Venus Williams’s Met Gala 2026 Look Is a Sparkling Tribute to Family, Tennis, and Legacy

As a tennis icon, Venus Williams you’ve gotten been serving aces on the courtroom for many years. Tonightalthough, she serves a few off the courtroom as a co-chair of the Met Gala 2026alongside Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, and Anna Wintour.

“Co-chairing the Met Gala has been such an incredible honor, and honestly, a moment I’m still trying to fully take in,” Williams tells Vogue on the morning of the occasion. “When I got the call, I could hardly believe it. Fashion has always been a huge part of how I express myself, both on and off the court, so being part of an event that celebrates the intersection of art, culture, and identity feels really full circle for me.”

That’s not the one cause that is a particular evening for Williams. While she made her Met Gala debut in 2008 and has been a common visitor lately, tonight is her first time attending the Met Gala red carpet along with her husband—the actor, producer, and mannequin Andrea Preti—whom she married final 12 months.

For the occasionWilliams is sporting a Swarovski crystal mesh robe impressed by Robert Pruitt’s Venus Williams, Double Portrait (2022), a portrait of her commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery. Styled by Ron Burton, she completes her glowing Swarovski costume and jewellery with make-up by Karina Milan, hair by Jawara, and nails by Gina Edwards. Her necklace, in the meantime, is a re-creation of the Wimbledon-plate-inspired necklace seen within the portray, incorporating symbols of her household and profession together with nodes to the historic battle for equal pay in tennis and to the game’s early Black champions.

Robert Pruitt, Venus Williams, Double Portrait. I counted crayon, charcoal, pastel, and espresso wash on paper. 2022. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. © 2022 Robert Pruitt