Courtesy of Juan Avelar for DND Nails, @tombachik, Getty ImagesSave this storySave this story
Sure, the Met Gala is a night for fashion, but this year we saw more major nail-art moments from celebrity attendees than ever before.
It’s not entirely unsurprising. The “Fashion Is Art” theme—which highlighted the intersection of fashion, art, and the human body—felt both vague and oddly specific, resulting in a large range of outfit choices, from the snoozy to the downright strange. What the stars seemed most confident doing, however, was using their nails as tiny little canvases on which to push this idea that fashion, and by association beauty, as an art form.
The nail art of the night reflected all of our favorite trends right now, from gems and French manicures to flowers and 3-dimensional designs. And our favorite looks of the night often reflected actual pieces of art. Take, for example, Naomi Watts’s set, created by Iram Shelton, featuring 30 3D flowers. The design served as an extension of Watts’s detailed Dior gown, which was inspired by “A Vase of Flowers” by Margareta Haverman.
Other guests tapped into the idea of the body as a painter’s canvas, like Emma Chamberlain’s brush-stroke designs (by Tom Bachik), and Ashley Graham and Tessa Thompson’s spray-painted finger tips. And while these manicures could be seen from the top of the Met’s staircase, some of the coolest designs of the night were made to be admired up close. Sabrina Carpenter’s French tips by Zola Ganzorigt are the perfect example. Instead of polish, Ganzorigt used film strips from the 1954 film Sabrina for the tips of the nails—the same strips that made up her custom Dior gown by Jonathan Anderson.
Luckily, there’s no need to squint, zoom, or turn up the brightness of your phone, because we rounded up the best Met Gala 2026 nail-art moments in one place—and close-up so you can admire every little amazing detail. Because if we learn one thing during the first Monday in May year after year, it’s that nails are never an afterthought for celebrities and their glam teams.
Sabrina Carpenter's Film Strip French Tips
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Made up of actual strips of film from the movie, Carpenter's Dior by Jonathon Anderson dress paid homage to Audrey Hepburn's 1954 film Sabrina. But the reference didn't stop there. Carpenter's French manicure, dreamed up by Zola Ganzorigt, mirrored the colors and glossy finish of the dress material. To mimic the film's perforated edies, Ganzorigt painted tiny vertical lines on black tips, then topping the entire set off with OPI’s nearly released Chrome Powder in the shade Tin Man Can Glaze for that high-shine effect.
Naomi Watt's 3D Flower Nails
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Naomi Watts’s 3D flower nails were as breathtaking as her Dior gown, which was inspired by an 18th century painting by Dutch artist Margareta Haverman called "A Vase of Flowers." Created by London-based nail artist Iram Shelton, Watts' manicure featured a base of OPI Nail Lacquer in Lady in Black and various other OPI shades for the 30 bite-size blooms. The bouquet of colorful flowers took Shelton five hours to complete, using molding gel and gradients of color to create realistic-looking petals.
Emma Chamberlain's Brush-Stroke 2026 Met Gala Nails
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Bachik turned Chamberlain's nails into 10 teeny-tiny pantings for the night. His aim? For the manicure to be a continuum of her hand-painted custom Mugler by Miguel Castro Freitas gown.
Just as the dress features a mixed color palette, so did the nails with Bachik using Aprés Nail shades in Forever Marigold, Glassea Eyed, Brickhouse, You’re Pretty Grape, Aquarius Rising, and Monstera Ball. Eight of her fingers got the Pollock-like brushstrokes. On the remaining two fingers, Bachik mirrored the white floral swirls of Chamberlain’s neck and chest bodice.
Lisa's Icy 2026 Met Gala Nails
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The Blackpink singer gave her manicure the same attention and detail as the rest of her incredible Robert Wun-designed gown. She also added the same amount of bling as her 50-carat oval cabochon sapphire Bulgari necklace. “I wanted the nails to feel like an accessory as well as an extension of the costume,” New York City-based nail artist Juan Alvear says. “We took the classic idea of bejeweling the nails and gave them a frostbitten twist,” Alvear added.
To create the icy set, Alvear used KISS Embellished Press On Nails, layering on diamond and sapphire flat-back jewels. After applying each crystal, Alvear “glazed over [each nail] with a building gel and top coat.” The layers of jewels were complete with frosted tips, giving the set a chilly finish. Alvear applied these “fine particles in layers and sealed them into the nail, giving it that frozen-over effect.” Finally, the team added iridescent flecks over her fingers and hands to create the effect of crushed ice.
Tyla’s Feathered Manicure at the 2026 Met Gala
Courtesy of Coca Michelle/OPI
Complementing Tyla's ornate Met Gala gown, nail artist Coco Michelle created one of the most impressive manicures of the year. Using bridge stiletto extensions, Michelle added feather details along the nails by cutting into the nail on both side . She used the OPI shade Alpine Snow for the white base and Baby Tee-L for the teal coloring, finishing off with a centerpiece of rhinestone appliqués. Then, Michelle used the OPI shade Strawberry Margarita along the underside of each nail. The result was a colorful, peacock-like effect that we're still not over.
Naomi Osaka’s Crimson Extensions at the 2026 Met Gala
Courtesy of Juan Avlear for DND Gel
Osaka's XL extensions and sheer crimson gloves serves as a continuation of the beautiful curves of her Robert Wun gown. "We built the design onto gloves to extend her silhouette down to the fingertips,” explains nail artist Juan Avlear. The design was created using long stiletto tips, with DND’s 9D Cateye Glassball in Feisty Paws as the base and the DND Cateye Magnet to pull the pigment into a center flame shape. Next, Avlear uses DND Black Gel Art Liner to refine the flame detailing before applying Red Chrome Powder in gradients on top to add depth and dimension. A high-shine top coat sealed the fiery design in place.
Ashley Graham's Chrome Digits at the 2026 Met Gala
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Why stop at the nails for a night like the Met? Graham’s manicure was a collaboration between manicurist Dawn Sterling and makeup artist Kabuki. Sterling started by adding a bold chrome metallic effect to each nail, before Kabuki carefully painted each of Graham’s fingers silver, brushing upwards to achieve a gradient, spray-painted effect. Finally, Sterling went back onto each nail and painted a little more of the metallic silver to blend the finger and nail together seamlessly.
Janelle Monáe’s Kitchen-Sink Manicure at the 2026 Met Gala
Janelle Monáe attends the 2026 Met Gala celebrating "Costume Art" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 04, 2026.Getty Images
For Janelle Monae, nail artist Angie Aguirre created the kind of manicure that every time you look at it, you notice more elements. Teaming up with Christian Siriano, Monáe’s Met Gala dress featured animatronic butterflies and electric cables nestled among moss, flowers, and pieces of circuit boards, and Aguirre made sure Monae's nails had a similar everything-but-the-kitchen-sink feel.
A metallic base color runs throughout the set, on top of which sat various 3D features like flowers, bits of moss, an SD card, and metallic cords emulating the electric cables. The animatronic butterflies were even mirrored in the manicure in the form of an itty-bitty fidget spinner on one of the nails.
Tessa Thompson’s Dripping Cobalt 2026 Met Gala Nails
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Another manicure that was an actual piece of art, was Tessa Thompson’s drip manicure designed nail artist extraordinaire Mei Kawajiri. To mirror Thompson's custom cobalt Valentino gown, the manicurist broke out almond-shaped press-ons and covered them in Chillhouse’s Forever Wear in Cobalt Klein, then using sculpting gel to create the effect of dripping paint. “It's an abstract, almost surreal take on nail art that nods to this year’s theme while adding a sculptural edge to [Thompson’s] overall look,” Chillhouse said in a statement. Once the fake nails had been placed on each finger, Thompson’s hand was dipped into a cobalt blue latex paint to create the exceptionally effective final result.
Doechii's Crystal Cluster 2026 Met Gala Nails
Courtesy of Rachel Sun
“Naturally forming crystal cluster nails” was how nail artist Rachel Sun explained Doechii’s manicure for this year’s Met Gala. Using Aprés Nail products, Sun applied one coat of Pour Decisions, a sheer terracotta-rose hue, followed by two coats of Ruby Slippers, using the ruby red to create an ombré effect starting from the tips of the nails. Over the top, Sun applied clusters of crystals over the entire nail, many overlapping each other, as naturally-formed crystals do in nature. The quartz-like design didn't stop at the fingertips, either. Doechii wore a matching pedicure, too.
Tate McRae’s Antique Frame 2026 Met Gala Manicure
Courtesy of OPI
Nail artist Analysse Hernandez took eye-catching to the next level with Tate McRae’s Met manicure, that also happened to be one of the most translatable in real life.
For McRae, designer Ludovic De Saint Serin, and the team, it was a toss-up between her usual classic nude, gold, or lace-inspired manicure. “But as soon as I saw her look, I knew we needed dimension and texture, while not adding too much distraction to the final look,” explains Hernandez. The base featured McRae’s classic neutral shades mixed together: OPI Bubble Bath and Put it in Neutral with a light shimmer of OPI Throw Me a Kiss over the top for dimension. Finally, she used OPI Infinite Shine in 24/7 Carat to add the flashes of gold and to "replicate a frame-like design,” Hernandez adds.
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