Lena Dunham Red Dress Inspired by Blood Splatter

Lena Dunham had a bloody good time at the 2026 Met Gala. 

In keeping with the night’s “Fashion Is Art” dress code, the Girls alum and Valentino designer Alessandro Michele found inspiration from Artemisia Gentileschi‘s 17th century painting “Judith Slaying Holofernes” as the jumping off point for her feathered and sequined red Valentino gown. 

“I shared that inspiration with Alessandro,” Lena told Vogue, “but because his brain works in the most magical ways, rather than leaning into the Renaissance garments or the swords or any of it, he was attracted to a particular blood spatter on the neck of Holofernes.”

And while the designer offered Lena a straightforward interpretation of the artwork for the “Costume Art”-themed gala on May 4 at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lena found herself leaning towards the abstract version. 

“Obviously, that’s what I was going to choose,” the 39-year-old said. “I love how playful he is while also having this incredible amount of technical skill, and also having a sense of humor and also taking things very seriously.”