Celebrity Style
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Model Adut Akech is no stranger to the Met steps, but tonight marks her first time on the Met Gala red carpet with a plus one: the model is officially full-term with her second baby. “As long as I get to the Met, this baby can decide to come anytime after that,” Akech joked to Vogue less than a week before the Met Gala.
While Akech revealed her first pregnancy with her daughter, Kiki, to Vogue in 2024, her second has also proven itself a fashion-forward endeavor: In Vogue’s May issue, the model cradled her Loewe-draped bump for a “Costume Art” editorial. Now, for the final fashionable act of her pregnancy, Thom Browne has dreamt up a maternity Met Gala look just for her. “I’ve seen Thom in passing, but we’ve never gotten to sit down and have a conversation or work closely with each other like this,” she says. “So I’m excited to just be in the same space with him.”
Adut Akech at the 2026 Met Gala.
Browne created an organza bodysuit to suit Akech’s ever-changing body, which he paired with a black silk taffeta overcoat. The designer also added some sweet personal touches, appliquéing the bodysuit with Lily of the Valley—the birth flower for May. “I’m just really, really excited and I’m grateful that there are people whose thoughtfulness goes to such an extent,” she says.
Browne, for his part, was excited to help the model celebrate this exciting moment in her life. “I wanted to create something that felt true to both myself and Adut, and worked for someone experiencing one of life’s great miracles,” the designer tells Vogue. “It was important that the design gave nods to this moment in her life and really celebrated her strength and beauty. Adut really understands what I do, and it made it that much easier to adapt this throughout the process.”
Even though Akech admits she’s had major FOMO throughout her pregnancy, going to the 2026 Met Gala was no small decision. “It was important that if I am going to go do this at such a late stage in my pregnancy, I would love for this to be a stress-free experience because I have so many moving parts in my personal life right now,” says Akech, who counts a recent cross-country move and caring for a 17-month-old toddler among them. Luckily, she adds, “Everything’s been so seamless.”
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Hannah Jackson is a fashion writer at Vogue, where she covers celebrity style, trends, and occasionally culture. Her work has also appeared in Elle, The Cut, Architectural Digest, Harper’s Bazaar, Rolling Stone, W, and elsewhere. She lives in New York. ... Read More