There's nothing I love more than a good celebrity nail moment, and the 2026 Met Gala was full of them. As if I didn't already have enough nail inspiration to get me through the summer, Tyla just forced me to add yet another out-of-the-box manicure to my summer nail mood board.
For this year's event, themed "Fashion Is Art," Tyla hit the red carpet in mermaid cosplay with a Valentino dress that featured a turquoise skirt and a silver, beaded top with cutouts on the sides and back and a plunging, deep-V neckline. She wore her dark hair in a wet and wavy style with long curls, and she leaned into the body makeup trend by adding a generous amount of glitter to her torso, back, and chest areas. The whole look was a slam dunk, but what's not getting nearly enough attention is the manicure she wore for the night.
The "Water" singer complemented her gown's aquatic vibe with a stunning manicure designed by celebrity nail tech, Coca Michelle. Per an Instagram post shared by Michelle following the event, Tyla's manicure was supposed to look like embellished feathers. A close-up photo of her nails shows that Michelle added long, stiletto-shaped extensions to Tyla's fingers before filing them into the shape of feathers. She then cut into the sides of each nail to give them a more realistic shape before painting them white with a flowy, turquoise design that was topped with silver studs.
I've tuned into to several Met Gala red carpets at this point, but none of them were bursting with as many noteworthy manicures as this year's event was. Practically all of the nail looks deserved a red carpet of their own, Tyla's included. Emma Chamberlain hosted the red carpet in a custom Mugler gown inspired by a Van Gogh painting, and she wore long, watercolor-painted nails to match. Blackpink's Lisa also showed up wearing nail art that went complemented her dress; she wore chrome press-ons with silver and blue studs that mimicked icicles.
I don't know if any future Met Gala attendees will be able to top the nail designs that were on the red carpet this year, but anyone who's up to the challenge has a full year to try. Get a Met Gala-worthy manicure of your own with the products ahead.
Add some extra drama with a few rhinestones and nail gems.
Take the hassle out of picking up and placing rhinestones with a special pair of tweezers.
