After nearly a decade away from fashion’s biggest night, British actress Claire Foy made her striking return to the Met Gala on Monday.
The Emmy-winning actress, best known for portraying Queen Elizabeth for the first two seasons of Netflix’s The Crown, stepped back onto the iconic Met Museum steps in New York City, marking her first appearance since 2017.
This year, the 42-year-old actress stunned in a black custom gown styled by Erdem, paired with a bedazzled Barbour jacket and black lace veil. Her makeup look was created by London-based makeup artist Kelly Cornwell, using a full face of lisa eldridge products.
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This year’s Met Gala theme is “Costume Art,” which highlights fashion as a central art form. The corresponding dress code is “Fashion Is Art,” inviting guests to treat their outfits as masterpieces. This year’s co-chairs include former Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman and Venus Williams.
“I knew I would love it before [Erdem] showed me the sketch – it felt both bold and classic,” Foy told British Vogue prior to the event. Erdem and Foy have worked together before — she wore his work at the 2017 Golden Globes, and won Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama for her role as Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown.
When London-based designer Erdem Moralıoğlu heard about the 2026 show theme, his brain immediately went to John Singer Sargent’s Portrait of Madame X, the famous and scandalous oil painting depicting socialite Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau.
“In a way, it pre-dates the idea of the exposure of the body and the overt sexuality in a dress,” the stylist said. “I loved the idea of interpreting that original dress in draped crush satin, paired with a Barbour jacket.”
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Foy began her career as an actress in 2008, with early roles in TV shows such as Little Dorrit and Upstairs Downstairs. She rose to international fame in 2016, portraying the young Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown, earning both an Emmy and a Golden Globe. After leaving the show after two seasons (Netflix switches the cast every other season to portray The Royal Family aging), she transitioned into film, starring in movies like First Man and Women Talking.
“My aim the second time around is to soak up as much of it as possible,” Foy told British Vogue. The last time the actress was at the Met Gala was in 2017, where she also wore Erdem. “At the finish line, me and Erdem will be able to have a martini and a burger and a full debrief!”
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