“Nipples, handsy moments and cloudy grey” sounds like a fever dream moodboard – but at the 2026 Met Gala, it was practically a dress code. Under the theme “Fashion Is Art,” the expected trends were all there (including body sculpting silhouettes and corsets), dialled up to surreal extremes: hyper-real corsetry moulded to the body, dramatic headpieces, and a continued obsession with the naked dress in ever more conceptual forms. Then came the unexpected. Designers leaned hard into the body-as-object idea, adding extra limbs, surreal prosthetics, sculpted nipples, facial accessories and moody colourways.  H! Fashion shares the standout trends of the Met Gala 2026: both expected and unexpected… Architectural Intimacy With the “Fashion Is Art” dress code celebrating the body in all its forms, figure-baring silhouettes were almost inevitable – but nipples as a deliberate statement moment? Perhaps not. Still, It-girls of the night, including Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner and Kim Kardashian, fully committed to the look, turning exposure into a clear fashion statement. © David Fisher/ShutterstockHailey Bieber © Stephen Lovekin/ShutterstockKendall Jenner Clouds of Grey If …