75 Best Met Gala Dresses: Iconic Red Carpet Fashion Moments

The Oscars of fashion! Over the years, Hollywood’s biggest names have showcased their winning red-carpet style at the annual Met Gala. 

While each year the bold style statements prove to be even more innovative and eye-catching, some looks stand out among the rest.

Take Cher, for example. The “Believe” singer was a vision at the 1985 soirée, wearing a crystal-covered garment by iconic designer Bob Mackie. The look featured a sheer bodysuit and a low-rise skirt, which fit the “Costumes of Royal India” theme. 

A few years later, Princess Diana attended the party of the year in a timeless blue slip dress. The 1996 ball was centered around Christian Dior, and the late royal was right on theme in one of the fashion house’s most effortless creations. Diana teamed the elegant number with her favorite sapphire and pearl choker necklace.

Fast-forward to 2004, when Scarlett Johansson made her debut at the celebration. The Black Widow star showed off her curves in a yellow Calvin Klein frock in support of the “Dangerous Liaisons: Fashion and Furniture in the 18th Century” vision. Amber Valletta also delivered drama that year, gracing the famous steps in a Victorian wig and a corset from Maggie Norris Couture. 

As the years went by, A-list fashionistas began taking more risks at the glitzy event.  In 2012, Beyoncé nailed the “naked” trend for the “Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations” theme in a completely sheer gown from Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci. The piece was covered with sparkly black embroidery and finished with a purple feathered hem. 

Of course, no one commands attention at the Met Ball quite like Rihanna. For 2015’s “China: Through the Looking Glass” gathering, the “Umbrella” artist nearly broke the internet when she arrived in a yellow, fur-lined cape. The custom confection took designer Guo Pei over 50,000 hours to create and weighed nearly 50 pounds.

At the time, Rihanna told Vanity Fair that she discovered Pei after researching Chinese couture online. “I’m so in love with this dress… I can’t really walk in it without any help — but it’s so worth it,” she added.

Rihanna proved once again she is a fashionable force to be reckoned with at the 2018 event. She captured the “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” theme perfectly in a Pope-inspired getup by Margiela.

Other standouts through the years include Kim Kardashian. In 2022, the reality star stirred controversy when she donned Marilyn Monroe’s historic “Happy Birthday Mr. President” dress. The late actress wore the crystal-covered number, created by Mackie, to serenade then-President John F. Kennedy in 1962.

While Kardashian, who attended the event with then-boyfriend Pete Davidson, slipped into a replica after taking photos, the moment still went down in modern-day fashion history.

Keep scrolling to see these and more of the best Met Gala dresses of all time: