Met Gala 2021 red carpet: The most fabulous celebrity looks

(Image credit: NOAM GALAI)

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’.

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.

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.

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 is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.