At the 2026 Met Gala, three of fashion’s most watched sisters—Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, and Kylie Jenner—arrived in strikingly different silhouettes. Yet they shared one unmistakable detail: sculpted nipple accents, built directly into their garments. For the Lingerie Museum, this is not merely a celebrity styling choice; it is a direct lineage from the corsetry and body-sculpting traditions that have defined intimate apparel for centuries.
Kim’s custom ensemble, by artist Allen Jones and the London-based atelier Whitaker Malem (renowned for their sculptural bodysuits for Doja Cat and Mariah Carey), featured an orange-toned, form-fitting structure. Kylie’s Schiaparelli dress—a strapless nude bodysuit with a sweetheart neckline—created a barely-there illusion across the torso. Kendall’s GapStudio dress, designed by Zac Posen and inspired by the Winged Victory of Samothrace, offered a more classical interpretation of the motif.
The sculpted nipple has a distinguished history in lingerie and fashion. Jean Paul Gaultier introduced his iconic conical bra in 1983, a piece that Madonna famously wore on her 1990 Blond Ambition tour, transforming the undergarment into a symbol of empowerment. Thierry Mugler pushed similar boundaries in the 1980s and 1990s, crafting latex and molded bodices that blurred the line between clothing and armor. Today, designers like Ludovic de Saint Sernin and Di Petsa continue this tradition, proving that the nipple—once hidden—remains a powerful tool for artistic expression.
This year’s Met Gala, with its “Fashion Is Art” dress code, honored fashion as a legitimate art form. And in the hands of the Kardashian-Jenners, the lingerie-inspired silhouette once again took center stage, reminding us that the most intimate details often make the boldest statements.
Originally reported by WWD