The Carlyle Departures for the Met Gala 2026

The Met Gala‘s annual controlled chaos descended on Manhattan’s Upper East Side on Monday along with the celebrity and glam teams, and an epicenter of it was clearly The Carlyle.

For the uninitiated, The Carlyle is “in the middle of it” in more ways than one. One, it’s between the other two of the three hotels favored by Met attendees, and two, it’s often favored by some of the highest-profile guests.

Although when Rihanna appeared at 8:30 p.m. to the cheers of onlookers and commands from photographers, it was hard to picture how serenely the scene had started.

The Carlyle unveiled its new carpet, in a canary yellow, just after Jon Batiste came out to take a photo under the awning in a Superman shirt. (He changed his garb before going out).

Then came the Saint Laurent crew, which started with Charli XCX and ended with Kate Moss. In between? Connor Storrie, Doja Cat, Rosé, Amelia Gray Hamlin, Anja Rubik and Charlotte Gainsbourg, all of whom showed a spectrum of enthusiasm. Storrie, for one, was beaming. Hamlin let out a bellowing “YSL, baby!” when asked what she was wearing. Gainsbourg couldn’t have gotten in her van fast enough, much like Moss, who was one of the last to leave.

From the Prada and Miu Miu camps, Maya Hawke and Hunter Schafer made quick exits, while Troye Sivan took his time, as did Gigi Hadid.

Closing out the night was, of course, Rihanna. Her departure time of 8:30 is mercifully early by the star’s standards (she hit the carpet around 10 p.m. in 2025) but there was nothing tame about it, her Maison Margiela outfit or the three Sprinter vans and SUV that comprised her caravan.

Here, scenes from outside The Carlyle hotel.