Global Music Superstar Looks Unrecognizable in Transformative Met Gala Look

Bad Bunny put an unexpected twist on the 2026 Met Gala dress code of “Fashion is Art.”

The 32-year-old global superstar arrived at Monday’s Metropolitan Museum of Art fundraiser wearing makeup and prosthetics that made him appear decades older, complete with a gray wig and facial hair.

Bad Bunny was meant to look 50 years older, as per a press release, with his transformation led by makeup artist Mike Marino, who was also responsible for Heidi Klum’s prosthetics work for Monday’s red carpet.

The “Tití Me Preguntó” artist paired his old-age makeup with an all-black custom Zara tuxedo featuring a pussybow detail referencing Charles James’ 1947 garment “Bustle,” which is part of the Costume Institute’s permanent collection. He then accessorized the look with a cane and Cartier jewelry, which included an archival 1995 timepiece.

The larger reference behind Bad Bunny’s unconventional look was the “Costume Art” exhibit’s section on the aging body, with Marino and Bad Bunny working together to see “how the passage of time may actually affect [Bad Bunny’s] face, neck, and hands.”

“Perhaps reflecting our fear of having to face our own mortality, the youth-oriented fashion industry has traditionally ignored the aged body,” reads a text in the exhibition catalog, as per Vogue.

The “MONACO” artist told Vogue‘s La La Anthony on the red carpet that he “always” tries “to do something different” for the Met Gala and that he enjoys “being creative.” While he didn’t share exactly how long his look took in the makeup chair, the musician admitted that it “took a little but” but was “worth it.”

This isn’t the first Met Gala for the Grammy winner, who last year sported a brown suit and pava hat for the “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” exhibition and previously served as a co-chair for the 2024 Met Gala in a Maison Margiela suit and statement hat while channeling the “Garden of Time” dress code.