Beyoncé has arrived at the Met Gala! It's been a decade since the Grammy-winning musician has walked the Met steps, but she's back for 2026 as a co-chair—and she made her long-anticipated return alongside her daughter Blue Ivy Carter, who officially made her Met Gala debut.
This year's theme is “Costume Art,” with “Fashion Is Art" as the Gala dress code. As one of the co-hosts (alongside Nicole Kidman and Venus Williams), Beyoncé interpreted the theme in a stunning silver gown with an intricately detailed skeleton bodice and sweeping feather cape by Olivier Rousteing, and Carter wore a white Balenciaga bubble dress with a jacket. But it was their mother-daughter hairstyles that really grabbed us at first glance; both Beyoncé and Carter wore their hair long and loose in a mix of soft waves and curls, with Carter incorporating some braids into her look.
Beyoncé's hair was just as long and flowing as her train, hitting at hip length to gently brush the feathers of her cape train as she moved. Her hair incorporated several shades of warm blonde, including caramel, honey, and gold, with the lightest shades placed around her face and at the ends. Atop her head, Bey wore a beautiful diamond headpiece that matched the glittering diamond sparkle of her dress.
“These ethereal waves are a celebration of texture, making sure the hair had definition but wasn’t confined," said Cécred lead global stylist Neal Farinah, who prepped Beyoncé's hair with the brand's Thermal Shield Mist, then followed with Volumizing Mousse to accentuate her curls. “It’s very versatile to air dry with, but also has heat protection so I can go in with a little curling iron.” (It's a go-to for Farinah, who notes that he used the product “many nights” on the Cowboy Carter tour.) He then used the Strong Hold Gel to define Beyoncé's face-framing waves, and finished with Flexible Hold Hairspray to lock everything in without losing movement. "We needed to keep the hair flowing with that beautiful feather train!”
Carter's roots were much darker than her mom's, and her color included even lighter shades of blonde, with a few pieces of nearly-platinum scattered throughout the darker base. Bey wore soft grey shadow and delicate pink blush, plus a matching pink lip, and Carter kept her eyes hidden with sunglasses, but finished her glam with a little lip gloss.
Seriously, how precious is this? "It feels surreal because my daughter's here. She looks so beautiful. It's incredible to be able to share with her; I think she looks so incredible," Bey told Vogue of the major moment. (Nicole Kidman and her daughter Sunday Rose also wore matching hairstyles!)
The Beyhive is buzzing about what Beyoncé has in store; it seems like the Queen B is planning something, and there may just be a clue hidden in her Met Gala look. You never know, and we're absolutely looking forward to the theories—and also looking forward to more appearances from Blue Ivy, since we're pretty sure we'll be seeing her on the famous Met steps again in the future!
Last year's best beauty moments:
- Megan Thee Stallion's Met Gala Ponytail Defies the Laws of Physics
- The Best Beauty Looks of the 2025 Met Gala
- Rihanna's Met Gala Look Doubled as Her Third Pregnancy Announcement
Now, revisit last year's red carpet:
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