Celebrity3 min(s) read
Published 13:31 05 May 2026 GMT
French influencer Lena Mahfouf made one of the most talked-about appearances at the 2026 Met Gala.
With the dress code set as 'Fashion is Art' to match the Costume Institute’s 'Costume Art' exhibition, guests were encouraged to explore the human body through fashion.
Curator Andrew Bolton explained: "The title ‘Costume Art’ refers to the history of the Costume Institute."
He added that fashion holds 'the status of art because of, and not in spite of, its relation to the body'.
Mahfouf took that idea in a daring direction, appearing to go braless in a sculptural gown that immediately caught attention on the red carpet.
The 28-year-old left little to the imagination after wearing a Burc Akyol design featuring a sculpted metallic bodice shaped like two silver hands across her chest.
The eye-catching top exposed her shoulders, stomach, and back, paired with a pale blue draped skirt that sat low on her hips.
She opted for soft make-up with pale blue eyeshadow and subtle jewellery to complete the look.
The outfit quickly sparked praise online, with fans celebrating her interpretation of the theme.
"This is fire," one user wrote, while another exclaimed: "Now that's ART."
A third added: "I LOVE this. Like a sculpture," and a fourth shared: "How incredible is this dress. Bravo!"
This isn't the first time Mahfouf has made an impression at the prestigious fashion event.
She previously attended in 2024 wearing a revealing metallic floral bra top paired with a black skirt and shawl.
Her debut in 2022 also turned heads, as she arrived in a blue gown with a daring slit that revealed shorts underneath, styled with a tiara and opera glasses.
Mahfouf was far from the only guest pushing creative boundaries as model Heidi Klum also left fans stunned with her living statue look.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the custom look by Mike Marino was inspired by classical works like the Veiled Christ by Giuseppe Sammartino and the Veiled Vestal by Raffaele Monti.
He used materials such as latex and spandex to give the model the appearance of being carved from stone.
Reactions were mixed, with one person joking: "Heidi Klum found a second Halloween in the Met Gala."
Others were more critical, with one writing: "This is genuinely disturbing," while another admitted: "I can’t move on from this."
Klum’s look is a complete contrast from her 2025 Met Gala appearance, where she donned a simple, custom strapless black gown by Vetements that contained a carpet-grazing train.
.webp_ke6C2y?tr=cr-169.8.1505.1344,f-webp,q-70,w-100)