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    1. Style

    Met Gala 2021 red carpet: The most fabulous celebrity looks

    Penny Goldstone's avatar
    By Penny Goldstone
    Published 16 September 2021 In Features

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    (Image credit: NOAM GALAI)
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    The Met Gala 2021 red carpet is finally back after a long hiatus, and it is bigger and better than ever. Celebrities including JLo, tennis champions Emma Raducanu and Serena Williams, Zoe Kravitz, Kim Kardashian and Kendall Jenner, Kristen Stewart, Rihanna and ascended the Metropolitan Museum steps in New York in their most beautiful gowns.

    Here's everything you've missed.

    Met Gala 2021 theme

    This year, the event exceptionally happened in September, but it will be back to its normal schedule of the first Monday in May in 2022.

    The Met Gala 2021 red carpet theme was American Independence, to tie in with the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition for the Costume Institute: In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.

    The exhibition explores ‘a modern vocabulary of American style emphasising the expressive qualities of dress and deeper associations with issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion’ and ‘will present narratives that explore the development of American fashion as they relate to the complex and layered histories of those spaces’.

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    Met Gala 2021 red carpet

    As usual, celebrities' interpretation of the theme was highly subjective. Some embraced a 1920s Prohibition-Era look (hi Sienna, JLo, Rita Ora and Margaret Qualley), while others just went for colourful statement gowns (Carey Mulligan, Chiara, Emily Ratajkowski, Amanda Gorman).

    The monochrome brigade was also out in full force. Gigi Hadid, Cynthia Erivo, Claire Danes and Cara Delevingne all opted for head-to-toe white, though Cara's Dior bustier added a dose of sass with its 'Peg The Patriarchy' slogan.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

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    Meanwhile, Hailey Bieber, Maisie Williams, Kaia Gerber, Sharon Stone and Rihanna all donned black gowns, proving the timeless hue will never go out of style.

    If you're going to hit the Met Gala, you might as well make a statement, so it's no surprise sheer and revealing cut-outs featured aplenty. Taraji P. Henson, Laura Harrier and Teyana Taylor looked particularly fierce.

    Without further ado, here are the best looks from the soirée.

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    Amanda Gorman

    Amanda Gorman

    In Vera Wang
    (Image credit: WireImage)

    In Vera Wang

    Kendal Jenner

    Kendal Jenner

    (Image credit: WireImage)

    Jennifer Lopez

    Jennifer Lopez

    Wearing Ralph Lauren
    (Image credit: Getty Images For The Met Museum/)

    Wearing Ralph Lauren

    Brooklyn Beckham and Vanessa Peltz

    Brooklyn Beckham and Vanessa Peltz

    Teyana Taylor

    Teyana Taylor

    (Image credit: WireImage)

    Maisie Williams

    Maisie Williams

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Taika Waititi and Rita Ora

    Taika Waititi and Rita Ora

    Wearing Prada
    (Image credit: WireImage)

    Wearing Prada

    Kendall Jenner, Sharon Stone and Gigi Hadid

    Kendall Jenner, Sharon Stone and Gigi Hadid

    Kendall in Givenchy, Sharon in Thome Brown and Gigi in Prada

    Kendall in Givenchy, Sharon in Thome Brown and Gigi in Prada

    Diane Kruger

    Diane Kruger

    (Image credit: Getty Images For The Met Museum/)

    Laura Harrier

    Laura Harrier

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Carey Mulligan

    Carey Mulligan

    In Valentino
    (Image credit: Getty Images For The Met Museum/)

    In Valentino

    Lily-Rose Depp

    Lily-Rose Depp

    In Chanel
    (Image credit: (C)Kevin Mazur)

    In Chanel

    Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell

    Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell

    In Oscar de la Renta
    (Image credit: Getty Images For The Met Museum/)

    In Oscar de la Renta

    Timothée Chalamet

    Timothée Chalamet

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Cara Delevingne

    Cara Delevingne

    Wearing Dior
    (Image credit: Getty Images For The Met Museum/)

    Wearing Dior

    Naomi Osaka and Cordae

    Naomi Osaka and Cordae

    Naomi wears custom Louis Vuitton
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Naomi wears custom Louis Vuitton

    Tessa Thompson and Zoë Kravitz

    Tessa Thompson and Zoë Kravitz

    Zoe wears Saint Laurent
    (Image credit: Getty Images For The Met Museum/)

    Zoe wears Saint Laurent

    Alicia Keys

    Alicia Keys

    (Image credit: Getty Images For The Met Museum/)

    ASAP Rocky and Rihanna

    ASAP Rocky and Rihanna

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Sienna Miller and Emily Blunt

    Sienna Miller and Emily Blunt

    Sienna in Gucci, Emily in Miu Miu
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Sienna in Gucci, Emily in Miu Miu

    Venus Williams

    Venus Williams

    (Image credit: (C)Kevin Mazur)

    Aldis Hodge and Cynthia Erivo

    Aldis Hodge and Cynthia Erivo

    (Image credit: Getty Images For The Met Museum/)

    Megan Fox

    Megan Fox

    (Image credit: Getty Images For The Met Museum/)

    Iman

    Iman

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Lorde

    Lorde

    wearing Bode
    (Image credit: Getty Images For The Met Museum/)

    wearing Bode

    Emily Ratajkowski

    Emily Ratajkowski

    In Vera Wang
    (Image credit: Getty Images For The Met Museum/)

    In Vera Wang

    Kaia Gerber

    Kaia Gerber

    In Oscar de la Renta
    (Image credit: (C)Kevin Mazur)

    In Oscar de la Renta

    Adut Akech

    Adut Akech

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Ciara and Mary J. Blige

    Ciara and Mary J. Blige

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Lupita Nyong'o

    Lupita Nyong'o

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Hailee Steinfeld and Olivia Rodrigo

    Hailee Steinfeld and Olivia Rodrigo

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Paloma Elsesser

    Paloma Elsesser

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Kate Hudson

    Kate Hudson

    In Michael Kors
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    In Michael Kors

    Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber

    Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber

    Hailey wears Saint Laurent
    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Hailey wears Saint Laurent

    Gemma Chan

    Gemma Chan

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Camila Cabello and Winnie Harlow

    Camila Cabello and Winnie Harlow

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Gabrielle Union

    Gabrielle Union

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Karlie Kloss and Wes Gordon

    Karlie Kloss and Wes Gordon

    (Image credit: Getty Images)
    Penny Goldstone
    Penny Goldstone
    Social Links Navigation
    Contributing Fashion Editor

    Penny Goldstone is the Contributing Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK. She writes about catwalk trends and the latest high street and Instagram sartorial must-haves. She also helms the Women Who Win franchise.

    She has worked in fashion for over 10 years, contributing to publications such as Cosmopolitan, Red, Good Housekeeping, and Stylist.

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