The Met Gala has long blurred the line between fashion and fine art, but Heidi Klum’s 2026 appearance at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s “Costume Art” exhibition turned that premise into a living sculpture—one with deep roots in lingerie history. Klum’s ensemble, inspired by Raffaele Monti’s 1847 “Veiled Vestal,” was a masterclass in illusion: a formfitting gray fabric that mimicked wet, translucent silk, paired with a floral headpiece, gray contacts, and painted skin. The effect was not merely a costume but a meditation on the body as drapery—a concept that has defined intimate apparel since the 19th century.
For lingerie historians, the “Veiled Vestal” reference is particularly resonant. The original marble carving, housed at Chatsworth House and famously featured in the 2005 film “Pride & Prejudice,” captures the tension between concealment and revelation. This duality is the very essence of lingerie. In the 1840s, when Monti carved his Vestal, corsets and petticoats were engineered to shape the female form into a sculpted ideal—much like Klum’s dress, which used structural illusion to suggest a body both hidden and exposed. The sheer, moving fabric effect recalls the early 20th-century innovations of brands like Cadolle, which pioneered the modern bra by freeing the bust while maintaining a silhouette.
Klum’s choice also contrasts sharply with her 2025 Met Gala look—a stark black gown by Vetements creative director Guram Gvasalia. Vetements, founded in 2014 by Demna Gvasalia, has often deconstructed luxury norms, playing with oversized proportions and deliberate awkwardness. In 2026, Klum returned to a more classical, almost Victorian sensibility, aligning with the evening’s dress code, “Fashion Is Art.” The event, co-chaired by Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour, raised funds for the Costume Institute, which has long championed the intersection of fashion and fine art. For The Lingerie Museum, Klum’s look is a reminder that the most provocative art often begins with what lies beneath.
Originally reported by WWD