Famously referred to as “fashion’s biggest night out,” Hollywood’s brightest stars will come together to celebrate fashion and culture at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the MET ball with the theme Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination. In light of its 70th year approaching us, we round up all the most unforgettable looks from ultra-glamorous to the craziest and most outrageous that still have us talking up to this day.
20. ANNE HATHAWAY – 2015
The Academy-award winning actress channeled her inner Grace Jones in a gilded hooded dress by Ralph Lauren
192. ERYKAH BADU – 2014
Back in 2014, soulful R&B singer Erykah Badu was already pulling a Pharrell in Givenchy couture with that over sized hat even before the man himself started the trend.
18. BEYONCE – 2016
Yes, the latex dress that got everyone talking. Beyonce wore this Givenchy number when rumors of husband and rapper Jay Z’s infidelity started swirling around. The Beyhive even went as far as calling it “Becky’s skin.”
17. PRINCESS DIANA – 1996
Three years before Anna Wintour took on the role as chair of the now-titled Costume Institute Gala, Princess Diana wore this Dior slip dress at the peak of the 90s.
16. NAOMI CAMPBELL – 1995
As iconic as this seamless crystal-encrusted Versace gown remains, what made Naomi Campbell’s gown even more iconic was the fact that she attended the event hand-in-hand with none other than Gianni Versace.
15. TAYLOR SWIFT – 2016
Remember when Taylor Swift showed up at the MET in this Louis Vuitton metallic dress post-break up from Calvin Harris? The country-turned-pop singer unleashed her edgy side complete with her new platinum blonde bob.
14. KIM KARDASHIAN AND KANYE WEST – 2016
What better way to make a grand entrance than at the MET Ball, right? Other than Kim’s out of this world makeup and Kanye’s blue contact lenses, the pair left everyone speechless in matching head-to-toe Balmain looks.
13. GRACE CODDINGTON – 2015
Vogue’s legendary creative director Grace Coddington cemented her status as a fashion icon when she wore silk pajamas by Michael Kors to the opening of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s China: Through the Looking Glass exhibition.
12. GIGI HADID AND ZAYN MALIK – 2016
Even after their break up, we still consider ZiGi as one of the most stylish couples ever. For their red carpet debut, Zayn made headlines with his armoured sleeves and Gigi was serving Ex-Machina looks all night, both in custom Atelier Versace.
11. CELINE DION – 2017
Who would’ve thought that it was the Canadian singer’s first ever MET Gala attendance after seeing her slay the 2015 red carpet in Versace? This goes down as one of the most iconic moments that shook the fashion world to its core.
10. SARAH JESSICA PARKER & ALEXANDER MCQUEEN – 2006
Thanks to the wide range of MET gala themes, British designers were honored at Anglomania: Tradition and Transgression in British Fashion and SJP, along with celebrated designer Alexander McQueen made sure that they were impossible to miss.
9. THE BALMAIN ARMY – 2016
Olivier Rousteing’s army of models Alessandra Ambrosio, Doutzen Kroes, Jourdan Dunn, Joan Smalls and reality star Kylie Jenner were ethereal creatures all in custom Balmain looks.
8. SARAH JESSICA PARKER – 2014
Gracing our list for the second time is none other than Sarah Jessica Parker who paid homage to one of fashion’s dearest designers Oscar dela Renta upon his death in 2014.
7. SOLANGE KNOWLES – 2016
It baffles us until today how singer and artist Solange was able to slip into this custom dress reminiscent of an intergalactic black hole by Giles Deacon.
6. KATY PERRY – 2017
Pop singer Katy Perry not only stepped out in a red Maison Margiela custom look, she was also appointed as one of the MET’s co-chairs the same year.
5. LUPITA NYONG’O – 2016
Award-winning Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’O turns heads in a towering African updo and sea foam gown by Calvin Klein.
4. ZENDAYA – 2017
Zendaya has always been known to be a huge risk-taker in the fashion world, and for last year’s MET gala, she glows in a Dolce and Gabbana gown matched with big and voluminous hair.
3. CHER – 1974
Even before the naked dress became the red carpet norm, Cher was already on top of the game way back in 1974 in a Bob Mackenzie gown.
2. RIHANNA – 2017
“It’s ugly until Rihanna decides it’s not.” If that isn’t the true measure of a fashion icon, then what is? Need we say more? Only the resident bad gal can shut down the red carpet back-to-back in show stopping looks for 2 consecutive years. Did we mention that she’s also hosting this year’s MET gala?
1. ANNA WINTOUR – 2008
Last but not the least, we have the Costume Institute’s Chairperson and Vogue’s Editor in Chief, Anna Wintour on top of the list. Her custom Chanel gown sparked so much controversies to the point that people in the industry started questioning her credibility and taste. But love it or hate it, at the end of the day, her opinion is the only thing that matters. Let’s see what she brings to the table for this year’s MET Gala.
(Photo from Estancia de Heliodoro, additional photos from Google images)
