Original source (on modern site) | Article images: [1]
The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute Gala is basically the Oscars of the fashion industry. Held each year on the first Monday in May, the biggest names in screen, music, modeling and more collaborate with the top fashion houses on one-of-a-kind looks — and the photos taken on the Met steps live on forever in style history.
Some celebrities are known for bringing their A-game year after year — Blake Lively and Sarah Jessica Parker are among those who reliably interpret the evening's dress code in memorable ways. Others may not attend every year, but have knocked it out of the park in extremely elegant ensembles that stand the test of time (two that often get mentioned are Cameron Diaz's tiered fuchsia Dior gown and Cate Blanchett's fringed golden Balenciaga). And still more go all-out on the theme dressing; look for Katy Perry or Cardi B to take it to the next level when it comes to the dress code.
The Costume Institute's famous event is returning on May 6. In support of this year's exhibit, "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion," the dress code will be "A Garden in Time." As we wait to see how the A-listers interpret it on the famous red carpeted steps into the notoriously exclusive event, look back at 80 of the most memorable Met Gala outfits of all time.
John Shearer/WireImage Theme: "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty"
Dress: Atelier Versace
Theme: "China: Through The Looking Glass"
Dress: Givenchy Haute Couture
Theme: "Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology"
Dress: Alexander McQueen
Theme: "Christian Dior"
Dress: Dior (from her friend John Galliano's debut couture collection as the Creative Director of Dior.)
Theme: "Poiret: King of Fashion"
Dress: Christian Dior
Theme: "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion"
Dress: Saint Laurent
Theme: "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art of the In-Between"
Dress: Atelier Versace
Theme: "China: Through The Looking Glass"
Dress: Guo Pei
Theme: "Romantic and Glamorous Hollywood Design"
Dress: Bob Mackie
Larry Busacca/Getty Theme: "China: Through the Looking Glass"
Dress: Atelier Versace
Theme: "Charles James: Beyond Fashion"
Dress: Oscar de la Renta
Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images Theme: "Gilded Glamour"
Dress: Atelier Versace
Theme: "China: Through The Looking Glass"
Dress: Maison Margiela
The Theme: "Haute Couture"
Dress: Calvin Klein
Theme: "AngloMania: Tradition and Transgression in British Fashion"
Dress: Alexander McQueen
Theme: "Camp: Notes on Fashion"
Dress: a quilted andfeathered gown by Thom Browne which featured an epic train and jeweled bodice boasting 44 carats worth of rubies
Theme: "PUNK: Chaos to Couture"
Dress and Jacket: Burberry Prorsum
Theme: "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination"
Dress: Atelier Versace
Theme: "Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology"
Dress: Dolce & Gabbana
Theme: "Charles James: Beyond Fashion"
Dress: Prada
Theme: "Camp: Notes on Fashion"
Look: custom "Sun God" ensemble by The Blonds which included a bejeweled catsuit outfitted with 10-foot wings and a 24-karat gold headpiece
Theme: "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination"
Dress: Jean Paul Gaultier
Theme: "Schiaparelli And Prada: Impossible Conversations"
Dress: Givenchy Haute Couture
Theme: "Fashions of The Hapsburg Era"
Dress: Valentino
Theme: "China: Through The Looking Glass"
Dress: Zac Posen
Kevin Mazur/WireImage Theme: "Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations"
Dress: Donna Karan
Theme: "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art of the In-Between"
Dress: La Perla
Theme: "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination"
Dress and Headpiece: Dolce & Gabbana
Theme: "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty"
Dress: Stella McCartney
Theme: "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination"
Dress: Atelier Versace
Tuxedo: Tom Ford
Theme: "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art of the In-Between"
Dress: Maison Margiela
Theme: "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion"
Dress: Oscar de la Renta
Theme: "Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy"
Dress: Black column gown with cutouts and gold lamé caftan
Theme: "Camp: Notes on Fashion"
Dress: a beaded latex Thierry Mugler dress, which brought the designer out of retirement and took over eight months to design
Theme: "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination"
Dress: a floral strapless gown by British designer Richard Quinn teamed with a a sleek pair of trousers.
Theme: "Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy"
Dress: Armani Privé
Theme: "China: Through The Looking Glass"
Dress: Diane von Furstenberg
Theme: "China: Through The Looking Glass"
Dress: Giles Deacon
Theme: "China: Through The Looking Glass"
Dress: Balenciaga (designed by Alexander Wang)
Theme: "China: Through The Looking Glass"
Dress: wearing a dress of her own design, in collaboration with H&M, and Philip Treacy headpiece
Theme: Le Belle Époque
Dress: Thierry Mugler
Theme: "Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations"
Dress: Lanvin
Theme: "Costumes of Royal India"
Dress: Bob Mackie
Theme: "China: Through the Looking Glass"
Dress and Tuxedo: Roberto Cavalli
Theme: "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion"
Dress: Dior
Theme: "The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion"
Dress: Marc Jacobs
Theme: "The Eighteenth-Century Woman"
Dress: Calvin Klein Collection
Theme: "Fashion and the Catholic Imagination"
Dress: Jean Paul Gaultier
Theme: "American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity"
Dress and Tuxedo: Ralph Lauren
Theme: "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion"
Dress: Dundas
Theme: "Goddess: The Classical Mode"
Dress: Tom Ford
Theme: 'China: Through The Looking Glass'
Dress: Ralph Lauren
Theme: "Charles James: Beyond Fashion"
Dresses: Vintage Chanel (on Mary-Kate) and vintage Gianfranco Ferré (on Ashley)
Theme: "Charles James: Beyond Fashion"
Dress: Gucci Première
John Shearer / Getty Images Theme: "Gilded Glamour"
Dress: Alexander McQueen
Theme: "Camp: Notes on Fashion"
Dress: Versace
Theme: "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination"
Dress: Atelier Versace
Theme: "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty"
Dress: Miu Miu
Theme: "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty"
Dress: Vintage Chanel
Theme: "Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology"
Dress: Zac Posen with a light-up skirt
Theme: "Haute Couture"
Dress: Versace
Theme: "The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion"
Dress: Stella McCartney
Theme: "Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy"
Dress: Armani Privé
Theme: "Poiret: King of Fashion"
Dress: Balenciaga
Theme: "Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy"
Dress: Versace
Theme: "Poiret: King Of Fashion"
Dress: Alberta Ferretti
Theme: "Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology"
Dress: Michael Kors
Theme: "PUNK: Chaos to Couture"
Outfit: Givenchy
Theme: "The House of Chanel"
Dress: Calvin Klein Collection (which she wore with flats!)
Theme: Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art of the In-Between
Dress: Dolce & Gabbana
Theme: "Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology"
Outfit: Versace
Theme: "Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology"
Dress: Brandon Maxwell
Theme: "The House of Chanel"
Dress: Viktor and Rolf
Anne Hathaway, 2023
Beyoncé, 2015
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty
Nicole Kidman, 2016
Andrew H. Walker/REX/Shutterstock
Princess Diana, 1996
Richard Corkery/NY Daily News via Getty Images
Cameron Diaz, 2007
Seth Wenig/AP
Zoë Kravitz
Zoë Kravitz.
Getty
Blake Lively, 2017
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty
Rihanna, 2015
Cher and Bob Mackie, 1974
Jennifer Lopez, 2015
Taylor Swift, 2014
Cardi B, 2022
Amal and George Clooney, 2015
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty
Gwyneth Paltrow, 1995
Ke.Mazur/WireImage
Alexander McQueen and Sarah Jessica Parker, 2006
Cardi B, 2019
Cardi B at the 2019 Met Gala.
Dia Dipasupil/FilmMagic
Sienna Miller, 2013
Kim Kardashian West, 2018
Amy Sussman/WWD/REX/Shutterstock
Zoë Saldana, 2016
Lupita Nyong'o, 2014
Billy Porter, 2019
Billy Porter at the 2019 Met Gala.
Karwai Tang/Getty
Madonna, 2018
John Shearer/Getty
Beyonce, 2012
Stephen Lovekin/FilmMagic
Jackie Onassis, 1979
Katie Holmes, 2015
Nina Dobrev, 2012
Kendall Jenner, 2017
David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock
Sarah Jessica Parker, 2018
John Shearer/Getty
Gwyneth Paltrow, 2011
Irina Shayk and Bradley Cooper, 2018
Shutterstock
Katy Perry, 2017
Neilson Barnard/Getty
Billie Eilish, 2021
John Shearer/WireImage
Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen
Actresses Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen arrives to the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala, Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2008 in New York City.
Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images
Kim Kardashian, 2019
Neilson Barnard/Getty
Amal and George Clooney, 2018
Andrew H. Walker/Shutterstock
David and Victoria Beckham, 2008
Stephen Lovekin/Getty
Gigi Hadid, 2015
Solange, 2015
Lady Gaga, 2015
Sarah Jessica Parker, 2015
Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Raquel Welch, 1982
Emma Stone and Alber Elbaz, 2012
Bob Mackie and Cher, 1985
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, 2015
Yara Shahidi, 2021
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty
Kate Moss and Marc Jacobs, 2009
Calvin Klein and Iman, 1981
Zendaya, 2018
John Shearer/Getty
Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake, 2010
Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake, May 2010.
Mary J. Blige, 2021
Getty
Nicole Kidman, 2003
Mark Mainz/Getty
Anne Hathaway, 2015
Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen, 2014
Blake Lively, 2014
Karwai Tang/FilmMagic
Kaia Gerber, 2022
Jennifer Lopez, 2019
Neilson Barnard/Getty
Katy Perry, 2018
Michelle Williams, 2011
Stephen Lovekin/Getty
Naomi Campbell, 2023
Jamie McCarthy/Getty
Claire Danes, 2016
Naomi Campbell, 1995
Kate Hudson, 2009
Julia Roberts and Giorgio Armani, 2008
Cate Blanchett, 2007
Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady, 2008
Sandra Bullock, 2007
Zendaya, 2016
Madonna, 2013
Elle Macpherson, 2005
Zendaya, 2017
Theo Wargo/Getty
Lady Gaga, 2016
Karlie Kloss, 2016
Andrew H. Walker/REX/Shutterstock
Karolina Kurkova, 2005