The Met Gala is always a feast for the eyeballs, in both the best, worst, and in-between-y senses of that phrase. It's where the most fashionable celebrities can flaunt their most off-kilter looks, often with personal attachments to their obsession-worthy choices. (Throwback to Diana Ross' 2025 dress that stole Zendaya's attention.) It should come as no surprise that Game of Thrones and Wednesday vet Gwendoline Christie showed up dressed to im-motherf--kin-press on the 2026 Met Gala red carpet.
This year's theme, "Costume Art," was primed to bring out the best in Hollywood and beyond, with the dress code being "Fashion is Art." Everything about Christie's look is oozing artfulness, but it's also more than a little Severance-coded if you know what I'm saying. Be in awe of the gorgeousness below.
Just to address the bleating goat in the room, for those who may not be into Severance (you monsters), Gwendoline Christie's look puts me in that show's mindset given her mask accessory that resembles her face more than just a little bit. But is the person we see the Innie, with the mask representing the Outie, or vice versa? I mean, it's probably the other way, since I doubt the Met Gala would have Lumon's chip technology installed.
Or would they...?
Also, just to throw it out there, the blue and green being next to each other on her headpiece could certainly represent Severance's MDR (blue) and O&D (green). With the red being a callback to the final shot of the Season 2 finale. But maybe that's just me reading too much into things while feeling hangry for Season 3 updates.
So to actually speak to Christie's influences for her visual splendor, she told Vogue that the dress was inspired by artist John Singer Sargent, surrealist photographer Madame Yevonde, and photographer/poet Ira Cohen. Their influences show up in the streak of dark red running down the front of the dress, as well as the mermaid shape and tight waist.
The dress can be more directly credited to the actress' longtime designer Giles Deacon, who also presented the idea of turning Gwendoline Christie's own face into the mask that brought the ensemble together. But the one who actually crafted the mask was Gillian Wearing. Here's how the UK native explained it:
As I’m slowly finding in life, sometimes it works to ask for the impossible. We have mutual friends, and I contacted Gillian to ask, and she said yes immediately. And what I love about it is that it isn’t one thing: It’s not just the mask. It isn’t just a mirror. It's so many things. Is it a shield? Is it an expression?
Gwendoline Christie
Interestingly enough, Christie wasn't the only one on the Met Gala red carpet rocking a unique mask, though Katy Perry was sporting a more reflective look with her headgear. Plus, it doesn't make me think of Severance, so that's an automatic strike against, amirite?
Find Gwendoline Christie's most esoteric performance yet in Severance's second season streaming via Apple TV subscription. And here's hoping we'll see more from her Department of Mammalians Nurturable supervisor Lorne when Season 3 comes around.
