Between her tenure at Vogue and then her long career as a designer, the event has been penciled into her spring calendar for decades.
For the 2026 Met Gala, Wang wore her signature black hue while stepping onto the red carpet, wearing a skin-baring one-shoulder gown of her own design.
The 76-year-old’s look consisted of a low-rise black skirt with a single strand of fabric that traveled from her waistline, attached to a Rudi Gernreich choker around her neck.
Underneath, Wang wore nothing but a black bandeau top, putting her torso and arms on full display.
On Wang’s right arm was a single puffy sleeve — one that seemed to defy gravity with its sculptural ability to sit perfectly in place as she moved up the red carpet stairs.
The choice to incorporate an actual piece from Gernreich makes her design inspiration even more poignant, as the style looks towards the designer’s topless wool swimsuit from his spring/summer 1970 collection.
Though not currently on view, it is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection.
When it came to her beauty, the designer kept it simple and nude-toned, bleaching her center-parted hair a platinum blond and painted her nails red.
Wang attended alongside actress Elizabeth Debicki, who was dressed in a custom Vera Wang gown that looked to be inspired by a Grecian robe.
