Inside the Writers’ Room for Met Gala 2026

I was honored to be behind the scenes in the Scribely writers’ room last night, helping to organize and write descriptions of the looks worn to the Met Gala on May 4, 2026 - the pinnacle of cool things that happen on Monday evenings. Scribely took a big swing by attempting to make this event more accessible. Naturally there’s always a lot of buzz around the Gala. This year’s festivities was inspired by the Met’s soon-to-open exhibition Costume Art, which includes newly made mannequins modeled on bodies with disabilities. Two of the models were in attendance last night: Aariana Rose Philip, the first wheelchair-user to ever attend the Gala, and Sinéad Burke, a person with dwarfism. Both attendees wore elegant, exquisitely crafted black gowns; the third person with a visible disability, Lauren Wasser, wore the other winning color of the night with her gold suit and gold prosthetic legs.

The fact that the event was fully accessible was also hyped up in the advance press, so I was disappointed (as are others at Scribely) that the “accessible” entrance was not the same one used by everyone else. The grand staircase is iconic and part of the fabric of the Met Gala, which began in 1948, but it was discouraging that there wasn’t a way for all attendees to have comparable experiences with the press and the red carpet. But back to what we can control.

The Writers’ Room

For this big swing, Scribely put together a team made up of two hosts for a virtual livestream, a producer, a team of writers, a fashion expert, and a roster of special guests. Google Chat acted as our writers’ room, a place where we could ask questions and share updates with each other and the production team in real time. Most of my questions were screenshots of attendees with the plea “Who is this??,” to which Tara Larson, our fashion expert and Knower of People Who Are Important These Days, quickly and adeptly responded correctly every time (sometimes even when the attendee’s face was covered!). We then passed completed descriptions off to our event producer  who delivered them to Caroline Desrosiers, Founder and CEO of Scribely, Rachel Shugg, research and interdisciplinary fashion designer, and the parade of special guests in the Scribely livestream. 

As the Vogue broadcast kicked off, I was one of three writers who took deep breaths, metaphorically cracked our knuckles, and got ready to write. Like me, Alexa Heinrich and Stephanie Cher each had about a dozen tabs open on their computers. As attendees started trickling onto the “red” carpet, our writers’ room was full of energy and, admittedly, nerves. When planning for the event, Stephanie expected it to be “hectic and unconventional…Marrying the image of the tangible outfit with the intangibility of words became the dance of the day.”

She’s right, of course. Thoughtful, accurate, vivid writing takes time, and there we were, getting ready to write descriptions of multilayered and meaningful fashion statements as quickly as we could. At first we scrambled a bit to identify celebrities, pin down the designers, and gather some of the facts and stories that made the designs significant. 

As we settled into the process, we were better able to help each other out with capturing complex designs (yeah, we’re talking about Sabrina Carpenter and Isha M. Ambani) and share (completely uninformed but heartfelt) opinions about the looks. 

There were some split decisions and some unanimous verdicts. At one point near the end of the broadcast, we were chatting about who we thought best captured the theme of Fashion in Art. A few ideas were kicked around - was it Heidi Klum and her literal interpretation? Could it be Anne Hathaway with her not-direct-but-not-indirect take on a work of art? Or did we prefer the connection between theme and design to be a bit more conceptual? And then Beyoncé showed up, heralded by screaming fans outside the Met. The moment Beyoncé appeared on camera, one writer (ok, it was me) wrote, “Beyoncé. She did it best.” And another, who had been debating the merits of Heidi Klum’s costume, agreed: “Ah. Well now I can change my answer to Beyoncé now that she’s here lol.” To which I replied, “Let’s do this,” and we drafted the description of her look. 

Honestly, it was just a lot of fun. Stephanie described the experience as a “fashion fever dream.” She continued, “Experiencing the Met this way felt much more purposeful than being a regular viewer. Fashion is a representation of contemporary culture, and those with disabilities are still very much a part of that same culture. Being able to broaden the depth of fashion’s accessibility for more communities felt like we were making a difference and bringing more people into real-time conversation, and it felt really powerful.” Yup. All that.

The Broadcast

For the past few years, I’ve written up detailed descriptions of the top ten (or so) looks from the Met Gala. I’ve always worked from professional, perfectly focused photographs in which celebrities intentionally pose to show each outfit to its best advantage. By the next morning, there are floods of images in all news outlets about the looks, and it’s easy to find views from many angles. Perhaps I should have anticipated how the broadcast would be different, but we quickly realized that when viewed live, attendees were either far away or shown from about the hips up. This meant we couldn’t get a read on the bottom third of the outfits; we didn’t always know how long the skirts were, what the pants looked like, or what kind of shoes were being worn (or not). 

We knew Rihanna was going to be very, very late. But we also didn’t anticipate missing so much of the red carpet when the Vogue broadcast stopped at around 8:40 pm Eastern. This meant there were simply just a lot of looks we didn’t see until the next morning. 

This process was an experimental extension of the accessibility Scribely has been bringing to the Met Gala for the last few years, and there was a lot going for it. There were a few things we couldn’t capture in real time, but despite these challenges, we’re excited by the idea of making such a legendary occasion more accessible. That brings me to my next thought…

The Dream

Imagine. Experiencing the Met Gala’s ambiance, interviews, and looks in real time. Granted, these designs take more time to conceptualize and describe than average, everyday wear. But we can picture a livestream or broadcast that blends evocative and relevant descriptions of looks that are, in their own right, works of art with the stories that make them meaningful so no one has to wait until days later to access this milestone in our popular culture. 

Ideally, describers would be on-site with complete and close-up views of these incredibly sophisticated designs. Perhaps there could be options for listeners to get very detailed descriptions of some attendees or less detailed descriptions of all attendees. Describers could also bring the red carpet alive - the setting designed with such care - as well as the interviewing spaces, the frenetic energy of the reporters and photographers jam-packed into aisles to either side of the three-level grand staircase, and the buzz of excitement as a new attendee appears. Some looks take our breath away and some…don’t. Everyone who wants to experience that, in real time and in an authentic way, deserves access to it. 

Our Top Ten

The theme of this year’s Met Gala was Fashion in Art. Some attendees drew inspiration directly from individual works of art, like Angela Bassett and designer Prabal Gurung’s interpretation of Girl in a Pink Dress from about 1927 by the Harlem Renaissance artist Laura Wheeler Waring as a “soft nod to the aging body”; Gracie Abrams’s Gustav Klimt-inspired gown by Chanel; and Jessica Kayll’s water lilies à la Claude Monet. Others were inspired in a more general sense, like Hailey Bieber’s sculptural (24-karat!) gold bodice and distinctively Yves Saint Laurent-blue silk chiffon skirt and scarf by Saint Laurent. 

Rather than focusing here on how attendees interpreted the theme, we’re taking a slightly different approach to our top ten by turning our attention to how diverse bodies are represented and the looks that made us see differently. We’re interested in designs that added to, subtracted from, hid, or modified the human body. 

We’ll be back later this week with more descriptions of the costumes that have created the most buzz, but to begin, we want to highlight the designs that made us take a closer look.

Sinéad Burke in Christian Siriano

Sinéad wears a floor-length ink-black gown with a V-neck and structured corset. The shoulders are layered with glimmering black sequins that lie like a bird’s feathers. The corset is patterned with a black-on-black floral design, and the straight skirt below is also made of scale-like, black sequin appliqué. Sinéad’s glittering silver shoes have bows on the toe vamps. Long swaths of black tulle fall from the back of each shoulder and pool on the ground. As she posed on the red carpet, Sinéad would flick the scarves into the air like wings so they would settle gently as she placed both hands on her hips. 

Her brown hair is parted to one side and slicked to behind her ears. It then flips up at the nape of her neck, and her make-up is done in a natural style. 

Aariana Rose Philip in Collina Strada

Aariana’s long, midnight-black satin gown drapes over her legs as she sits in a wheelchair. Thick, ruched bands create cap sleeves over the shoulders, and the pleating continues across her torso to create an X shape. At the center of the crossing is a diamond of finer, dense pleats. Her black heels have pointed toes and a crystal-encrusted strap over the arch of each foot. 

Her hair is braided to create a star-like pattern that reaches back from her forehead. Most of her braids are pulled up in curls, and some frame her face. She wears two diamond bracelets, a silver-toned ring, and a stiff silver-toned choker with a diamond pendant. 

Her make-up is done in a natural style, and her long nails are painted petal pink. 

Lauren Wasser in Prabal Gurung with jewelry by Megan Piccione High Jewelry

Lauren wears a cool-toned but shimmering gold suit jacket, pants, and cap. The thigh-length jacket has wide, squared shoulders and long sleeves, and it hangs open down her otherwise bare front. A ruffled pocket square flares out of the breast pocket. The brimless cap appears to be soft and fits cozily around the forehead to cup the back of the head. The pants end just above the knees. Below are brighter yellow-gold-toned prosthetic legs with bare feet.  

Five gold and diamond necklaces hang around her neck, and at least fifteen gold and diamond rings are layered on her fingers, including one yellow diamond ring. She also wears a gold watch, and her nails are painted gold. In one snapshot, at least four gold teeth are visible as well. 

Her make-up is done with cool browns, and her long, straight blond hair falls loosely down the back of her shoulders. 

Beyoncé in Olivier Rousteing with jewelry by Chopard

Beyoncé’s body appears to be encased in a glittering skeletal frame with ribs curving over her chest, a spine, pelvis, arms, and hand bones glimmering against a full-bodied, otherwise skin-toned gown. Downward curving loops, like more ribs, fall the length of her legs. A crystal-enrusted cap curves down over her forehead under a spray of crystals that arcs like a sun goddess’s crown. A train of fog- and charcoal-gray feathers is at least twice as long as she is tall. 

She wears serpentine diamond earrings, a heavy diamond necklace, and diamond-coated bracelets. Jimmy Choo heels have a raised platform under a nude-toned, pointed toe. 

Her loosely curled blond and brown hair falls down past her waist, and her make-up appears natural. 

Bad Bunny in collaboration with Zara and transformed by Mike Marino

Bad Bunny wears a black suit with an oversized, silky black bow at the neck. The double-breasted jacket skims close to his sides, and the pants fall straight to patent-leather lace-up dress shoes. Bad Bunny rests one hand on a black, gold-topped cane as he poses for photographers with his shoulders sagging slightly forward. 

His normally black hair has been made snowy white, and his dark beard is now salt-and-pepper. His eyebrows are also white, and his face and hands are heavily and realistically lined with wrinkles. 

Yseult in Harris Reed

Yseult’s raven-black gown flares open over her torso to reveal a beaded, molded gold corset, which has a few black beads for a belly button. The dress’s wide lapel fans up and around the back of the head, down the front of the shoulders, and down the front to lie in a swag across Yseult’s hips. Long sleeves with a row of five buttons on each cuff reach to the second joints of her hands, which are the color black. The dress gathers under the hips and falls in a narrow pencil line to the ground, where it covers her feet. 

A roughly oval, black mask covers her features from the top of her head down almost to the tip of her nose. Single peacock feathers reach from the mask on either side of the nose out and long, like whiskers. A round, petal-like form at the back of the headpiece frames her head like an oversized halo. Yseult wears long, diamond earrings, and her ears, just visible beyond the mask, are painted gold. 

When the mask is removed, Yseult’s short hair is cut into a shaggy style. Her eye make-up is done with shades of gold along the eyelid, raspberry red to the sides, and iridescent sapphire blue along the lower lids. Her lips are a plum-shaded claret red. 

Wisdom Kaye in Public School Ensemble (Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne) with jewelry and accessories by NM3

Wisdom’s black suit has oversized lapels, boxy shoulders, a cinched waist, and pant legs that curve out like parentheses. The velvet fabric of the double-breasted, cropped jacket contrasts with the sheen of the lapels. The cut tapers dramatically from the wide shoulders to the waist, where a wide belt lined with vertical silver wires are encircled with two thin silver bands. The pants have a matte black strip down the side of each leg, and the pointed, silver-tipped toes of black shoes peek out under the pant breaks at the bottom hems. 

Wisdom also wears black gloves outlined and patterned with wire, suggesting mechanization, a high-collared, white button-down shirt, and slate-gray tie. A jeweled brooch on one lapel has a blossom of marquise-shaped white diamonds around a yellow stone, possibly also a diamond. He also wears sunglasses and diamond-stud earrings. 

Naomi Osaka in Robert Wun

Naomi’s floor-length, paper-white coat-dress is cut with about a dozen narrow slits across the bodice and sleeves so red shows through, and what look like fragile fountains of thin, scarlet-red feathers or petals spray outward. The shoulders of the coat swell dramatically up and out before tapering to the cuffs at the wrists. There are six more slits and sprays across the upper back of the coat, and the skirt flares out at the hips and falls in deep folds to where it pools on the ground around her. 

Her wide-brimmed hat waves upward just once at the front as it reaches to each side to stretch wider than her shoulders. Another delicate spray of feathers erupts from the white top, and the underside is black. She also wears red gloves that have blood-red fingernails and deepen from ruby red at the fingertips to burgundy red across the back of the hand. 

When she takes off the coat and hat, Naomi wears a floor-length, mostly fitted gown in shades of apple, port, and garnet red. The beading on the dress resembles a heat map of a person’s body, so some muscle groups, like the thighs and abs, are a darker tone than other areas like the hips. The dress has a high collar and a narrow slit down her chest. We now find that the gloves reach up past the elbows, and her hair is pulled up and back with some tendrils framing her face. The back of the dress is open and laced up, and the bottom of the gown flares into a mermaid train. 

She wears a diamond and ruby ring on one hand and earrings, though the details are difficult to make out in snapshots. 

Jeremy Pope in Vivienne Westwood

Jeremy’s tightly fitted jacket is entirely beaded with skin-toned and black-colored beads to mimic the look of a muscled torso and arms. The jacket has a high neck, long sleeves, and a dramatically cinched waist. It comes to two points just below the hips at the front and to a single point below the small of the back. His black pants break gently over oxblood-brown tipped, heeled boots, and a black sash appears to fall from the back of his left hip. Satin-toned black-on-black stripes run down the side of each pant leg. 

Jordan Roth in Robert Wun

Jordan’s floor-length, sage-gray velvet gown has a high mock neck and full gloves attached to the dress. A faceless mannequin in the same color emerges from the back of the dress at the waist and curves up over her right shoulder as it wraps one arm around Jordan’s front. She braces that elbow with her right hand and touches her left hand to the mannequin’s palm. The mannequin’s other hand reaches up, half pointing as that palm nearly brushes against Jordan’s cheek. The dress’s shallow train puddles behind her. 

Jordan’s long, straight hair is combed straight back and falls down past her shoulders. Her make-up is done in natural tones but with deeply contoured cheeks and a nude lip.