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

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.