How do you prepare for fashion’s biggest night out? If you’re an A-lister or anyone in New York for the big weekend, you don’t sit and twiddle your fingers while waiting for your time slot on the stairs at the Met; you hit the town for 72 hours beforehand. Indeed, the staircase is the largest stage, but the preparties are for letting your hair down and wearing an archival piece or fresh-off-the-runway dress with less pressure and way more fun. There are dinners, cocktails, and late-night dance parties with step-and-repeats that are practically begging for a look to be turned.

With that in mind, we’re taking stock of the best looks plucked fresh off the New York sidewalks that deserve a shoutout before we dig deep into the red carpet for the 2026 Met Gala. Below, see who caught our eye and the paparazzi’s flash.

Sabrina Carpenter

Chase Sui Wonders

Daisy Edgar-Jones

Lisa Rinna

Zoë Kravitz

Ella Emhoff

Chase Infiniti

Colman Domingo

Alex Consani

Hunter Schafer

Odessa A’zion

Jennie

Ciara Miller

Natasha Lyonne

Janelle Monáe

Irina Shayk

Kim Kardashian

Kendall Jenner

Laura Harrier

Ariana Madix

Vittoria Ceretti

Donatella Versace