Bodies, bodies, bodies! And no, we’re not talking about the cult classic movie. Tonight at the 2026 Met Gala, all of our favorite celebrities leaned into the bodycon trend. Only this time they’ve dug a little deeper, getting to the root of what it means to let your body (and all its parts) be the focus.
The 2026 Met Gala theme is “Costume Art,” highlighting fashion as a high-art form, with the dress code “Fashion Is Art.” The exhibition explores how clothing shapes the human body and acts as a canvas, focusing on creativity, craftsmanship, and artistic statements. It also examines the dressed body through art history, which is exactly what a few celebrities decided to do on tonight’s carpet.
With this theme, we were expecting to see a very body-esque look from Schiaparelli, which Kylie Jenner absolutely nailed. And it seems the Kardashian-Jenner sisters were on the same wavelength tonight, freeing the artistic nipple in their slightly undone, corseted looks. Kim Kardashian leaned into a plated bodysuit, while Kendall Jenner led with an almost “slip” type of off-the-shoulder gown. Between the slew of chest and breast plates and the hands-cupping-breasts moments, the focus was all about the parts of ourselves, especially as women, we’re often told to keep hidden.
From this day forward, bodycon dresses and skirts as we knew them will only qualify as the warm-up for the Met Gala’s red carpet bodycon trend. Breast plates and metal hands will be everywhere this summer, I’m calling it now.
Take some inspiration from all of our bodycon Met Gala attendees.
Kylie Jenner
Kendall Jenner
Kim Kardashian
Lena Mahfouf
Hailey Bieber
Doechii
Heidi Klum
Nichapat Suphap
Sabine Getty
Aiyana Ishmael is the style editor at Cosmopolitan magazine. In her work, Aiyana focuses on the culture of fashion and how it intertwines and shapes the zeitgeist. She is an award-winning journalist from Miami, Florida, and a graduate of the historically Black university, Florida A&M. She is a 2024 Forbes 30 Under 30: Media honoree, and her debut romance novella PASSING GAME is set to release March of 2027 (831 Stories/Simon & Schuster).
