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Lena Dunham revealed that her red feathered Valentino gown at the 2026 Met Gala on May 4 was inspired by the blood spatter in Artemisia Gentileschi's 17th century painting “Judith Slaying Holofernes."
Go Inside the Met Gala With These Unseen Celebrity Photos You Missed
Lena Dunham had a bloody good time at the 2026 Met Gala.
In keeping with the night’s “Fashion Is Art” dress code, the Girls alum and Valentino designer Alessandro Michele found inspiration from Artemisia Gentileschi's 17th century painting “Judith Slaying Holofernes” as the jumping off point for her feathered and sequined red Valentino gown.
“I shared that inspiration with Alessandro,” Lena told Vogue, “but because his brain works in the most magical ways, rather than leaning into the Renaissance garments or the swords or any of it, he was attracted to a particular blood spatter on the neck of Holofernes.”
And while the designer offered Lena a straightforward interpretation of the artwork for the “Costume Art”-themed gala on May 4 at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lena found herself leaning towards the abstract version.
“Obviously, that’s what I was going to choose,” the 39-year-old said. “I love how playful he is while also having this incredible amount of technical skill, and also having a sense of humor and also taking things very seriously.”
Lena added, “I feel this dress embodies all of it.” (See all the stars at the Met Gala here.)
And from the moment the Famesick author knew she’d be attending the Costume Institute benefit as a member of the host committee—with Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour on co-chair duty—Lena knew she wanted to work with Valentino’s Alessandro.
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“I wrote him a long, elaborate fan letter about what his work means to me,” she shared with Vogue. “I was lucky enough that he responded and said that he was up for the task.”
Lena’s role on the host committee—marking her first time back at the event since 2019—was also a “vote of confidence” from Anna, as the longtime editor knew what Lena “was going through physically.”
“I felt like they were saying, ‘We see you’re feeling better. You’re in your body. You can do this,’” Lena said, “It’s an honor to be invited, and I want to rise to the occasion when I can.”
For a look at all the stars who rose to the occasion of the Met Gala, keep reading.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Beyoncé
in custom Olivier Rousteing and Chopard jewelry.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Rihanna
in Maison Margiela, Briony Raymond, Glenn Spiro and Dyne jewelry.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Kim Kardashian
in custom Allen Jones breastplate, Whitaker Malem skirt and Christian Louboutin shoes.
Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Bad Bunny
in custom Zara.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Cardi B
in Marc Jacobs.
David Fisher/Shutterstock
Hailey Bieber
in custom Saint Laurent and Belperron jewelry.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Blake Lively
in Atelier Versace, Christian Louboutin shoes and Lorraine Schwartz jewelry.
Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Sabrina Carpenter
in Dior, Christian Louboutin shoes and Chopard jewelry.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Anne Hathaway
in Michael Kors.
Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Kylie Jenner
in custom Schiaparelli.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Katy Perry
in Stella McCartney.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Heidi Klum
in custom Mike Marino.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Connor Storrie
in Saint Laurent and Tiffany & Co. jewelry.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Gigi Hadid
in custom Miu Miu and Jessica McCormack jewelry.
Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Tessa Thompson
in Valentino and Chillhouse nail polish.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Lisa
in Robert Wun and Bvlgari jewelry.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Teyana Taylor
in Tom Ford.
Matt Crossick/PA Images via Getty Images
Blue Ivy Carter
in Balenciaga and Henry & Henry jewelry.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Kendall Jenner
in Gap Studio by Zac Posen and Buccellati jewelry.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Doja Cat
in Saint Laurent.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Charli XCX
in Saint Laurent.
Matt Baron/Shutterstock
Carey Mulligan
in Prada and Tiffany & Co. jewelry.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Margot Robbie
in Chanel.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Sunday Rose Kidman Urban & Nicole Kidman
in Dior (Kidman Urban) and Chanel (Kidman).
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
A$AP Rocky
in Chanel.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Emily Blunt
in Ashi Studio, Jimmy Choo shoes, Kurt Geiger bag and Mikimoto jewelry.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Cher
in Burberry.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Zoë Kravitz
in Saint Laurent.
David Fisher/Shutterstock
Suki Waterhouse
in Michael Kors and Christian Louboutin shoes.
David Fisher/Shutterstock
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
in Thom Browne.
Head to E! Online for every must-see moment from the Met Gala 2026.
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