Ahead of tonight's red carpet, here's a look at the most fabulous Met Gala outfits of all time

The Met Ball is always a fantasia of fabulous costume dresses.

Best Met Gala Looks of All Time
(Image credit: Getty)

The Met Gala is one of the most anticipated events in any celebrity's calendar and one of the biggest nights out for fashion. While we've got a soft spot for the gorgeous, floaty pieces amongst the best Oscar dresses ever, the Met Gala is a time for stars—and their stylists—to really flex their sartorial muscles and take a plunge.

Overseen by fashion powerhouse Anna Wintour and with a notoriously difficult to get onto guest list, it's the most glamorous fundraiser of the year with proceeds going towards the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. (Hence the name: Met Gala.) Every year, there's a different theme and it's always fascinating to see who really hit the nail on the head and who flopped miserably. We've put together an edit of our favourites of all time below.

Met Gala 2022

Theme: Gilded Glamour

The Met Gala was back in May with its 2022 theme Gilded Glamour. Stars embraced the dress code with sparkles, sequins and shimmer a plenty. Blake Lively had the most dramatic red carpet moment of the night, with a look that changed colour on the red carpet. Inspired by the Statue of Liberty, Lively's dress went from bronze to turquoise before the crowd's eyes. 

Met Gala 2021

Theme: American Independence

Due to Covid, the 2020 Met Gala was put on hold, but the event was back in 2021 taking place in September, instead of its usual first Monday in May calendar spot. The theme was American Independence, to reflect the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition: In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.

Starred donned souped-up denim looks, alongside outfits inspired by famous historical moments. Though Kim Kardashian's look was undoubtedly the most talked about of the night. The star arrived at the event dressed in a black bodysuit which covered her entire face. 

 

Met Gala 2019

Theme: Camp: Notes on Fashion

Like previous years, the theme was an extension of the Met’s exhibition, curated by Andrew Bolton and Wendy Yu, around Susan Sontag’s 1964 essay Notes on “Camp” which amongst other things describes it as a love of exaggeration. With a theme like that, celebrities went all out, and Lady Gaga stole the show with her many outfit changes.

met gala 2019

Wearing Brandon Maxwell
(Image credit: Shutterstock/Rex)

Met Gala 2018

Theme: Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination

2018's Met Gala theme was a minefield. It was dubbed Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination and unsurprisingly, it was viewed as super controversial. Although religious iconography has previously featured in designer collections by the likes of Dolce & Gabbana, celebrities and their stylists were under pressure to figure out the perfect way to push style boundaries - without pushing too hard.

(Image credit: 2018 Kevin Tachman)

Met Gala 2017

Theme: Rei Kawakubo

2017's theme honoured one of the most exciting designers of the decade: Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons. Renowned for her sculptural and avant-garde approach to fashion, things got delightfully weird and we were here for it. Standouts included Katy Perry's swooping red tulle gown, Blake Lively's feathered Versace and Priyanka Chopra's beefed up trench coat (all featured below in our gallery, don't worry). However there was one undisputed style queen that night...

(Image credit: 2017 James Devaney)

Met Gala 2016

Theme: Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology

Things got technical in 2016, as the theme for the Met Gala was Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology. A lot of celebrities took things to a futuristic level, with Emma Watson wearing a dress made entirely out of plastic bottles and Kate Hudson's sculptural gown setting her up as a kind of robotic angel. Katy Perry again drew attention with her sweeping Prada gown, while Taylor Swift's newly debuted platinum locks had tongues wagging. As for our favourite...

(Image credit: 2016 FilmMagic)

Met Gala 2015

Theme: China: Through the Looking Glass

This year's theme centred around China and - uh - it got controversial. It's no secret that fashion's been prone to orientalism and toeing the line between appropriation and honouring a culture's tradition is a very slim one. Many stars went straight to the source and commissioned Chinese designers for their looks, while others opted for thoughtful details like Mandarin collars and embroidered silk. Others stayed completely away and did their own thing...and then there was Sarah Jessica Parker's headpiece. Still torn on that one.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Read on for more of our favourite looks below.

The Best Met Gala looks of all time

Megan C. Hills

Megan is a freelance journalist who covers entertainment and all things lifestyle, with a particular passion for fashion, beauty, travel and Keanu Reeves stories. She has previously worked on staff for titles including Marie Claire UK, CNN Style and The Evening Standard and has written for titles such as Bustle UK, Wallpaper*, Forbes and Hong Kong Tatler. She splits her time between London and her hometown Hong Kong, where she currently lives with the love of her life - an elderly dog named Poppy - and her husband. 

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