Eileen Gu floats into the Met Gala in the wildest dress of the night.
The Olympic freestyle skiing sensation arrived Monday night wearing what might go down as the most hypnotic look of the night: a futuristic Iris Van Herpen bubble dress covered in 15,000 glass bubbles.
Yes. Fifteen. Thousand.
“I have 15,000 glass bubbles on me,” Gu told ESPNW, looking somehow completely unfazed by the fact that she was dressed as couture champagne foam. “It took 2,550 hours to make. There’s technology underneath the dress that allows reality to kind of come together with art. It’s a game with surrealism, it’s a game with movement, it’s a game with nature, with fun, with whimsy.”
And honestly? She looked like she walked straight out of a sci-fi adventure.
The 22-year-old athlete paired the dreamy minidress with sheer heels, soft glam and a messy updo, while actual floating bubbles floated around her on the carpet. Minimal jewelry, maximum protagonist energy.
When asked why sports belong in the art conversation, Gu kept it simple.
“It’s about self-expression. It’s about breaking boundaries and being the truest version of yourself.”
The moment felt fitting for someone who dominates both Olympic podiums and fashion campaigns with equal ease. Already the most decorated freestyle skier in Olympic history, Gu has become equally recognizable in the luxury world thanks to partnerships with Lousi Vuitton, Fendi and Victoria’s Secret.
At this point, Eileen Gu does not balance sport and fashion – she turns both into performance art.
