11 Met Gala Looks That Live Rent Free In Our Minds

Leave it to Lady Gaga to serve a quintessentially 'camp' look (the theme for 2019 was Camp: Notes on Fashion) and also break a record on the red carpet (most changes on the Met Gala red carpet). The singer transformed into four entirely different looks from Brandon Maxwell while making her way up the Met steps and left everyone gob smacked. In our minds, this could certainly be her 'this is she' moment because she made us all go 'gaga' over this star performance.

At this point, you can call Blake Lively the hostess with the mostess for how on-theme her sartorial choice was for the 2022 Met Gala Ball that she has co-hosted. The actress had worn an Atelier Versace gown inspired by the Empire State Building, which fit perfectly with the year's theme, 'In America: An Anthology of Fashion'. She walked the carpet in a rose gold gown with an oversized bow, which later transformed into an aqua blue train with a constellation design from Grand Central Station. This is what we call avant-garde but make it couture.

The latest addition to this list is Alia Bhatt from this year’s Met Gala. Her outfit designed by Sabyasachi was perfectly on the theme of 'Garden of Time'. She dawned a saree with intricate floral work, hand embroidered with beads that took a whopping 1,965 hours to make. She had a huge train, giving the vibe of a mystical Indian princess on the Met carpet. Sabyasachi was inspired by the 1920s fringe style for her lace trim borders, the bow on her blouse, and the colour palette inspired by nature. Needless to say, she looked just as precious as the stones in her headgear. 

Drama or not, we loved Kim Kardashian's tribute to Marilyn Monroe who she considers is 'the most American thing you can think of'. While there may have been a bit of a controversy about her taking the legend's six decades old dress out for a spin and ruining it, we loved the look nevertheless. The glittering dress with over six thousand crystals was worn by Marilyn Monroe six decades ago when she sang 'Happy Birthday' to the then president, John F Kennedy. It is a dress that is known to have caused a bit of a commotion even then as it was slightly sheer which was a shocker back then since translucent garments weren't common back in the day. All in all, a fitting choice for Kim K who's known to cause quite a stir herself with her fashion game. 

For a Met Gala debut, Cardi B's look completely ate and left no crumbs. The rapper was queenin' in her custom Moschino fit made by the master couturier, Jeremy Scott that featured thousands of pearls and stones, and let's not forget the pearl-encrusted crown that fully gives into the 'Catholic Imagination' theme for the gala. We completely love the OTT-ness here and are fans of almost all the looks Cardi has pulled off at the Met Gala but this one shall stay iconic forever.

Even though Rihanna's look came under the radar of many meme pages, it was nothing short a visual treat. The gigantic train, the Chinese-inspired floral embroidery, the opulent fabric and the magnificent head-piece, every single detail about the look did justice to Riri's tag of being a 'fashion killa' (A$AP Rocky reference). Speaking about being on-theme, Rihanna was one of the few attendees to wear a Chinese designer when the theme for the exhibit was 'China: Through the Looking Glass'.

For the 2022 Met Gala themed 'In American: An Anthology of Fashion' also known as Gilded Glamour, a sartorial tribute to the American designers of the 19th and mid-20th century, the supermodel was spotted wearing a red latex jumpsuit and corset custom made by atelier Versace. The highlight of the look? The huge quilted puffer cape, a creative take on the night's Gilded Glamour theme since you could spot every second person sporting pearls and crystals as part of their interpretation of the theme. We loved how Gigi went a slightly modern route for her look and left everyone surprised with her take on old-world American glamour. 

Jared Leto is probably the only male celebrity whose Meta Gala looks never disappoint (special mention to Lil Nas X). From carrying a replica of his head as an accessory to twinning with Alessandro Michele (call it another replica moment if you want), Jared's looks never fail to amuse. Last year, the theme honoured the late legendary designer, Karl Lagerfeld and to everyone's surprise, Leto dressed as Karl's beloved Burmese Cat, Choupette. Yes, he wore a life-size furry cat costume to walk the Met Gala carpet and once again left everyone talking. Much to everyone's surprise, he later removed the costume to reveal yet another outfit- an all-black ensemble comprising of a bedazzled cape, semi-sheer blouse, pleated skirt, and black trousers, and lots more oomph.

Though we haven't tapped much into the iconic Met Gala looks from the 90's, this Naomi moment is everything our Pinterest mood boards stand for. It's fitted, it's gleaming and it's Versace- everything we want in a showstopping dress. With 1995's theme being 'Haute Couture', we don't think any other dress speaks fluent couture than a marvellous slim-fitted piece made by the legend himself, designer Gianni Versace.

It's always a proud moment to spot an Indian celebrity on the Met Gala red carpet and even more when they are dressed to the nines in accordance to the theme. For her Met Gala debut, Priyanka wore a custom Ralph Lauren trench coat that featured an extended train which covered an entire flight of the Met’s famous front steps. The 2017 Gala was dedicated to the Japanese label Comme des Garçons and its founder, designer Rei Kawakubo's avant-garde design sensibility, and we feel Priyanka's Ralph trench moment truly suited it  .