Madonna is explaining the inspiration behind her major transformation on the 2026 Met Gala carpet.
The 67-year-old Queen of Pop shared what inspired her look on Monday night’s (May 4) Met Gala in a feature for Vogue.
“My look is inspired by one of my favorite surrealist painters, Leonora Carrington, her reinterpretation of the story of St. Anthony the Great,” she began. (See the painting here.)
“His whole story is about the struggle of the soul. And Leonora… she saw it as the struggle of women and feminine divinity.”
“She has a ship on her head, symbolizing the journey of the soul; the horn, symbolizing the unification of music; and then the seven women around her represent the mystical number seven,” Madonna further added.
Madonna wore a Saint Laurent satin and lace slip dress, translucent violet organza cape, leather platform boots, and a Philip Treacy hat, which originally belonged to fashion editor Isabella Blow, which Michael Jackson once offered him $25,000 to purchase.
“There’s something very exciting about Madonna wearing a ship hat to the Met Ball. I think Isabella would be thrilled. Isabella is going to The Met, in spirit, on Madonna’s head,” he said to the outlet.
Make-up artist Marcelo Gutierrez added: “The outfit designed by Saint Laurent is incredibly ephemeral, cinematic, and monochromatic. So for the beauty, we really wanted to focus on keeping the color palette very cool-toned. Our goal was to create a look that felt both architecturally defined and soft—an editorial statement that complemented her gown without overwhelming it.”
He used KIKO Cosmetics to create a “direction that was intentionally more stripped back: ephemeral, slightly witchy, yet elevated to meet the level of high glamour required for the red carpet. The element I love the most is the subtle pop of silver shimmer on the lid. It feels both fierce and intentional—a little peekaboo of drama.”
She also has a new album coming, Confessions II, on July 3, and just dropped the lead single “Bring Your Love,” featuring Sabrina Carpenter.
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