Surprise! Rihanna arrives fashionably late to 2026 Met Gala with A$AP Rocky

Rihanna knew the Met Gala wouldn't be complete without a grand entrance from her.

The singer made a surprise appearance at the May 4 event, with the first photos from the night showing her leaving New York City's Carlyle Hotel in a metallic gown that covered her neck to the tops of her feet.

And just like last year, she arrived fashionably late, strolling in well after it seemed like co-chair Beyoncé shut down the carpet with husband Jay-Z and daughter Blue Ivy.

Rihanna wore Maison Margiela, while A$AP Rocky dons custom Chanel

Rihanna was statuesque in a custom bronze creation from Maison Margiela's fall/winter 2025 couture collection, while her sartorially gifted partner, A$AP Rocky, donned custom Chanel, wearing a baby pink robe that featured black lapels and a black bowtie.

According to Vogue, Rihanna's gunmetal gown was hand-sculpted with duchess woven silk and incorporated "recycled metal threads that are typically used for computer wiring." The form-fitting bodice required more than 115,000 crystal beads, antique jewels and chains, the outlet reported, noting the embroidery took 1,380 hours.

The bodice and column skirt were encircled with a matching shroud of fabric that wound around the back of Rihanna's neck and rested atop her thighs.

Her look was completed with head-to-toe bedazzling elements, from metal coils that adorned her slicked-back hair to silver cuffs that hugged her earlobes and massive rings that glinted off her fingers.

Rocky's Chanel look reportedly involved 194 hours of work.

Prior to the event, Rocky – who'd co-chaired the 2025 Met Gala – had been an anticipated guest, leaving fans to speculate whether he'd be joined by his partner of nearly seven years.

At last year's Met Gala, Rihanna – no stranger to dramatic reveals – showed off her baby bump, confirming she was pregnant with her and Rocky's third child, Rocki Irish Mayers, who was born on Sept. 13.