At the 2026 Met Gala, Tyla arrived as a living tableau of haute couture’s flirtation with the animal kingdom. The singer, known for hits like “Water,” wore a custom Valentino Garavani ensemble that transformed her into a human peacock—a fitting choice for an evening themed “Fashion Is Art.” Her shimmering silver-beaded bodice dissolved into a brilliant turquoise skirt, while crystal-embellished wrist ornaments dangled like plumage in motion. Creative director Alessandro Michele, who has revived Valentino’s legacy of theatrical glamour since his 2024 appointment, designed the look as a tribute to nature’s most ostentatious display.
Her footwear, the Open Toe Révélé Pumps in aquamarine suede, offered a masterclass in restraint amid opulence. The transparent polymer toe strap and antique-brass VLogo buckle nod to the house’s 1960s origins, when Valentino Garavanti first introduced the signature V. At $1,100, these heels balance sculptural architecture with wearability—a detail not lost on lingerie historians, who recall how the rise of the stiletto in the 1950s mirrored the corset’s decline, shifting focus from the torso to the foot. Tyla’s wet-look hair, playfully splashing the red carpet, underscored the evening’s celebration of fashion as living art.
This is not Tyla’s first Met Gala commentary on adornment. In 2025, she honored “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” in a striped Jacquemus gown, while in 2024 she evoked sand and time in a sculptural Balmain dress. Each look traces a lineage from the lingerie’s own history of structural innovation—from whalebone to elastic, from hidden to revealed. The 2026 gala, co-chaired by Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour, raised funds for the Costume Institute. As Tyla proved, the peacock’s allure lies not in its feathers alone, but in the art of display itself.
Originally reported by WWD