A shower of stars once again fell on Monday at the Met Gala, the social event of the year in New York, with the highlight being the return of Beyoncé and the absence of a political dimension in the outfits and speeches.

Here are the five most memorable moments of this red carpet event followed every year around the world.

- Beyoncé as queen

The 44-year-old singer walked the grand staircase of the Metropolitan Museum for the first time since 2016. She surprised everyone with a partially transparent dress, topstitched with stones that formed a skeleton reminiscent of Mexican "calaveras".

"I wear Olivier Rousteing, who is someone I'm very loyal to," Beyoncé explained on Vogue magazine's YouTube channel. "I've worn so many iconic outfits of his. I wanted to represent him."

The artist with a record 35 Grammy Awards hinted that her comeback was partly due to the possibility of being accompanied by her eldest daughter.

"It's surreal," she said of the presence at her side of Blue Ivy, only 14 years old but already taller than her mother.

- Saint Lawrence dominates

As a partner of the event and financial supporter of the Costume Institute's annual exhibition (a branch of the Metropolitan Museum dedicated to fashion), Saint Laurent made a strong showing on the steps of the Met Gala.

From Madonna, with her train carried by seven attendants, to the strapless dress of singer Charli XCX, the house's artistic director Anthony Vaccarello drew heavily on black for this 2026 vintage.

The same choice was made by model Kate Moss, actress Zoë Kravitz in her lace dress, and American comedian Connor Storrie.

Notably, four of the six co-chairs of the evening (the other two were Anthony Vaccarello and Zoe Kravitz), Beyoncé, Venus Williams, Nicole Kidman and Anna Wintour all chose other designers.

- K-Pop and the divas -

The music world has confirmed its now major importance in the composition of the Met Gala.

In New York on Monday, Jennie and Lisa of Blackpink mingled with legendary divas such as Madonna, Stevie Nicks and Cher, who will celebrate her 80th birthday in a few days.

Cher's Burberry dress was a nod to the one she wore 52 years ago when she first appeared on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum.

Transparent and adorned only with silver sequins, this outfit designed by American designer Bob Mackie caused a scandal in 1974.

- Rihanna is still last -

Already very late in 2023 and 2025, the Barbadian singer once again brought the show to a close this year, several tens of minutes after the arrival of the last guests.

Rihanna wore a Margiela dress designed by Belgian designer Glenn Martens, inspired by the medieval architecture of Belgian Flanders.

No surprises like in the previous edition, when the artist revealed she was expecting her third child with American rapper A$AP Rocky.

- A non-political gala -

In response to the arrival of Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez Bezos as the main sponsors of the event, calls for a boycott had gained momentum in recent weeks.

Messages posted on social media and posters pasted in New York denounced the billionaire's close ties to Donald Trump and the working conditions of Amazon employees, of which he is the founder.

But in the end, all the expected stars were there and Jeff Bezos carefully avoided going up the steps.

In general, unlike previous years, the evening was largely devoid of political messages, from the outfits to the statements on the steps.

A few protesters gathered near the museum, some holding up the message "Tax the Rich" in giant cut-out letters.