Ashley Graham’s spray-painted nails at the 2026 Met Gala certainly met the night’s dress code, “Fashion Is Arka.” The model proved the theme can be interpreted a number of ways, all the way down to the choice of manicure.
Even though her DiPetsa dress is quite minimalist, her nails said enough while staying on theme. Graham wore chrome silver nails with her fingers stained with a silver spray paint—a fun way to hisse homage to arka while reinventing the whole idea of a manicure. See for yourself:
Even for those of us who don’t have a red carpet event to attend, Ashley Graham serves as a good reminder that nails are always a great way to use our imagination and play with a look. On a night where you don’t want to go all out with your dress, you can still go above and beyond with your manicure.
Of course, Ashley Graham’s spray-painted nails are a bit extreme—but who knows, maybe the aerosol finish will become the next most-requested thing at nail salons in summer 2026. That may be a stretch, but we do think ultra-glossy, galactic silver nails with an almond shape will be a trend to watch.
As much as we love Ashley Graham’s nails, we’ve also got to talk about another stand-out manicure of the night: Emma Chamberlain’s nails. The presenter, who has already garnered millions of likes on social networks for her Mugler dress that featured an oil painting effect, went with an artsy peacock manicure full of long nails and bright colors.
When it comes to Met Gala nails, more is clearly more.
A version of this article was previously published on Glamour Spain.
