The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds a star-studded fundraising gala every year on the first Monday in May, with the red carpet serving as the year’s most high-profile junction of entertainment and fashion. The event also acts as the kickoff for the Costume Institute’s annual fashion display, which features a different subject or designer each year.
Vogue
Attendees of the Met Gala are urged to dress in a way that pays attention to the theme. So, who adhered to the annual fashion theme, and who sucked at it? We combed through a decade of Met Ball fashion to identify the best and least appropriate ensembles for each theme, from punk to technology to superheroes.
About Time: Fashion and Duration (2020)
Best Dressed: Katy Perry
The 2020 Met Gala like everything else planned for that dreadful spring, has been canceled. Katy Perry shared a snapshot of what she planned to wear to the gala on Instagram: a Jean Paul Gaultier corset that perfectly suited the exhibit’s theme.
Insider
The wonderful piece paid tribute to the designer’s iconic cone bra worn by Madonna 30 years prior, establishing a link between two generations of pop stars; its updated shape, designed for a pregnant Perry, acknowledged the unique “duration” of her pregnancy as well as the future.
Camp: Notes On Fashion (2019)
Best Dressed: Lady Gaga
The stars went all out for the Gala, which was inspired by Susan Sontag’s 1964 book “Notes on Camp,” but none of them went as far as event co-chair and real camp counselor Lady Gaga. Like she always does, she surprised everyone with her wonderfully stunning gown.
The New York Times
The diva came in a voluminous pink coat (a favorite shade for the night, complementing the flamingo-colored carpet), then stripped down into a black gown, a pink sheath, and a black bra and underwear in an intricately choreographed 15-minute scene (all by Brandon Maxwell, who also played a role in her little fashion show).
Camp: Notes on Fashion (2019)
Best Dressed: Miley Crus and Gemma Chan
In defense of the 2019 participants, the theme was just “hard to nail it”. It’s not just plain outlandish clothing; the key is how you wear it. Still, nobody was exempted from the responsibility to slay! Miley Cyrus’ structural Saint Laurent would have been campy, but we’re dealing with Miley here, who wore it with such ease that it was merely stylish.
Entertainment Weekly
Along with Miley was Gemma Chan who tried to go “Vegas-showgirl”, but there’s no denying that even with her regal poise and a bejeweled headpiece she wasn’t able to slay the theme. It would have been appropriate the year before though.
Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination (2018, Pope)
Best Dressed: Rihanna and Chadwick Boseman
We’ll have to break down a few different versions of “Heavenly Bodies” since the celebs really brought it at the 2018 Met Gala. Regular theme queen Rihanna (in Maison Margiela) and Wakandan royalty Chadwick Boseman (in Atelier Versace) had to be the holiest of the lot, both looking absolutely papal in embroidered white costumes.
Entertainment Weekly
The theme for the 2018 Met Gala revolved around “Heavenly Bodies”, the queen, as she should, dressed up as a pope. She tapped into Maison Margiela designer John Galliano to create the astonishing look. Chadwick Boseman wore the now-iconic custom Atelier Versace white cape look, which by the way, almost didn’t happen. Originally, he wanted to go with another suit but was glad he didn’t because he probably wouldn’t be making it on this list.
Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination (2018, Angels)
Best Dressed: Katy Perry and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
Katy Perry and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley made a contrasting but beautiful pair of seraphim last 2018. The singer accentuated her Versace minidress with a massive set of sparkling wings, while the former Victoria’s Secret model went for a more subtle look, with a tiny halo above her ethereal caped Ralph Lauren gown.
Entertainment Weekly
Katy Perry clearly didn’t take it easy on the red carpet. She opted for a heavenly custom ensemble from Versace, courtesy of one of this year’s co-hosts, Donatella Versace. On the other hand, the model, actress, and former Victoria’s Secret Angel showed up in an ethereal caped Ralph Lauren gown that resembled stained glass windows and Ana Khouri Gioconda earrings, but it was her crystal-clear skin and literal halo that has taken our breaths away.
Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination (2018, Joan of Arc)
Best Dressed: Priyanka Chopra and Zendaya
The Maid of Orleans was well-represented on the Met Gala carpet in 2018, but none stood out more than Priyanka Chopra in a velvet Ralph Lauren gown with a gilded hood and Zendaya in Versace’s glitzy interpretation on chainmail.
Entertainment Weekly
Chopra looked stunning on the red carpet in a rich burgundy velvet gown with a stunning gold beaded hood, which she accessorized with Cartier jewels. While there have been plenty of crowns, crosses, and even looks inspired by Jesus himself on the red carpet, the actress’ magnificent diamond hood was a genuinely unique and lovely take on the religious subject. Zendaya managed to rock the party when she arrived in a spectacular silver Versace dress that looked like a knight’s armor with metal shoulder pads and chain details which were truly astonishing!
Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination (2018, Textile)
Best Dressed: Ariana Grande and Stella Maxwell
Then there were the celebrities who incorporated the topic into the very fabric of their outfits. Michelangelo would probably cry in joy if he saw Ariana Grande (in Vera Wang) wrapped in the likeness of his Sistine Chapel fresco, while Stella Maxwell (in Moschino) wore a sparkling collage of Virgin Marys.
Entertainment Weekly
Singer Ariana Grande made her Met Gala debut in a custom gown by Vera Wang. The look featured an allover print of the Sistine Chapel, which played to the night’s theme while also achieving stylist Law Roach’s vision for Grande “to look like art, a beautiful painting.” Stella Maxwell also shocked the crowd when she showed up wearing a Moschino gown which had a collage of the Virgin Mary, stunning Casadei shoes, and David Yurman jewelry.
Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination (2018, Textile)
Least on the List: Kendall Jenner and Scarlett Johansson
Kendall Jenner’s ethereal off-white suit looked like it was sewn from the clouds and Scarlett Johansson wore Marchesa in a deep red color that was just a bit darker than genuine Cardinal. However, when there are knights, popes, and real-life angels on the carpet, we’re not wowed by some perhaps, distantly referential hues.
Entertainment Weekly
In a sea of rich fabrics and sparkling jewels, Kendall Jenner stood out on the Met Gala red carpet in a simple, breezy white jumpsuit. The airy look was by Off-White, and the model fittingly brought designer Virgil Abloh as her date to the fashionable event. Scarlett Johansson who was accompanied by her boyfriend, Colin Jost, wore a pink-and-red tulle gown designed by Marchesa, the line founded by Harvey Weinstein’s ex-wife Georgina Chapman.
Best of Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art Of The In-Between (2017)
Best Dressed: Rihanna and Tracee Ellis
The Comme des Garçons and its founder, designer Rei Kawakubo, were honored at the 2017 Gala. Rihanna and Tracee Ellis Ross were as on-theme as they could be, wearing the designer herself. They both went for looks that stood out from the crowd!
Entertainment Weekly
In 2015 Rihanna arrived last at the Met Gala, carrying a 55-pound couture creation by Guo Pei that went on to spark memes, become a viral hit, and go down as one of the most unforgettable red-carpet moments in fashion history. On the other hand, Tracee Ellis had the bold blue gown moment on the red carpet that night. She wore a royal blue frock paired with shimmering silver shoes as she stunned everyone.
Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art Of The In-Between (2017)
Best Dressed: Katy Perry
How do you make an impact on the most daring red carpet of the year? If you’re Katy Perry, it’s all about subverting expectations. She didn’t wear actual Comme des Garçons but got into the avant-garde spirit in this undoubtedly hard-to-wear piece from Maison Margiela by John Galliano.
Dimitri Kambouris/Getty Images
For the night’s first wow moment, Perry chose a customized John Galliano–designed crimson wool coat over a tulle and chiffon gown with shimmering embellishments. She pushed her ever-evolving style into new territory by accentuating the creativity of couture while shielded under a translucent veil and gleaming headpiece. With crystals, satin ribbon, and embroidery woven into a seamless creation, layers of pleated detail gave visual intrigue and a great twist on elegance.
Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology (2016)
Best Dressed: Claire Danes and Karolina Kurkova
For “Manus x Machina,” the red carpet was mostly metallic but Claire Danes (in Zac Posen) and Karolina Kurkova (in Marchesa) took the motif to the next level in these classic gowns with LED lights, the latter of which was made in collaboration with a computer. Zayn, who donned cybernetic arms, deserves a special mention.
Entertainment Weekly
Danes wore a princess-style dress that required 600 hours of work from Posen and his six-person team. However, it paid off when social media declared the dress a Cinderella moment. Karolina Kurkova, on the other hand, wore a beautiful gown with handcrafted floral petals with IBM Watson’s unique ability to process fans’ reactions in real-time. Marchesa teased its contribution to the grand affair last week as a couture-level gown, designed by a cognitive computer system.
Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology (2016)
Best Dressed: Beyoncé
Beyoncé was not quite as on-theme as the physically glowing attendees, dressed in embroidered latex from Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci. However, the internet anointed her Met Gala queen that year, and what could be more “Manus x Machina” than the approval of the Internet?
Entertainment Weekly
Riccardo Tisci, the creative director of Givenchy, designed the latex puffy sleeves flesh tone gown that trailed behind Beyonce as she made her long-awaited red carpet solo appearance. The look nearly flowed off of her and seemed like an extension of her latex-worked stage clothes, which were embellished with a starburst of beadwork that resembled a constellation.
Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology (2016)
Least on the List: Blake Lively and Sarah Jessica Parker
The Burberry gown worn by a pregnant Blake Lively was lovely. But, it made no allusion to the subject at all. Meanwhile, Sarah Jessica Parker’s Monse costume, inspired by Hamilton, acknowledged the “Manus” but defied the “Machina.” The star of Sex and the City later defended the ensemble, saying, “We intended it to be about the technology of idea, application, and manufacturing.”
Entertainment Weekly
Lively’s fashion sense was in full bloom when she wore an elastic waist–wear and a shapeless muumuu in favor of a Burberry bodice-style gown in a floral-print motif. “Blake looks incredible this evening,” said Burberry chief creative and chief executive officer Christopher Bailey. And in an unexpected turn of events, Sarah Jessica Parker did not wear a giant gown, a large headpiece, or even a multicolored dress for tonight’s Met Gala. Instead, she wore Monse capris.
China: Through The Looking Glass (2015)
Best Dressed: Rihanna
Maybe Sarah Jessica Parker wore what appeared to be a flaming headdress but Rihanna did extensive research into contemporary Chinese fashion and chose a beautiful fur-trimmed gown in marigold from designer Guo Pei.
Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Her gown was considered to be the most relevant among the different Met Gala outfits of all time. Rihanna will never disappoint us every year when she walks the red carpet. Rihanna has been dubbed as the queen and the MVP of the Met Gala.
China: Through The Looking Glass (2015)
Least on the List: Madonna
The costume was sufficiently avant-garde when Katy Perry had “Witness” stitched across her red veil in 2017. Madonna wore a Moschino outfit in 2015 to promote her album Rebel Heart, with no reference to Chinese fashion.
Just Jared
We’d call this a much more toned-down Moschino than what Katy Perry had going on but we’re still looking at someone who had the title of her most recent album spray-painted onto her custom gown. It’s very difficult not seeing that as the ultimate in tacky try-hard.
Charles James: Beyond Fashion (2014)
Best-dressed: Sarah Jessica Parker
Charles James, an inspiration to Dior and his renowned “New Look”, was honored at the 2014 Gala. In a nutshell, think about the 1950s glitz. Inspired by James’ “Petal Dress,” Sarah Jessica Parker was the star of the show in this Oscar de la Renta gown.
Entertainment Weekly
Just as accustomed to making an entrance as she is to staging an exit, Parker left another lasting impression when she donned a two-tone duchess satin stunner for the ‘Charles James: Beyond Fashion exhibition.
Charles James: Beyond Fashion (2014)
Best-dressed: Taylor Swift and Liu Wen
Taylor Swift, like Sarah Jessica Parker and many others, turned to Oscar de la Renta in 2014 to get those ’50s silhouettes, where she found this perfect pale pink train dress. Zac Posen’s tailoring was also seen on the carpet, including this stunning teal ballgown worn by Liu Wen.
Entertainment Weekly
Like we all know, Taylor’s outfits are always so on point. It is one of the reasons why we love her. This year, she stayed true to her roots by picking a pale pink satin custom Oscar de la Renta gown (plus Lorraine Schwartz jewels). While the strapless column gown was beautiful from the front, it was positively stunning from the back. On the other hand, Liu Wen looked like a Charles James Goddess in this strapless ballgown from Zac Posen’s Charles James’ inspired Fall 2014 collection. The sea-foam green silk satin gown featured multiple jutting godets creating a super voluminous shape that would have made Charles James proud.
Charles James: Beyond Fashion (2014)
Least on the List: Lupita Nyong’o and Cara Delevingne
While we can all agree that Lupita Nyong’o and Cara Delevingne have great styles, their get-ups on Met Gala last 2014 did not pass the “midcentury” vibe that the organization was aiming for. Nevertheless, they managed to show their style and enjoyed the night.
Entertainment Weekly
It’s no surprise that Lupita nailed it once again for the 2014 Met Gala in a stunning Prada gown. What’s surprising is how literal the starlet embraced the theme’s “decorations” part, wearing a headband with feather embellishments. Cara Delevingne, on the other hand, is known for pushing the edge when it comes to fashion. The British model wore pants for the Met Gala, one of the most important red carpet events for the fashion world. The It Girl arrived on the arm of Stella McCartney, wearing high-waisted white slacks and a provocative black crop top that exposed more skin than it covered.
Punk: Chaos to couture (2013)
Best-dressed: Miley Cyrus, Rooney Mara, and Sienna Miller
When it comes to 2013’s punk motif, Miley Cyrus (in Marc Jacobs), Rooney Mara (in Givenchy), and Sienna Miller (in Burberry) didn’t mess around. They understood the assignment and they made their way to this list as the best dressers of the night.
Entertainment Weekly
The Met Ball gala is not your typical fundraising event, as we all know. It’s the pinnacle of American fashion; the upstate red carpet counterpart of Hollywood’s Oscars, with the rest of the world soaking up every detail of celebrity style as it’s beamed around the globe.
Punk: Chaos to couture (2013)
Least on the List: Gwyneth Paltrow
Are dress codes so important that adhering to them, regardless of the dress code’s exact requirements, would be un-punk? If it is, then, the most punk thing to do at a punk-themed party to dress un-punkishly, right?
The Cut
Paltrow wore vintage hot-pink Valentino and arrived separately from her husband, Chris Martin, to the gala. Although it’s unclear what went wrong during Paltrow’s Met Ball experience in 2013, the actress did seem underwhelmed by the night’s theme, which she told Vogue she ignored: “I think it’s punk in that on a punk night, I’ve gone utterly classic.”
Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations (2012)
Best-dressed: Chloë Sevigny and Kirsten Dunst
Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada, who built their reputations in the 1920s–30s and 1980s–90s, resembled one another in some of their concepts and approaches to women’s fashion. They shared the same beliefs as to how we can approach women to have a better fashion sense.
Entertainment Weekly
How does a superstar dress for a theme like this? Everybody wears Prada, that’s given. Chloe Sevigny, on the other hand, wore Miu Miu, which Miuccia Prada launched as a subsidiary of her grandfather’s fashion firm. Kirsten Dunston, however, was in a retro ensemble from Rodarte. It nodded to Schiaparelli’s embellished coats as well as both designers’ fondness for uniform-inspired style.
Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty (2011)
Best-dressed: Daphne Guinness and Ashley Olsen
At that point, the 2011 exhibit broke records for having the highest attendance of all time. Many of McQueen’s still-grieving friends attended the Gala. They honored his work of art and made impression on the crowd by wearing their pieces with full glory.
TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images
Out of all celebrities who wore the late designer’s viciously gorgeous pieces, Daphne Guinness was the most on-theme. However, Ashley Olsen proved in old Dior couture that stars might still honor the artist’s provocative vision in another label.
Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty (2011)
Least on the List: Claire Danes and Dianna Agron
The most efficient way to look McQueen-y is to NEVER wear plain column dresses. This rule wasn’t abided by claire Danes and Dianna Argon. We’re not so sure, but they probably regret it now. Met Gala is so much more than wearing high-end clothes and fancy brands.
Entertainment Weekly
It may be minimalist, but these women who wore Calvin Klein and Michael Kors did not show up without a sparkle. The actresses radiated in their gowns, showing off their voluminous waves and gorgeous smiles as they made their way down the red carpet.