Gigi Hadid had a special trick for helping her pose and stay grounded at the 2026 Met Gala May 4: thinking about boyfriend of three years Bradley Cooper.
Gigi Hadid's Underwear Is On Display in Fully Sheer Met Gala 2026 Gown
Gigi Hadid has a super trick for posing at the 2026 Met Gala.
In fact, the supermodel found that thinking of her boyfriend of three years Bradley Cooper helped keep her grounded on the steps at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art for the “Costume Art”-themed gala May 4.
“I try to bring my mind to a happy place,” Gigi explained to Vogue during the event. “What we do in our job is just go to a happy place. Think of happy thoughts and the smile comes through the eyes and it makes you come to life.”
And while the 31-year-old does think of Bradley, 51, her mind first goes to 5-year-old daughter Khai, who she shares with ex Zayn Malik.
“First happy thought, Khai my daughter,” Gigi shared, “and then my man.”
And of course, each thought serves a specific purpose for the Guest In Residence founder, as she’s found her eyes will do something different depending on her happy thoughts.
“When I think about Khai, maybe I'm giving joy,” she explained. “And then I'll serve something else to Bradley in the camera.”
Plus, those happy thoughts helped her feel present and not distracted by everything that was going on around her on the night, which was co-chaired by Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour. (See all the celebrities at the event here.)
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
“It happens so fast, and you're like, ‘I blacked out. How did I even post?’” she laughed. “So taking a deep breath and being like, ‘What does it smell like?’ Think of something—that first happy thought that brings me back here.”
And among those happy thoughts tonight was her custom Miu Miu gown. The sheer design gave a peek at her satin underwear as the gown was carefully decorated with florals that the model herself had helped place.
In keeping with the night's “Fashion Is Art”-dress code, Gigi felt that she herself was the canvas while she “laid the patches where I felt made my body feel great.”
As she told Vogue, “It really was body as canvas.”
For more stars who gave their own artist spin to the 2026 Met Gala, keep reading.
Photo by Julian Hamilton/Getty Images
SZA
in Bode.
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Eileen Gu
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Sombr
in custom Valentino.
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Hunter Schafer
in Prada.
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Audrey Nuna
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Anne Hathaway
in Michael Kors.
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Margot Robbie
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Naomi Watts
in Dior.
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Sabrina Carpenter
in Dior.
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Serena Williams
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Stevie Nicks
in Zara by John Galliano.
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Carey Mulligan
in Prada.
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Tom Ford and Julianne Moore
in Bottega Veneta.
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Hailey Bieber
in custom Saint Laurent.
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Dwayne Johnson
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Kylie Jenner
in custom Schiaparelli.
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Camila Morrone
in Tory Burch.
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Emily Blunt
in Ashi Studio.
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Colman Domingo
in Valentino.
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Anderson .Paak
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Joey King
in Miu Miu.
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Paul Anthony Kelly
in Dior.
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Camila Mendes
in Manish Malhotra.
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Irina Shayk
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Heidi Klum
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Angela Bassett
in custom Prabal Gurung.
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Laufey
in Tory Burch and Bucherer Fine Jewelry.
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Alysa Liu
in Louis Vuitton.
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Finn Wolfhard
in Thom Browne.
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Lisa
in Robert Wun.