Cher—Queen of the Naked Dress—Revives Her 1974 Look at the 2026 Met Gala

Reported by Vogue.

Cher's first Met Gala appearance in over a decade was never going to be subtle. The icon arrived at the 2026 Met Gala in a custom Burberry look — a black silk-tulle twisted dress anchored by a leather corset and a cropped crystal-embellished leather jacket — created by Daniel Lee in close collaboration with her stylist Patti Wilson. According to Vogue, the design was a deliberate nod to one of her most celebrated Met looks: a 1974 Bob Mackie gown that has since cemented itself in fashion history.

Self-referencing isn't nostalgia when you're Cher — it's a flex. The Mackie original, worn more than 50 years ago, helped establish her as the original architect of the naked dress. That legacy felt especially pointed tonight, given the Met's new spring exhibition "Costume Art," which examines fashion's relationship to the human body. There is arguably no one better equipped to walk into that conversation than the woman who practically invented the genre.

A Record That Speaks for Itself

Cher's Met history runs deep. She first attended in 1986 alongside Mackie, returned for the 2015 "China: Through the Looking Glass" exhibition with Marc Jacobs, and in 2019 delivered what might be the ultimate power move — performing as the surprise act for the Camp-themed gala. Tonight's appearance didn't require a microphone. The look did the work.

What makes this moment land isn't just the glamour — it's the intentionality. Lee and Wilson didn't dress Cher in something reverent or safe. They built something that honors her archive while feeling completely current: structured where it needs to be, sheer where it counts, and just theatrical enough to remind everyone that dressing up is still an art form worth taking seriously.

At a Gala increasingly dominated by trend-chasing and brand obligation, Cher showing up and referencing only herself is the most compelling fashion statement on those steps.

Read the original at Vogue.