embellished halterneck gown, custom made by Swarovski. EJAE is known to favour a little shine: her silver ensemble also recalls the glittering gold sequin dress she wore to the Oscars this year.
Hudson Williams in Balenciaga
Heated Rivalry actor Hudson Williams cosplayed a matador with his custom Balenciaga ensemble. Designed by Pierpaolo Piccioli, Williams’s light blue jacket and pants are an ode to Cristóbal Balenciaga’s evening bolero from 1947 (which also inspired the new Balenciaga Bolero Bowling Bag). William’s Met Gala look came with plenty of flourishes, such ornate pearl embroidery, a trompe-l’oeil layered detail, and a long black silk cape-cum-train. But nothing was more dramatic than the Canadian actor’s smoky blue eyeshadow, which was inspired by the film, Black Swan.
Grace Ling in Grace Ling
Talk about a casual flex: Grace Ling wore her own design to the Met Gala. The Singaporean fashion designer, who runs her eponymous label in New York, resembled a living sculpture in her silver metallic corset and draped black skirt, adapted from a look in her Spring/Summer 2026 collection. Ling, who was inspired by the concept of “chic surrealism”, also collaborated with Charles & Keith for her unique pair of shoes for the evening. Each shoe featured Ling’s signature silver claw detail on the toe.
Note : The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
