Lauren Sánchez Bezos faced criticism for her first Met Gala look as lead sponsor and honorary chair of the 2026 event. The 56-year-old former journalist arrived at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in a midnight-blue mermaid dress with a heart-shaped neckline and beaded straps, designed by Schiaparelli.
The dress code, 'Fashion is Art', encouraged guests to use their bodies as a canvas. Sánchez Bezos told host La La Anthony that her outfit was a tribute to John Singer Sargent's 1884 painting Madame X, which is housed at the Met. She praised her stylists for doing an 'incredible job'.
However, many on social media slammed the look as 'basic' and 'tacky'. One X user wrote, 'Sooo basic. They hosted this so she could have done anything. This is a disgusting disappointment.' Another compared it to a 1992 prom dress, while a third quipped, 'With all that money she couldn't buy creativity.' Critics also noted that the dress did not match the original painting's colour or fabric.
The event, dubbed 'The Bezos Met Gala' by protesters, has faced backlash over the couple's sponsorship. Activist group Everyone Hates Elon launched a boycott campaign, distributing flyers reading 'Boycott the Bezos Met Gala'. The sponsorship has sparked outrage over accusations that the Amazon mogul and his wife are buying influence in culture, media and politics.
Vogue's former editor-in-chief Anna Wintour defended the couple in November, stating that Sánchez Bezos would be a 'wonderful asset' and that she was grateful for her 'incredible generosity'.
