It’s truly the year of Alysa Liu. The Milan-Cortina figure skating champion appeared as a guest at the prestigious Met Gala on Monday, donning a red Louis Vuitton gown designed by Nicolas Ghesquière and styled by Katie Qian.

With her appearance, Liu becomes the first Olympic figure skating champion to appear as a guest at the event. She also solidifies her newfound celebrity status after winning a historic gold medal in February.

Renowned as an invite-only event that attracts and spotlights only Hollywood’s A-list celebrities, Liu’s attendance at the Met Gala ranks her among the entertainment and sporting worlds’ elite.

The 20-year-old joins a small cohort of A-list athletes-turned Met Gala attendees, including star NFL quarterback Tom Brady, women’s tennis legend Serena Williams, and Olympic champion gymnasts Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee.

The skater’s attendance was anticipated by avid followers of fashion and figure skating. Liu is currently in the midst of a grueling Stars on Ice tour, which conveniently stopped in Newark, New Jersey, over the weekend — keeping the Olympian in close proximity to the gala’s Upper East Side stomping grounds.

Further, Louis Vuitton announced its official partnership with the skater on Sunday, designating Liu as a House Ambassador. With the announcement, Liu joins actresses Zendaya and Ana de Armas as members of LV’s house.

Beloved for her authenticity on and off the ice, Alysa Liu "inspires us all to embrace audacity in every form,” Nicolas Ghesquière, artistic director of LV’s women’s collections, remarked .

Accordingly, Ghesquière designed Liu’s gown for Monday’s MET Gala debut.

Alysa Liu’s 2026 Met Gala Outfit

Paying homage to the theme of “Costume Art,” Liu’s team aimed to highlight the skater’s role at the “intersection of athleticism and art,” Up Next reports .

Liu described the outfit as an “anatomically-inspired dress,” intended to resemble the “cross-section” of the human body.

The gown features a large skirt with thickly layered red ruffles. “The ruffles have an anatomical shape, almost like muscle striation, veins, the interior of a cell,” stylist Katie Qian said .

“At the same time it also shows the ‘guts’ and the interior structure of a dress, showcasing the creation of clothing as an art form.”

Though the ball gown represented new stylistic territory for the skater, Liu emerged from The Mark Hotel with her trademark "halo hair" — tree-like rings of blonde and brown. She completed her look with a custom Pasquale Bruni necklace, featuring white gold, diamonds and ruby stones.

On the red carpet, the skater also exhibited her signature nonchalance. “Was [the MET Gala] on the vision board?" interviewer and model Ashley Graham asked Liu.

“Not really," Liu laughed. “But great things were."

What’s Next for Alysa Liu

Liu and her fellow U.S. national team skaters will resume their Stars on Ice tour with Tuesday’s stop in Rochester, New York, only to continue their national tour through the end of May. While the 2026 figure skating season ended at last month’s world championships, Liu intends to return to the ice for the upcoming season, possibly with a 2030 Olympic run in mind.

"Well, I can’t imagine not skating next year," she said to MSN . “That's what I'll say.”