Stealth Mode: Activated
The Girls Are Hiding In Plain Sight
At the 2026 Met Gala, Katy Perry, LISA, and more stars went super incognito.
With a dress code like “Fashion Is Art,” the 2026 Met Gala was destined to have a variety of looks grace the red carpet, and the stars really came to play. Men took the “Costume Art” theme to unprecedented levels of fun with their patterned tops, pops of color, and bold beauty looks. Many of the ladies went in a different direction, focusing on their accessory game instead: Beyoncé’s bejeweled headpiece was, of course, a big standout, but one of the night’s most popular trends was much more unexpected — face coverings.
While Bad Bunny and Heidi Klum made everyone do double takes with their unrecognizable makeup looks, Katy Perry became an instant meme with her disguise. Taking a cue from Kim Kardashian’s look at the 2025 Academy Museum Gala, the “Bandaids” singer left her face to the imagination. She played peekaboo enough times on the red carpet for onlookers to figure out who was behind the mask, but otherwise kept covered behind a metal faceplate surrounded by white mesh.
To be fair, this is nothing exactly new for the Perry — her face is partially hidden on nearly half of her album covers.
Other attendees weren’t quite as incognito. Lisa Manobal attended the fête in a glorious Robert Wun gown. Fitted and diaphanous, the number featured two replicas of her arms jutting out of her shoulders, holding a see-through veil draped over her face. Rachel Zegler wore a smaller silk chiffon covering by Jennifer Behr. The look was inspired by the painting of Lady Jane Grey, which depicts her in a blindfold.
On the campy end of the spectrum were Gwendoline Christie and Sarah Paulson. The Game of Thrones alum, who wore Giles Deacon, carried a Gillian Wearing mask made in her own likeness. Paulson, meanwhile, kept her eyes hidden by a dollar-bill blindfold.
Teyana Taylor, one of the 2026 awards season’s top dressers, also kept her face partially concealed in a silver fringe headpiece that could’ve been mistaken for hair. It perfectly matched her equally fringe Tom Ford gown.
Some Met Gala looks take themselves too seriously, but these didn’t. The choice of accessory was playful, eccentric, even a touch mysterious. Plus, wearing a mask is technically a thespian’s job description, making the act a nice symbolic touch.
