The 2026 Met Gala is scheduled to take place on Monday, with a star-studded guest list including cohosts Zoë Kravitz, Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Teyana Taylor and Lena Dunham, all of whom are guaranteed to ascend the coveted steps in beauty looks inspired by the new spring exhibition, “Costume Art.” With ties to the human body, they may just manifest in stiff, sculptural hair forms rather than the melting updos and flat ends of Met Galas past.
As the fate of this year’s beauty hangs in the balance, WWD is taking a look back at the cuts and styles that have shown up consistently over the last decade, from 1920s-inspired flapper waves to the highly controversial quiff.
Flapper Waves
Jessica Alba in 2010.
Corbis via Getty Images
Originally popularized in the 1920s, flapper waves have been a fixture on the Met Gala carpet almost every year. The horizontal, hot roller ripples have been boasted by a bevy of stars in attendance, with Jessica Alba ushering the style trend into the 2010s. Alba donned a slightly longer interpretation to the “American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity” opening, where her chocolate hair curled under and around her ears in wide barrels.
Fourteen years later, at “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” Amy Fine Collins stuck to traditional flapper form, styling her inky pixie in gelled waves under a gold headpiece. Here, the ripples were stiff and slightly more defined, making it impossible for them to break form.
Undone Updos
Eva Mendes in 2006.
A staple in Pamela Anderson’s beauty, the undone updo has made its mark on a number of Met Galas over the years, complementing its ever-changing fashion agenda with a mind and messiness of its own. From Eva Mendes’ 2006 tumbleweed to Lisa’s melting Tootsie Roll in 2025, no two updos have been the same and few have stayed true to their form over the course of the night (but that’s the point).
Quiffs
Anne Hathaway in 2013.
Corbis via Getty Images
Up there on the list of the most controversial hairstyles is the quiff. Dating back to the mid-20th century and the 1980s rocker era, the hairdo — a lengthy top flanked by short, shaved sides — became synonymous with a certain 2000s boy band aesthetic thanks to One Direction and 5 Seconds of Summer (aka 5SOS). At the same time, it found its way to the Met steps, where January Jones and Anne Hathaway led the charge with a their own blond versions at the 2010 and 2013 galas, respectively.
Ballerina Buns
Gwyneth Paltrow in 2012.
The ballerina bun, functional and feminine, is a red carpet veteran. Celebrities and artists alike will often reach for the sleek style for high-profile events such as the Met Gala, knowing its elegant and reliable. At “Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations” in 2012, Gwyneth Paltrow partnered the slicked bun with a powder blue, halterneck gown and soft, bronzy glam. In 2023, at “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” Vanessa Hudgens edged hers up by adding a stamp of black eyeliner over her lids and in her waterline.
Extra-long Extensions
Naomi Campbell in 2023.
Michael Buckner/Variety
Extensions may be making a comeback, but they’ve always been a mainstay at the Met. Straight, coiled and kinked — the hair accessory has been styled every which way on the carpeted steps. In 2023, Naomi Campbell brought jet-black ends to “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” while Sarah Jessica Parker doubled down on the drama with honey blond waves at “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” a year later.
See more photos of each trend here.
