The Stupidest Night in Fashion

Is it high fashion, Halloween, or the Amazonification of the Met Gala? Let’s be the unqualified judges.

By Claire Guinan  |  May 5, 2026 | 1:40pm
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The Stupidest Night in Fashion

Last night, as I watched from my phone while the brightest stars ascended the steps of the Met for this “the biggest night in fashion,” something felt…off. The annual event has exploded over the past decade, which is great, in theory, that a fundraiser for a beloved institution commands this much attention. But this year, I found myself less impressed by the whole production. Maybe it’s the looming presence of Jeff Bezos’s thumb over one of our beloved cultural traditions, or the impossible to ignore wealth gap that has only worsened under his reign as richest rich guy. Or perhaps my frontal lobe has developed enough to realize that #MetMonday doesn’t hit quite as hard as it did back when Twitter was still good, and before Beyonce was rubbing elbows with the Kushners. Most likely, a combination of all three.

As Lauren Sanchez Bezos walked the carpet to the sounds of muffled protesters, tensions were understandably high, and midway through the spectacle, a protester broke through the barricade and onto the carpet in front of Julianne Moore and Tom Ford. The scene confirmed something we’ve perhaps always known about the Met Gala: watching obscene displays of wealth gets a lot less entertaining when most working people are struggling to stay afloat, and when the event’s bajillionaire sponsor doesn’t allow his employees to take restroom breaks.

But that didn’t stop us from getting a proper dose of stupid! Bad Bunny arrived as an old man, Sarah Paulson arrived blindfolded with a dollar bill, Heidi Klum arrived as…Heidi Klum, and at some point, a humanoid robot joined the fun. Is it high fashion, Halloween, or the Amazonification of the Met Gala? Let’s be the unqualified judges. Without further ado, here are the stupidest highlights from this cursed night in fashion history.

Bad Bunny showed up old

“Who is that? Is that Bad Bunny? Why did he show up old?” was my exact thought process upon seeing this look. This makeup choice is a reference to a section of the new exhibit called The Aging Body,” (get it?), and he joked that it took his makeup artist “about 53 years” to do the look. He paired the makeup look with a black Zara suit (re: Amazon-ification of the Met Gala), and he also had an awkward run-in with Kris Jenner, his ex Kendall Jenner’s mom, who looked very confused about who exactly she was hugging.

Sarah Paulson’s protest attempt

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Paulson wore a grey tulle gown by Matières Fécales, complete with a “Blinded by Money” leather mask. “The collection was a reflection of the greed and corruption that comes with extreme power,” said designer Fécales, but before Paulson even stepped off the carpet, people were already calling her tone-deaf. Here’s yet another example of why protesting the Met as an attendee will never quite land the way it’s intended, much like AOC’s “Tax the Rich” dress at the 2021 Met.

Hudson William’s Euphoria makeup

The “Let’s just throw on some crazy makeup and call it a look” Award goes to Hudson Williams! He said he was going for a “White Swan/Black Swan” look, but maybe he’s just doing the Euphoria thing five years too late. 

Nicole Kidman’s thoughts on red

Nicole Kidman, a co-chair of this year’s event, wore a striking ruby-red gown by Chanel and said of the look, “I wanted something red, because I wanted to embrace the way in which red has been used in art through the years.” Profound stuff.

Heidi Klum was…Heidi Klum

The theme for this year’s fashion exhibition was Costume Art, so naturally, you’d invite the queen of the costumes, Heidi Klum. Klum is known for her serious commitment to her Halloween looks (last year she was a terrifying goblin-like Medusa), and this year’s Met was no exception. She arrived dressed like a marble statue, in her signature style that covers everything but the whites of her eyes!

Katy Perry had 6 fingers

@katyperrythe one that got away?♬ The One That Got Away – Katy Perry

Perry walked the carpet with a cyborg mask and white gloves…with a twist! The right glove had six fingers, a nod towards AI’s struggle to generate accurate fingers/hands, which is fitting since Perry has the personality of someone who talks to ChatGPT about their feelings, plus she loves attending tech conferences.

And finally…the Alexander Wang humanoid robot

As stars filtered out of the Mark Hotel to pose for photographers before heading to the Met, the Alexander Wang robot strutted out of the lobby and stole the show as photographers shouted “over here!” and “turn right!” trying to get its attention. It doesn’t even matter why a robot was there at this point. This is just the world now. We’ve officially reached peak stupid. Great work, guys.

Of course, I’m not a total hater. I also have the capacity to like dresses—like the looks of Cardi B, Anok Yai, Emma Chamberlain, Yseult, and Madonna, to name a few. I also approve of Sabrina Carpenter saying her favorite movie is Shrek 2, and of course, the bathroom selfies. But the rest of them are still in hot water, unlike man-of-the-people, Timothee Chalamet, who did, in fact, attend the Knicks game instead. 

 
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