Melissa Rivers has never been one to soften the blow when fashion misses the mark. The commentator, comedian, and former staple of fashion critique is back with her signature candor, sizing up the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s biggest night through a lens that is equal parts humorous and exacting. At the 2026 Met Gala, where the Costume Institute invited guests to explore the intersection of clothing and performance, Rivers delivered her annual unfiltered review, singling out ensembles that leaned more toward costume curiosity than red carpet elegance.
Held on a glittering Monday evening in New York City, the event once again transformed the museum’s iconic steps into a runway for the wildly ambitious and occasionally bewildering. Rivers, 58, offered her takes exclusively to Us Weekly, applying the same sharp instincts that made her a fixture of televised fashion commentary. Her observations cut through the noise, framing the night not just as a spectacle, but as a reminder that celebrity dressing rooms sometimes confuse brave with baffling.
When Nature Meets Wiring, Critics Take Notes
One of the evening’s most talked-about experiments arrived in the form of Janelle Monáe, who stepped onto the carpet in custom Christian Siriano couture. The look incorporated live moss and visible electrical wiring, an intentional nod to the theme’s exploration of art as costume and costume as art. Rivers, however, was not convinced.
In her assessment, the ensemble read less like high concept fashion and more like an ambitious middle school diorama. She described it as something that felt disconnected from wearability, even within the exaggerated context of the Met Gala. While the intention may have been to signal nature overtaking structure, Rivers noted that the execution landed somewhere closer to arts and crafts, a look that demanded explanation rather than admiration.
This critique highlights a recurring tension on nights like these. When red carpet dressing borrows heavily from installation art, the line between innovation and confusion can blur quickly. Rivers’ take underscores how even the most conceptual dressing can benefit from clarity, coherence, and a respect for the occasion’s dual identity as both party and performance.
Crystal Excess and Geisha Whispers
If one look embodied maximalism, it was Sam Smith’s custom Christian Cowan creation, crafted alongside partner and designer Cowan. Embellished with more than 230,000 crystals and beads, the outfit was engineered to command attention. A towering fascinator, built in collaboration with milliner Stephen Jones, completed the towering silhouette.
Rivers did not hold back. She likened the singer’s appearance to something out of a dark fairy tale, describing it as a “Grim Geisha” or “Geisha of Death” moment. The comment, delivered with her trademark dry wit, pointed to a look that felt more haunted house than haute couture, despite its meticulous craftsmanship.
What makes this criticism notable is not the disdain for sparkle, but the suggestion that scale alone does not substitute for storytelling. The Met Gala has long rewarded audacity, yet Rivers’ reaction reminds observers that drama without direction can tip into costume territory, especially when the reference points feel muddled or overwrought.
Smith’s look also reignites broader conversations about gender, presentation, and expectation on red carpets. By choosing a heavily embellished, historically referential silhouette, the outfit leaned into fantasy, but for Rivers, the fantasy lacked grounding in elegance or intent, leaving the impression of effort eclipsing effect.
Repeatable Horror and Halloween Ambitions
Heidi Klum’s entrance offered another focal point for Rivers’ critique. Known for transforming herself into elaborate characters each October, Klum arrived in a look that fully embraced the Met Gala’s theme of costume as art. The outfit featured exaggerated proportions, theatrical detailing, and a commitment to otherworldly styling that only Klum could carry with full conviction.
Rivers acknowledged that the look was unquestionably on theme. The problem, she noted, was that it felt entirely too reusable. In her words, the ensemble was something she could easily repurpose for her own Halloween festivities, a remark that lands somewhere between praise for ingenuity and gentle mockery of its costume-first priorities.
This observation taps into a subtle truth about Met Gala dressing. While the night invites fantasy, the most memorable red carpet moments often balance imagination with wearability, or at least with a clear editorial point of view. Klum’s look, while impressive in execution, leaned so fully into Halloween mode that it risked overshadowing the fashion with the theatrics.
Rivers’ comment also hints at the evolving role of celebrity stylists and designers who must navigate between museum-level concepts and mainstream perception. When a look feels more like a seasonal costume than a red carpet statement, even its strengths can become its liabilities in the court of public opinion.
- Janelle Monáe’s moss and wire Christian Siriano look drew comparisons to craft projects over couture.
- Sam Smith and Christian Cowan’s crystal-heavy ensemble was labeled a “Grim Geisha” moment.
- Heidi Klum’s theatrical styling was praised for theme adherence but critiqued for Halloween-ready practicality.
Across these varied critiques, a consistent thread emerges. Rivers is less interested in tearing down bold choices than she is in questioning whether those choices serve the wearer, the theme, or the moment. Her commentary, honed by years in
InfluencerBlogger
