Sabrina Carpenter Met Gala Dress Drama: Did She Destroy the Last Original Copy of 'Sabrina'?

The 2026 Met Gala red carpet is rarely free from theatrical drama, but pop icon Sabrina Carpenter found herself at the centre of an unexpected internet storm following the event. Carpenter stunned the red carpet in a custom-made Christian Dior gown crafted entirely from film strips from the 1954 Sabrina starring Audrey Hepburn.

The cinematic tribute, which celebrates the museum's 'Costume Art' exhibition under the dress code 'Fashion is Art', has quickly gone viral. However, the praise was swiftly met with online outrage, as frantic social media users accused Carpenter and Dior of destroying the 'last original copy' of Audrey Hepburn's classic 1954 film.

She also drew comparison to Kim Kardashian's controversial 2022 Met Gala moment in Marilyn Monroe's dress. Social media users questioned whether Carpenter, like Kardashian, had 'destroyed' film history in a similar way. But was the priceless cinematic masterpiece destroyed or remains safe?

Cinema on the Red Carpet

Designed by Jonathan Anderson for Dior, the halter-neck gown was a literal translation of the evening's artistic mandate. The dress featured actual, rhinestone-encrusted film strips wrapped around Carpenter's body.

On closer inspection, you can see individual frames showcasing scenes featuring Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, and William Holden.

The ensemble was finished with a vintage skull cap displaying the original film's title card, paired with towering Christian Louboutin heels and more than 48 carats of Chopard diamonds, as reported by L'Officiel.

Speaking to Vogue, hosted by La La Anthony on the red carpet, Carpenter expressed her excitement about the dress, calling it a personal dream. 'It's all made of film, which is my dream,' Carpenter said. 'It's from the movie Sabrina, which is one of my favourite films of all time.'

The custom creation marks a continuation of Carpenter's highly publicised partnership with Anderson, who also designed her recent custom outfits for her headlining sets at the Coachella music festival. The singer, who has frequently experimented with classic Hollywood aesthetics, used the gala to lean heavily into her cinematic namesake.

The 'Last Copy' Rumour Debunked

The spectacular fashion statement, however, triggered immediate backlash across social media platforms like X, where users accused the singer and her team of cultural vandalism. Critics assumed a rare, irreplaceable piece of Hollywood history had been sliced up for a red carpet stunt.

'What a waste of vintage tape,' one user wrote, while another pointed to double standards in the industry: 'It pisses me off that the film of an Audrey movie ended like that; they complain about the Kardashians, but here they say nothing.' A third critic went further, writing: 'wtf sabrina took the last available copy of that film in the entire world. she's gone too far.'

However, others quickly stepped in with logic. 'That's not true,' one fan countered. 'You do know they can make copies of movies. It's called "dubbing". Plus, multiple copies exist; we don't know the exact number,' as reported by PopRant.

Technically, this defence is entirely correct. Originally released by Paramount Pictures in 1954, thousands of Sabrina prints were distributed to theatres globally. While vintage 35mm rolls are precious to collectors, the film has been meticulously preserved on safety stock and digital formats. It is virtually impossible that an irreplaceable master print was sacrificed for a dress.

In reality, the masterpiece is a heavily preserved corporate asset. Multiple safety copies, fine-grain master negatives, and digital files are permanently secured in climate-controlled studio vaults and national repositories.

While the dress certainly divided opinion online regarding the ethics of using historic film rolls for fashion, Audrey Hepburn's cinematic legacy remains completely secure.