Venus Williams worked serious style time at the 2026 Met Gala.
The tennis star, 45, embraced the “Costume Art” theme on the red carpet at fashion’s biggest night on Monday, May 4, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Her sparkling black dress of crystal mesh was inspired Robert Pruitt‘s photo is titled Venus Williams, Double Portraitcommissioned by the National Portrait Gallery. The necklace, almost identical to the one in the photo, is based on the Venus Rosewater Dish, which is awarded to the winners of the Ladies’ singles each year at Wimbledon. Williams won the real thing himself five times during his career.
Venus is attending the 2026 Met Gala as event chairwoman – a role she shares Nicole Kidman, Beyoncé again Anna Wintour. Venus follows her sister Serena Williams After the tennis player, 44, hosted the gala in 2019.
Venus made her Met Gala debut in 2008, turning heads in a strapless Carolina Herrera gown. After more than a decade, she returned to the big night of fashion in 2021 wearing a red dress by Prabal Gurung. The following year, Venus switched things up in a pair of black Lacoste pants before slipping into a glittering Marc Jacobs 2024 headdress disc dress. Last year, she gave a nod to her sporty roots in a green Lacoste dress reminiscent of a tennis and polo skirt.
Venus’s visit to the 2026 Met Gala comes nearly five months after her wedding to her husband Andrea Preti. The couple – who were first linked in July 2024 and confirmed their engagement in July 2025 – tied the knot in Palm Beach, Florida, in December 2025 after a five-day celebration with family and friends.
“It was the happiest, most beautiful, sweetest day,” Venus said Vogue at that time.
A day before their lavish wedding, Venus and Preti, 37, made things official with a court wedding.
“I can’t describe how beautiful, calm, holy, happy and uplifting it was,” he said of his marriage. “It was just a dream.”
Williams went on to reveal that she and Preti are also enjoying an unofficial event in Italy in September 2025.
“We had this dream of having our wedding in Italy,” she shared. “But we didn’t have enough time to do the paperwork – because I’m an immigrant, it would take about eight months. So we decided to have a second wedding.”
After the news of Venus and Preti’s marriage appeared, Serena showed her support for her older sister with a beautiful song on social media.
“Watching you enter this next chapter surrounded by love feels like watching the sun rise … strong, strong and full of promise,” Serena wrote on Instagram in December 2025. “You’ve been my built-in best friend, my protector, my teacher and my reminder to always walk with purpose. To see you happy, this dear, this radiant … means everything to me.”
He added, “Love, cooperation, laughter and a lifetime of choosing each other every day. I couldn’t be prouder to stand next to you, not just today, but always.”
