Eileen Gu wears 15K glass bubbles to Met Gala 2026

She seemed to love the bubble.

Olympic freestyle skater Elaine Gou added a lively twist to the 2026 Met Gala’s theme of “The Art of Fashion.”

The 22-year-old model – who captured two silvers and a gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics in February – wore a stunning mini dress by Iris van Herpen, a Dutch designer known for her unique looks that blend high fashion with innovative technology, on the red carpet on Monday.

“I have 15,000 glass bubbles with me.” Gu told ESPNW about the special dress. “It took 2,550 hours to make. There is technology under the dress that enables reality to merge with art. It is a play on surrealism, it is a play on movement, it is a play on nature, on fun, on whimsy.”

Elaine Go, 22, wore a stunning mini dress by Dutch designer Iris van Herpen to the 2026 Met Gala. WireImage
The dress took 2,550 hours to make and was made up of 15,000 glass bubbles, with Go’s only accessories being dozens of real bubbles that floated in the air. Ivan Agostini/Invision/AP
Gu appears in her dreamy bubble dress at the 2026 Met Gala. Getty Images

She was also wearing clear heels, and apart from a small pair of earrings that she partially concealed in her sleek, messy hairstyle, her only accessories were dozens of bubbles floating in the air around her.

When the veteran athlete was asked why sports are considered an art by ESPNW, he simply replied: “It’s about self-expression. It’s about breaking boundaries and being the true version of yourself. It’s about breaking boundaries and being the true version of yourself.”

Gu attended the Met Gala for the first time in 2021, wearing a romantic black and white Carolina Herrera mini dress with black heels and a bold red lip. The following year, it took a more modern turn In a leather mini dress from Louis Vuitton With a deep neckline, metal belt and high black leather shoes.

“It’s a play on surrealism, it’s a play on movement, it’s a play on nature, on fun, on whimsy,” the most decorated Olympic freestyle skier said of her stunning look.
Reuters
Gu previously attended the Met Gala in 2021 and 2022. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for the Met/Vogue
Gu has come under fire for competing with her mother, China, in the Winter Olympics, despite growing up in Northern California. Getty Images for the Met/Vogue

Despite being in her early twenties, Gu He is the most decorated freestyle skier of all timeShe won six medals in six events at the 2022 and 2026 Winter Olympics.

However, away from the tracks, Gu had repeatedly come under fire because of him She represents her mother’s home country, China, in the OlympicsAlthough he grew up in Northern California and majored in international relations at Stanford University.

She said earlier this year “I was physically assaulted” He was robbed and received death threats on campus.

The multi-faceted model is signed by IMG and has appeared in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2025 issue, represented Louis Vuitton, Victoria’s Secret and Fendi, and graced the covers of the Chinese editions of Cosmopolitan and Vogue.


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