Venus Williams has always moved between two worlds with effortless grace — the tennis court and the fashion runway. As one of the most decorated athletes of her generation, she's also carved out a reputation as a genuine fashion force, not just a celebrity borrowing someone else's spotlight. So when it was announced that Venus would co-chair the 2026 Met Gala, nobody was surprised. She's been training for that role for years, one breathtaking red carpet look at a time.
To celebrate the announcement, we're looking back at the moments that made Venus Williams a Met Gala fixture — the looks that sparked conversations, broke the internet, and occasionally broke a mirror. Here they are, ranked from memorable to legendary.
Venus arrived at the 2022 Met Gala in a sleek, all-black pantsuit crafted by styling icon Law Roach, who has made a career out of transforming celebrities into cultural statements. The suit was sharp, precise, and intentionally stripped down — a deliberate contrast to the maximalism flooding the red carpet around her. What elevated the look wasn't the garment alone, but what Venus brought to it: waist-length braids that cascaded past her knees, turning a minimalist outfit into something quietly theatrical. It was a look that said she didn't need sequins or a train to own the room.
The 2021 Met Gala's theme — "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion" — invited guests to think carefully about identity and heritage. Venus arrived in a sweeping red gown by Prabal Gurung, a designer known for weaving personal and cultural narrative into his work. The deep crimson color, the silhouette that moved with her, and the way she carried herself that evening made it clear this wasn't just fashion for fashion's sake. Venus has spoken openly about her African roots and the pride she takes in honoring that heritage through her choices. This gown felt like a statement of that pride, worn on one of the most visible stages in the world.
Few Met Gala stories are as delightfully chaotic as what happened before Venus even stepped out of her car in 2024. She arrived in a stunning mirrored Marc Jacobs creation — a dress assembled from fragments of reflective material that caught every light source on the carpet and turned her into a walking disco ball. The kicker? Venus later revealed she had actually broken a mirror while getting ready that evening. Superstition dictates seven years of bad luck, but given how the look turned out, we'd argue the universe made an exception. The dress was dramatic, unexpected, and completely hers.
Nothing on this list hit quite like Venus's 2025 Met Gala appearance, which felt like the entire narrative arc of her life compressed into a single outfit. The theme that year invited interpretations of sport and fashion intersecting, and Venus responded by partnering with Lacoste on a custom dress that threaded the needle between haute couture and athletic heritage. The look featured a structured dress with a dramatic cape — elegant from across the room, unmistakably sporty up close. It was the kind of outfit only Venus Williams could pull off, because it required being both a world-class athlete and a fashion icon simultaneously. She made headlines that week not just for the look but for what it represented: an athlete reclaiming the narrative around her own legacy.
With co-chair duties for the 2026 gala now on her shoulders, Venus Williams is stepping into a role that is as much creative director as red carpet guest. If her own history at the event is any indication, the night will be something worth watching.