The Best Met Gala Look of Each Year (2000-2026)

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re highlighting the finest Met Gala fashions of the past quarter century.

2001: Christy Turlington’s Black Dress

Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years

The Met Gala ushered in the 21st Century in grand style in April 2001. The night’s theme was a tribute to timeless, fashion-forward first lady Jackie Kennedy. The overall vibe was modern sophistication. Supermodel Christy Turlington arrived in a black number created by designer Tom Ford while he was still creative director for Yves Saint Laurent. The look is a mix of old-fashioned elegance and modern boldness, with a dramatic, coat-like shawl over the sheer sleeves and a daring frayed skirt. Turlington’s look is exactly like what Jackie O would have worn had she been stomping the red carpet herself.

2003: Nicole Kidman as a Golden Goddess

Goddess: The Classical Mode

Following 9/11, the gala was put on hold for a year. When it returned, it marked Oscar winner Nicole Kidman’s debut at the legendary event. Not only was it her first appearance, she was also co-chair of the 2003 edition, serving alongside Vogue’s Anna Wintour and designer Tom Ford. And she absolutely did serve. This gold and glamorous look was Ford’s creation for Gucci, and it more than lived up to the classical theme of the night. Sparkling from head to toe, the gown caught the light at every angle. A memorable moment saw her and the gown almost ending up on the floor when actor Adrien Brody fell down, nearly taking her down with him.

2004: Amber Valletta in French Finery

Dangerous Liaisons: Fashion & Furniture in the 18th Century

The supermodel and perennial Vogue cover model was dressed to the nines and maybe even the tens, too. Taking major inspiration from the year’s theme, her look at the 2004 Met Gala was a clashing of styles and designers. The corset by Maggie Norris and the graphic skirt with shimmering lining by John Galliano evoked the French aristocracy. It was like Marie Antoinette if she had kept her head and time traveled to walk the runway for a mid-Aughts couture fashion house. Dangly earrings and dramatic, period-inspired curls complete the epic and grandiose tribute to glamor of the 1700s.

2005: Karolína Kurková’s Message

The House of Chanel

Paying tribute to one of the most beloved and longstanding fashion houses, the 2005 event celebrated the legacy of Chanel. Czech model Karolína Kurková’s white gown was embellished with a simple, yet impactful statement. What ranks it among the top looks are the simple inclusion of the words “I love you” scrawled out in red on the billowing, cloud-like skirt. Designed by the Dutch fashion house Viktor & Rolf, this is one of those looks that somehow seems like it would be just as comfortable to wear as it would be to sleep in. We mean that as a compliment.

2006: Sarah Jessica Parker in Tartan

AngloMania: Tradition and Transgression in British Fashion

The “Sex and the City” star’s entrance was anxiety-inducing enough. Not only was she wearing an ensemble created by the brilliant Alexander McQueen, but she walked the red carpet with him as well. His interpretation of the theme celebrating British fashion saw the pair walking in matching, Scottish-inspired looks. Her body was wrapped in a red Tartan sash, a striking contrast for the lace and tulle creation underneath. It has since gone on to become one of the Gala’s most striking and thematically inspired looks, and it’s also credited with pushing the event into more conceptual and sculptural fashions. Carrie Bradshaw wishes.

2007: Cameron Diaz in Christian Dior Couture

Poiret: King of Fashion

Honoring French designer Paul Poiret’s influence, the Met Gala returned in 2007 to celebrate the world of haute couture. His influence is in the creation of more relaxed, less constricting dresses in the Jazz Age of the 1920s and 30s. Actress Cameron Diaz’s stunning answer to the theme came courtesy of a magenta gown by Dior. With gorgeous draping and a truly striking shade, the dress was instantly unforgettable. Complemented by large turquoise jewelry and a sleek updo, Diaz looked like she was floating in the dress. It looks effortless and polished all at once.

2008: Christina Ricci in Givenchy

Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy

By the end of the decade, superheroes were all the rage in pop culture. In 2008, the Met Gala honored the trend by asking its attendees to show up in comic-inspired creations. This had the potential to skew toward a bunch of A-listers in tacky bodysuits. In fact, few guests truly embraced the theme. Actress Christina Ricci’s pink and red Givenchy dress is a subtle nod to the comic book aesthetic. Aside from the top looking vaguely armor-like, Ricci’s ensemble doesn’t go full costume. It’s sweet and sophisticated while still having a bold and whimsical color scheme.

2009: Kate Moss in Marc Jacobs

The Model As Muse: Embodying Fashion

A year celebrating the contributions of the models just wouldn’t feel right if a model didn’t bring the best look. Kate Moss did not disappoint. In 2009, she served as co-chair and made her entrance in a shimmering Marc Jacobs piece complete with a Harry Winston sapphire fastened to the matching turban. The Grecian inspired dress looked like liquid gold across her body. Madonna got everyone talking with her own Marc Jacobs look, complete with an iconic headdress. But it was Moss who fully embodied the night’s theme: the legendary faces of the industry.

2010: Alexa Chung in a Tuxedo

American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity

What’s a more meaningful comment on fashion and American womanhood than pants? Being that it’s a Met Gala and the year’s theme was honoring American womanhood, you had to expect a whole lot of extravagant gowns. But it wasn’t a frilly dress that shut down the 2010 red carpet. It was a deconstructed tuxedo. British model and presenter Alexa Chung arrived in black pants, coat, a white top and suspenders complete with a western tie. Designed by Phillip Lim, this tuxedo appears to take inspiration from the independence and androgynous fashions of working women of the early 20th Century.

2011: Daphne Guinness’ Feathers

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty

Fashion and pop culture at large lost a giant when Alexander McQueen passed away in 2010. His dramatic, intricate, and often grotesque creations had taken the red carpets by storm many times, and had become a major inspiration for pop stars like Lady Gaga. One of his muses and fiercest supporters, Daphne Guinness, won the night. The model, artist, and light of British society was a major supporter of McQueen’s throughout his career. Her look, a gown covered in feathers, fulfilled the night’s prompt of “savage beauty.” She looked like a glamorous bird of prey.

2012: Anja Rubik’s Mile-High Slit

Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations

The Polish supermodel had a major fashion titan behind her. Anja Rubik had met designer Anthony Vaccarello through another famous friend and designer, Karl Lagerfeld. Together, Rubik and Vaccarello created the most-talked about moment on the 2012 Met Gala’s red carpet. Wearing a provocative and revealing white dress that carries Vaccarello’s signature high slit, Rubik drew comparisons to Angelina Jolie’s famous Oscar look. But Rubik’s slit is even higher, more hip-high than thigh-high with plenty of abdomen on display as well. Chic and silky smooth, the dress manages to be shocking and totally elegant and on-theme at the same time.

2013: Miley Cyrus’s Fishnet Dress

Punk: Chaos to Couture

There are few events less punk and outré than the Met Gala. It takes a very specific point of view to make luxury fashion meet the standards of punk. Smack dab in the middle of her “Bangerz” era, no celebrity was as natural a fit for a theme about transgressing fashion and propriety than Miley Cyrus. Her spiky hair and nude illusion dress by Marc Jacobs showed she was one of the few A-listers prepared to go the distance when it comes to daring fashion moments. Oddly enough, it may have been one of her more conservative looks that year.

2014: Beyoncé In Sheer Givenchy

Charles James: Beyond Fashion

Look, we’d be remiss not to mention that the 2014 Met Gala was the same night that fateful elevator footage of Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and Solange Knowles was captured. Before that, though, the story of the night was the pop icon’s gorgeous, plunging gown. The Gala’s theme this year was Charles James, the famed English-American designer of structured ballgowns with impeccable tailoring. Beyoncé went with an intricate piece of haute couture from Givenchy. Beaded and sheer, the look was completed with a statement headpiece, a birdcage veil, hanging down over her eyes. It was classic but certainly not old-fashioned.

2015: Rihanna in Guo Pei

China: Through the Looking Glass

Taking inspiration from 2,000 years of culture, the extremely popular Met Gala exhibit was dedicated to the influence of Chinese art on designers of the western hemisphere. While the dress code only called for fashion “influenced” by the nation and its culture, pop star and fashion powerhouse Rihanna opted to go for a Chinese designer. The handmade marvel is the conception of the highly respected Guo Pei, who took over two years to complete. It was one of the few red carpet looks that year actually executed by a Chinese artist. The vibrant yellow gown and its massive, painstakingly detailed train were the 2015 event’s headline-grabbing showstopper.

2016: Claire Danes Glows in the Dark

Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology

The 2016 Met exhibit revolved around the impact of technology on the fashion world, and the creative evolutions designers make in response to new manufacturing processes. That Claire Danes’ dress looks like something out of a classic fairy tale illustrates the point perfectly. In the light, she looks like a Disney princess going to the ball. In the dark, it makes a mindblowing transformation. This piece by Zac Posen embraces technology by delivering a one-two punch of classical beauty and that wouldn’t have been possible a century before. It sounds like a gimmick, but it’s a genuine artistic achievement.

2017: Rihanna In Bloom

Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between

Despite its French name, Comme des Garçons is the brainchild of Japanese luminary Rei Kawakubo. Specializing in avant-garde pieces, the 2017 Met Gala red carpet was sure to see some amazing detail and boundary-pushing concepts. Rihanna wore florals. No, not just floral print but florals. And yes, it actually was groundbreaking. The garment was made of jacquard floral fabrics, cut and shaped into eye-popping petals that spiraled around the bodice. Once again, Rihanna stood out as one of the few guests to truly honor the night’s theme. Glamour magazine declared her the “winner” of the 2017 event. We humbly agree.

2018: Zendaya as Joan of Arc

Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination

Over a million and a half people visited the Met’s most successful exhibition to date. The theme of Catholicism and its influence on art, design, and clothing brought out the best in the 2018 gala’s attendees as well. Several looks are fighting for the top spot here. Rihanna once again stuns in a papal look by Galliano. Solange made a statement in Iris van Herpen couture and durag. Frances McDormand’s stunning Valentino look and Philip Treacy headpiece is another frontrunner. However, it was Zendaya, whose chainmail-laden Joan of Arc piece perfectly toed the line between costume and couture, who truly stood out. Was she ready for battle or the social event of the season? The answer is yes.

2019: Lady Gaga’s Four-In-One Look

Camp: Notes on Fashion

If you thought the Met Gala was over-the-top before, the 2019 edition was meant to be a celebration of excess. The camp theme brought out the best in co-chair Lady Gaga. Excess is where she lives. Her entrance had more reveals than an episode of “Game of Thrones.” Her hot pink gown by Brandon Maxwell was a statement all its own, with a 25-foot train that looked incredible going up those famous stairs. Peeling off layer after layer, she revealed a black dress underneath this, a matching pink dress underneath that, and finally undressed to reveal her crystal undergarments and platform boots.

2021: Iman’s Sunburst

In America: A Lexicon of Fashion

Returning from the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Met Gala looked inward for its inspiration. The dress code, explained to guests as “American Independence,” was expected to elicit conversation about socio-political issues through dress. Supermodel Iman arrived in a gold and feathered showstopper by Harris Reed. The piece, made by Reed in partnership with Dolce & Gabbana, has a massive headpiece and hoop skirt. The tiered, metallic garment made Iman look like a sunburst on the red carpet. The look was so iconic that Lil Nas X wore a similar piece in black at the next year’s VMAs ceremony.

2022: Blake Lively Salutes New York City

In America: An Anthology of Fashion

Guests were tasked with resurrecting the Gilded Age, a period between the 1870s and 1890s marked by industrial and social progress and ostentatious wealth. While Kim Kardashian’s choice to wear a dress made famous by Marilyn Monroe soaked up most of the media attention, a midcentury inspiration doesn’t scream Gilded Age. Blake Lively’s Versace number smashes the brief. Inspired by several New York City landmarks, the metallic copper gown screams 19th Century American prosperity. The bodice is inspired by the graphic detail of the Empire State Building, the train takes motifs from Grand Central Station, and the crown is a nod to Lady Liberty herself.

2023: Anne Hathaway’s Safety Pins

Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty

The Devil may wear Prada, but Anne Hathaway wears Versace. Her professional relationship with the fashion house continued at the 2023 Met Gala, the theme being the life and work of Karl Lagerfeld. Making her grand return to the event after five years away, Hathaway made the Italian fashion house proud in a look inspired by Lagerfeld’s work with tweed. This conceptual look is a daring and revealing mermaid dress seemingly held together by gold safety pins. Of course, we’d never question the construction skills of an industry titan like Versace, but fashion is at its best when there’s a healthy dose of suspense.

2024: Zendaya In Nature

Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion

When you can’t decide between two gowns for the most important fashion event of the year, the answer is simple. Wear both. Zendaya was called upon to serve as a co-chair for the 2024 Met Gala, and the dress code was “The Garden of Time.” Fusing nature and haute couture, Zendaya’s draped green and blue lamé Galliano gown made her look like a forest siren. Her stunning second look, also by Galliano, was a modern reinterpretation of garden party attire. If waking things up on the red carpet is the goal, the power duo of Zendaya and stylist Law Roach is essential

2025: Teyana Taylor’s Zoot Suit

Superfine: Tailoring Black Style

The intersections of identity, politics, and gender were never more present than in the 2025 exhibit dedicated to the Black dandyism movement. Dramatic, colorful, and gender-defying, it was a banner year for Met Gala fashions. Inspired by the Zoot Suit movement of the 1930s and 40s, Teyana Taylor’s extravagant gown was designed specifically for her by Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter. Meshing different motifs and features, the red-dominant look is a seamless blend of distinctive styles and inspirations. Stitching in the cape even includes a nod to Taylor’s own 2018 song, “Rose in Harlem.”

2026: Nichapat Suphap

Costume Art

We were astounded by the influx of additional body parts incorporated into looks at the 2026 Met Gala– but some attendees got it just right! French influencer and author Léna Situations wore a two-piece ensemble: a soft blue cut-out skirt from Burc Akyol paired with a Jean-Louis Guimaron sculpted hands bustier. Thai entrepreneur Nichapat Suphap went for an even more hands-on approach in a custom Robert Wun black figure-hugging gown with four metallic hands, a look inspired by Michelangelo’s “The Creation of Adam.” And seeing them move is as impressive as it is unsettling. Suphap truly embodied the “Fashion Is Art” dress code.

What’s your favorite Met Gala look of all time? Tell us in the comments.