Emily Blunt’s fans are split over her outfit at the 2026 Met Gala. After a strong run of fashion moments during the global press tour for “The Devil Wears Prada 2, expectations were high, but her latest look left many underwhelmed.
Despite wearing a show-stopping Mikimoto body pearl necklace reportedly worth around $500,000, reactions online have been mixed. Blunt and her longtime stylist, Jessica Paster, have explained the creative direction behind the look, and perhaps that will help fans better appreciate her choice.
Emily Blunt Arrives At Fashion’s Biggest Night In Pants
On May 4, 2026, Emily Blunt stepped onto the Met Gala red carpet for the “Fashion is Art”/”Costume Art” themed evening, wearing a black custom Ashi Studio two-piece. The look featured a corseted top with glass beads along the neckline and fringe tassel sleeves, paired with sleek black straight-leg pants.
She completed the monochrome outfit with Jimmy Choo heels, a Kurt Geiger bag, and—most notably—the Mikimoto pearl necklace. The 18-karat white gold necklace featured a 21.85-carat pear-cut morganite and nearly 46 carats of diamonds, layered over the outfit as a wearable piece of art.
Blunt accessorized further with Mikimoto Bows Akoya pearl earrings, a Bows Akoya ring, and a pearl ring.
Some Fans Are Disappointed
Social media reactions have been mixed, with a vocal portion expressing disappointment.
One user described the look as “British understatement on a maximalist night,” suggesting it felt more suited to a different event. A fan account on X openly expressed disappointment, saying they couldn’t defend the look this time. Someone else claimed there was “no effort whatsoever.”
Another fan referenced her Schiaparelli gown from the New York premiere of “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” claiming it gave more of a Met Gala feel than her Ashi Studio outfit. A more forgiving fan gave her a “free pass” because the “Schiaparelli premiere dress was enough for a lifetime.”
A Good Fashion Run Leading Up To The Gala
Indeed, Emily Blunt’s sculptural Schiaparelli haute couture gown at the New York world premiere of the fashion film was absolutely magical.
With the gown’s ivory bodice covered in 25,000 silk-thread feathers and a voluminous, tiered tulle ball gown skirt, Blunt looked like a “glowing goddess on the red carpet.”
She also turned heads in a bold red custom Balenciaga pantsuit at the London premiere, further cementing her strong fashion presence during the tour. Given this streak, fans’ expectations may have been especially high heading into the Met Gala.
Emily Blunt’s Last Met Gala Wasn’t Entirely Smooth Either
Notably, Emily Blunt returned to the Met Gala after a three-year absence, having last walked the steps in 2023 for the Karl Lagerfeld theme. Back then, Blunt’s stylist told PEOPLE that the “Oppenheimer” actress wanted to wear pants, but Paster thought “it would be great if she wore a dress.”
In the end, she wore a custom Michael Kors ensemble featuring a French lace blouse with a dramatic bow at the front, paired with hand-sequined black trousers that included a flowing duchesse satin overskirt.
This time, fans critiqued her face and weight, with one Reddit user highlighting a “narrower face and fuller lips.” But some pushed back, saying, “She’s so so beautiful.”
The Vision Behind The 2026 Look
Emily Blunt’s 2026 Met Gala look was the result of a deliberate creative choice. Rather than letting clothing take center stage, she and Paster chose to highlight jewelry as the focal point.
“When we saw this extraordinary creation from Mikimoto, we knew it was perfect,” Blunt explained. “It feels like wearable art and captures the idea of jewelry becoming part of the garment.”
Paster added that the approach intentionally reversed traditional red-carpet styling: “Typically for the Met Gala, the clothing fully embodies the theme, while the jewelry plays more of a supporting role. Here, we reversed that. The body necklace became the garment; it defines the silhouette and directly expresses the relationship between the body and what adorns it.”