At the 2026 Met Gala, the “Fashion is Art” dress code meant it was all about Grecian draping, Renaissance rendered silhouettes, and bodies, bodies, bodies. For Rihanna, the idea of a “living sculpture” extended to her hair.

The pop star’s longtime hairstylist Yusef Williams was on hand to match her whorling Margiela by Glenn Martens couture gown with intricate and ornate jeweled curls that created a stunning, Art Deco-style headpiece. “We leaned into the idea of a living sculpture,” Williams tells Vogue exclusively. “The hair had to complete the look, not compete with it.”

Styled by Jahleel Weaver, Rihanna’s Margiela gown first appeared in the house’s artisanal 2025 collection, with a draped column silhouette inspired by the medieval architecture of Flanders, a northern region of Belgium. Hand-sculpted and made of duchess woven silk and recycled metal threads, the look also featured a corset with over 115,00 crystal beads, antique jewels, and chains. More jewels included a chunky Dyne ear cuff and Glenn Spiro earrings. While the original runway look saw the model’s visage totally concealed, Rih and her glam team imagined something just as captivating, which kept her face and crown as a focal point.

“It was all about matching the sculptural feel of the outfit and staying aligned with the team’s vision; strong, timeless, and intentional from every angle,” Williams says of her golden-threaded crown. (Williams also crafted Tyla’s voluminous wet-look curls on the night to go with her sexy, extreme-cutaway Valentino gown.)

To execute the look, Williams made sure Rihanna’s hair was first red carpet ready with True Indian Hair Company’s True HD Lace RTW Collection in the style Ava as the foundation. “Using an HD lace front gave us a seamless blend and install, while offering versatility and natural movement while still allowing for structure,” says Williams, “which was needed given added gold wire pin curls.”

To create this custom hair look, Williams worked with New York-based luxury accessories label Jennifer Behr. Williams first wanted to give the illusion of hair, but in mixed metals for an industrial feel. The creative vision for Rihanna’s crystalline curls was what the hairstylist describes as “artefact-like beauty.” “We kept it sleek and intentional, then reimagined vintage gold wire pin curls in a modern way, so it felt like a nod to history without looking [like a] costume,” he adds. The hair was slicked tight to the head, with metal finger waves placed on top like a crown.

Behr crafted 40 wire curls by hand in varying shapes that were placed across the head, with some shaped to lay on the forehead. The wire was hand-formed into individual pieces, plated in a dark bronze metal, and hand-painted with gold to give the metal dimension and depth. Next, Swarovski crystals in champagne and black diamond were wired onto some of the curls to match the Margiela gown. Each piece was hand-pinned and layered on.

The rest of Rih’s glam followed the gilded, golden vibe, as done by makeup artist Hector Espinal: her eyeshadow melded shades of melted metallics and cool tone violet, with a lined chrome lip, and high-shine, poreless skin. With fluttery black eyelashes, diamonds and crystals were placed around her temples, plus a single sparkly face gem as a tear. In Espinal’s kit? A new Fenty Beauty bronzer, the Sun Stalk’r Soufflé Pressed Mousse Cream Bronzer (set to launch on May 1), as well as the Fenty Beauty Killawat Freestyle Highlighter, and the Trace’d Out Pencil Lip Liner in shade Amber Rose. Nails were surprisingly simple, short almond and baby pink.

Pin curls had a bit of a moment at the 2025 Met Gala, where the “Tailored For You” themed red carpet saw an embrace of ’20s and ’40s era beauty with victory rolls, kiss curls, and pin curls on the likes of Gigi Hadid, Jenna Ortega, Dua Lipa, and Gabrielle Union. It’s not the first time Rih has opted for a nostalgic or jewel-studded hairdo, either—who could forget her fire red, flicky bob and swirling gold headpiece at the 2015 Met Gala?

More than a finishing touch, one of the 2026 Met Gala night’s best dressed women wore her hair as “an accessory that helped bring that polished, statue-inspired moment to life,” says Williams. “Fashion Is Art” beauty brief nailed!

Below, revisit some of Rihanna’s best beauty looks from the Met Gala over the years.

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