The Standout Met Gala 2026 Looks From Your Favourite Asian Stars

This year, 'Fashion Is Art' was the dress code. Blackpink, Aespa, and more understood the assignment

The first Monday of May carries a certain sacredness within the fashion world. It is, after all, the day of the Met Gala. For 2026, the museum’s Costume Institute has chosen Costume Art as its spring exhibition theme, tracing the dressed body across artworks that have spanned thousands of years. On the carpet, inspiration was taken from the dress code, “Fashion Is Art,” where guests paid homage to art history in varying degrees of literalness and abstraction.

Among the many interpretations, a number of Asian celebrities arrived at the gala with a mission to mesmerise in custom looks and avant-garde couture. Jennie Kim returned with the assurance of a Met regular, her long-running partnership with Chanel manifesting in a glimmering icy-blue dress made up of 15,000 sequins. Lisa Manobal arrived in a custom gown by Robert Wun with a dramatic Swarovski-dotted veil hanging over the star, upheld by a 3D-printed version of Manobal’s own arms. Meanwhile, Rosé continued her ambassadorship with Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, taking to the carpet in a strapless gown with a thigh-high slit.

There were plenty of debuts to dissect as well. Rounding off the Blackpink quartet, Jisoo made her first appearance at the Met Gala with Dior, in a glittering pink floral dress reminiscent of Monet paintings. Karina and Ninging of Aespa joined their K-pop cohorts in Prada and Gucci, respectively. While Ningning made a splash in a theatrical custom Gucci look, Karina opted to bring in influences from Korea’s traditional Hanbok for her white Prada gown.

Ahead, all the best looks from Asian stars.