- Celebrities often wear daring and wild designs for the Met Gala.
- Stars like Rihanna and Beyoncé have worn instantly-iconic ensembles.
- Celebrities like Lady Gaga and Katy Perry were among the most memorable at the 2019 Met Gala.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Any red-carpet event brings out a few wild ensembles, but the Met Gala – which is often dubbed “the fashion Oscars” – is where celebrities get really creative.
The Met Gala, an annual fundraising gala for the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, always takes place on the first Monday in May. It’s been an annual event since 1946, and features a theme that guests must adhere to, meaning that it sees some of the most creative and iconic creations year after year.
The 2020 Met Gala, however, has been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. In light of that, Billy Porter and Vogue have partnered up to launch the #MetGalaChallenge. It tasks contestants with recreating their favorite Met Gala look at home, and the winners will be featured in an article on Vogue.com and on the publication’s official Instagram page.
While the Met Gala is on hold, allow us to take you back through some of the most outrageous looks from the event throughout the years.
Rihanna basically won the red carpet (and unintentionally became a meme) back in 2015 with this bright yellow, fur-trimmed cape designed by Guo Pei.
It helped cement her status as the undisputed queen of the Met Gala.
Beyoncé left little to the imagination when she wore this daring Givenchy gown to 2015's Met Gala.
It was definitely a daring choice that became instantly iconic.
The following year, she wowed the crowd with another Givenchy gown. This one was made with latex material and featured pearl embellishments.
Beyoncé did not attend the 2018 Met Gala, but she definitely would have dressed to impress.
Beyoncé wasn't the only celeb to hit the red carpet in a sheer dress in 2015. Jennifer Lopez also looked stunning in this sheer Versace gown.
The gown featured some red jewelled accents.
Sarah Jessica Parker was draped in plaid alongside her date, designer Alexander McQueen, in 2006.
She's always one to take a risk in the name of fashion.
Since SJP is known for her bold fashion choices.
So it wasn't really a shock when she showed up to the 2015 Met Gala wearing a massive red headpiece.
Super couple Kim Kardashian and Kanye West wore matching metallic silver Balmain ensembles in May 2016.
West even wore silver contacts to match his jacket, while Kardashian completed her look by dyeing her eyebrows blonde.
But the first time the couple wowed at the Met Gala was in 2013.
Kardashian West hit the red carpet in a floral gown with a thigh high slit.
Embracing 2004's 18th century theme, Amber Valletta showed up wearing Maggie Norris Couture.
She even had her hair styled to fit the theme.
Style queen Daphne Guinness paid tribute to her late friend Alexander McQueen in 2011.
She wore a dramatic feathery frock from the designer's Spring 2011 collection.
Also honoring Alexander McQueen, supermodel Naomi Campbell opted for a white McQueen gown in 2011.
The gown featured tassles on the skirt and bodice.
Serena Williams appeared at the Met Gala that same year in a feathered white Oscar de la Renta ball gown.
She paired it with a dramatic silver headpiece.
Also present at 2011's tribute to Alexander McQueen was Christina Ricci.
She went for a gothic romantic look by Zac Posen.
Solange Knowles looked like an optical illusion in her circle dress in 2015.
The stunning dress was designed by Giles.
She came back the following year dressed head to toe in a lemon yellow ensemble by David Laport.
She completed the look with yellow latex leggings.
When it comes to making fashion statements, Madonna never disappoints.
Here she is at the 2016 ball in a sheer black Givenchy dress.
Just a few years before, on the 2013 red carpet, the Material Girl sported a black bob and a Givenchy by Ricardo Tisci ensemble.
Her pink pumps added a pop of color.
Nicole Richie also embraced the punk theme at the 2013 Met Gala by dyeing her hair this ghostly silver-gray color.
Her white floral dress was designed by Topshop.
But Miley Cyrus really made a statement that year in this fishnet dress that was designed by Marc Jacobs.
She also rocked a spiky 'do to compliment the theme.
Taking her adoration for Coco Chanel to another level, Karolina Kurkova showed up to 2005's ball in a floor-length white gown.
It featured the words "I love you" written across the bottom.
Lupita Nyong'o made several best-dressed lists in 2014 thanks to this emerald green Prada dress.
The dress had a flapper-inspired design.
The Oscar winner took another risk in 2016, wearing a shimmery, mint-green Calvin Klein gown.
She paired it with a gravity defying natural hairstyle.
Leave it to Lady Gaga to show up in a fierce Versace ensemble complete with a leotard and a cropped metallic jacket.
She finished her 2016 look off with a pair of platform boots.
The always stunning Charlize Theron hit the red carpet in 2006 wearing a beautiful burgundy Christian Dior gown.
She took John Galliano as her date.
Rita Ora wore this feathered frock designed by Vera Wang in 2016.
She seemed to be channeling her inner "Black Swan."
Claire Danes was glowing (literally) in 2016 thanks to this glow-in-the-dark ball gown by Zac Posen.
The dress featured a light blue Cinderella-inspired design.
Zoe Kravitz walked the red carpet in 2016 in a dress with a giant bow on the back.
She paired it with a lace mask for dramatic effect.
Katy Perry made heads turn in 2016 in this black Prada gown with gold embellishments.
She paired the look with matching dark makeup and hair.
She then arrived looking like an actual angel with some oversized wings by Versace in 2018.
She paired the wings with a gold minidress and thigh-high gold boots.
Rihanna wowed everyone yet again in 2018 with a Margiela ensemble that seemed to be inspired by the Pope.
She wore a high-low skirt, plenty of jewelry, and an attention-commanding headpiece that cemented her status as the undisputed queen of Met Gala fashion.
Solange's gown by Iris van Herpen featured one of the most elaborate structural designs of the 2018 event.
She paired the look with some black thigh-high boots.
Frances McDormand had one of the most head-turning looks on the red carpet.
The headpiece was a daring choice, but her Valentino ensemble ultimately became one of the most memorable looks of the evening.
Greta Gerwig then took the 2018 theme and ran with it with this nun-inspired design by The Row.
She was one of only a few celebrities to take a literal approach to the theme.
Sarah Jessica Parker also had one of the most elaborate looks of the evening with a nativity scene as her headpiece.
She always nails the theme of the Met Gala, and this year was no exception.
Jared Leto definitely went with a literal interpretation of 2018's theme.
His outfit sparked a lot of conversation of Twitter.
Lady Gaga arrived at the 2019 Met Gala in a sweeping pink gown by Brandon Maxwell.
She later revealed three other equally wild ensembles were underneath.
Katy Perry lit up the pink carpet in a chandelier-inspired look in 2019.
She was surrounded by working light bulbs around the skirt and on the headpiece.
At the 2019 Met Gala, Billy Porter wore a golden ensemble by The Blonds.
He was first carried down the pink carpet with six men in matching ensembles. Porter then stepped down to reveal an eye-catching pair of wings attached to his arms.
Cardi B stole the show with the flowing red train of her dress in 2019.
Her puffy gown featured feathered detailing at the edge of its dramatic train.
In 2019, Janelle Monáe arrived in a showstopping ensemble by Christian Siriano.
Her head-turning dress featured a blinking eye mechanism at the bodice, which she paired with several top hats.
Priyanka Chopra opted for a semi-sheer design with a crown-like headpiece in 2019.
Her gown flowed out into a multicolored design.
Yara Shahidi went with a custom Prada ensemble for the 2019 Met Gala.
She paired her swimsuit-style bodysuit with sheer tights and a feathered black coat.
Stella Maxwell wore a daring sheer design in 2019.
Her dress featured several star-shaped designs.
Ezra Miller sported an eye-catching look in 2019.
Miller paired a pinstripe ensemble with an optical illusion makeup look and matching mask.
In 2019, Cara Delevingne brought a touch of rainbow color to the carpet.
Her platform heels were embellished with Swarovski crystals.
Emily Ratajkowski turned heads in a daring ethereal design in 2019.
Her headpiece was shaped like wings that framed each side of her face.
The frills on Céline Dion's shimmery dress were hard to miss in 2019.
The singer wore an Oscar de la Renta dress to the 2019 Met Gala.
Jared Leto carried a replica of his head as an accessory in 2019.
The actor was dressed by Alessandro Michele for Gucci in a Victorian-esque scarlet gown covered in jewels. The outfit was a nod to Gucci's Autumn/Winter 2018 runway show, which featured the models carrying their own heads.
Tiffany Haddish's zebra-print suit was a bold look.
The comedian and actress was photographed in a Michael Kors flared-leg pantsuit and matching hat designed by Stephen Jones. According to W Magazine, the look was made up of 57,000 sequins - 17,000 sequins on the jacket and 40,000 on the pants.
Michael Urie wore two different looks at once in 2019.
The actor wore a half-tux, half-gown outfit designed by Christian Siriano.
"Christian Siriano is a genius," he told Page Six at the time. "And his staff and he made it so impeccably, that it was comfortable. I had a high heel that was the same height as a Doc boot, it was brilliant, and I could pee!"
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