The Met Gala, one of the most anticipated events in the fashion world, is known for its stunning red carpet looks. Every year, celebrities and fashion icons step out in designer gowns, elaborate headdresses, and daring ensembles that leave us all in awe. From Rihanna‘s larger-than-life yellow train to Lady Gaga‘s four outfit changes, the Met Gala has seen some truly unforgettable fashion moments.
We will be taking a closer look at the 25 Met Gala looks that wowed us all this year. The theme was Karl Lagerfeld, one of the most influential fashion designers of the last several decades. He passed away in 2019, but this year’s Met Gala proved that his spirit is still very much alive. These looks made a statement, broke the mold, and left us with fashion inspiration for years to come.
Discover the Buzziest Looks from the 2023 Met Gala Below:
Lizzo
Lizzo wowed at this year’s Gala wearing a custom Chanel gown that was dripping with pearls. She not only looked great she sounded it too. She was a surprise performer, and she entertained her celebrity peers with a set that included backup dancers and even her signature flute-playing.
Billie Eilish
Black and white were featured on many of the gowns at the Gala this year as they were Lagerfeld’s signature colors. Billie Eilish stunned in a Simone Rocha gown and Cartier jewels.
Brian Tyree
Brian Tyree looked like royalty at this year’s Gala, and he fully understood the brief, wearing Karl Lagerfeld Paris. The actor did a collaboration with the fashion house in 2016, and this ensemble was borne of that experience. There’s so much to love here, but the lacy black cape that ruffles to the ground is doing it for us.
Kristen Stewart
Per usual, Kristen Stewart looks too cool for school. She not only rocked a mullet but also showed up fresh-faced without any makeup whatsoever. Like Tyree, Stewart wore an outfit designed by Karl Lagerfeld. This one comes from Chanel’s cruise collection.
Doja Cat
Lagerfeld’s beloved cat, Choupette, did not make an appearance at the Met Gala, despite the event’s theme honoring her late owner. The white cat, however, was celebrated by Doja Cat, who wore an Oscar de la Renta gown complete with cat ears and prosthetics on her face to make her look like a cat.
Michaela Coel
Michaela Coel showed up looking like a golden goddess in a custom design by Schiaparelli Couture. Pearls, jewels, gold, and more formed constellations across her body in the gown. What a magical look!
Penélope Cruz
Coel, of course, was not the only star to sparkle at the Met Gala this year. Penélope Cruz’s pale blue Chanel ball gown was dripping in gems, and she shined like a diamond. A sheer hood (also adorned with bling) brought drama to this look.
Phoebe Bridgers
Fans of indie rock icon Phoebe Bridgers know that she loves a skeleton costume. She sported a Tory Burch gown in black with pearls that accentuated the shape of it and gave the look both a Lagerfeld and skeletal vibe.
Anok Yai
Supermodel Anok Yai in wore Prabal Gurung to the Met Gala and took our breath away. The dress balloons out at the waist, creating a shape that looks like a raincloud. Sequins and beads seem to flow from it in dramatic fashion.
Daisy Edgar-Jones
Rising star Daisy Edgar-Jones wowed in a custom Gucci dress. She spoke with Vogue about the gown, saying, “It’s a black two-piece set, which features white piping and bow details, as well as a camellia flower at the front.” she says of her look.
“Its classic aesthetic, along with the color palette, nods to Karl’s time at Chanel, but it’s also got its Gucci twists. It’s the most beautiful outfit I’ve ever worn. I feel very elegant but also comfortable in it.”
Naomi Campbell
One of Lagerfeld’s muses, Naomi Campbell, went for understated elegance this year. The gown is a rare sari-inspired archival Chanel look from the spring/summer 2010 couture collection. The silk draped over a metallic blouse creates the perfect balance between hard and soft.
Emily Ratajkowski
Emily Ratajkowski showed up to the Met Gala with some tiny little bangs that read as flirty and fun. While you might clock the gown as Chanel, it’s actually Tory Burch, but it seems to echo the quilted pattern we are so used to seeing from the fashion house, from its bodices all the way to its handbags.
Sydney Sweeney
It was big bows and 60s vibes for Sydney Sweeney, who dazzled in a pink beaded Miu Miu gown. We also loved the big hair and understated makeup that featured subtle gold and nude colors.
Harvey Guillén
What We Do in the Shadows‘ breakout, Harvey Guillén, struck the perfect balance between masculine and feminine in a suit designed by Christian Siriano. It echoes the type of suiting that Chanel is best known for and looked so energetic and fresh.
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Dua Lipa
We hope Dua Lipa traveled with security to the Met Gala this year because the massive rock around her neck is valued at over $10 million! She also wore a cream archival Chanel gown from the fall/winter 1992 collection that looks quintessentially Chanel.
Rita Ora and Taika Waititi
Rita Ora and her partner Taika Waititi both looked majestic this year. She wore a Prabal Gurung gown that billowed out behind her into an ethereal train. Waititi wore a grey overcoat with a black lapel that matched Ora’s gown.
Gisele Bündchen
Gisele Bündchen ruffled some feathers, in a good way, at this year’s Met Gala. She showed up in a white archival Chanel gown (spring 2007) complete with a massive cape with feathers and camellia flower details.
Ashley Graham
It was a tiered and highly structured Harris Reed gown that Ashley Graham wore that turned heads. According to Vogue, it is a nod to Chanel Haute Couture of the mid-’80s to the early ’90s. We love the way Graham seems to blossom out of the top of the sleeveless gown.
Amanda Seyfried
Not content with black and white, Amanda Seyfried wore a mini dress for the ages at the Met Gala. The nude dress designed by Oscar de la Renta is covered with metallic wires that drape over it. She got to swooping with her jewelry as well as she wore a custom Cartier gold waterfall necklace.
He Cong
He Cong is sporting a Sacai gown that looks like something Lagerfeld would actually wear from the waist up. The sartorial and structured top portion offers a contrast from the billowy gown below.
Quinta Brunson
The best hair of the night goes to, without a doubt, Quinta Brunson. While it’s hard to take your eyes off the architectural wonder on her head, the floor-length Prabal Gurung gown is also delightful, with an exaggerated bow on the back that turns into a modest train.
Halle Bailey
The Little Mermaid star Halle Bailey wowed at the Met Gala in a sheer Gucci dress with plenty of sparkles. Then, it’s ruffles on ruffles on ruffles with a cape that looks like a cloud with a literal silver lining. Bravo!
Jenna Ortega
Jenna Ortega brought Wednesday Addams vibes to the Met Gala this year. The dress, designed by Thom Browne, finds balance in the chaos with ruffles spilling this way and that and metallic gold elements accenting them all. How about those shoes!?
Liu Wen
Chinese supermodel Liu Wen wore a beautiful Tory Burch gown in black and white. The flowers sewn into the toil are a nod to Lagerfeld’s signature camellia design.
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Cardi B
Cardi B did not and will not ever disappoint. She wore a black Chenpeng Studio gown that made us think of those birthday cakes with a Barbie doll inside. Cardi told Vogue that “Karl and the house of Chanel, you know every girl from the hood love a Chanel purse. So I feel like this is giving boy bag with the camellia roses.”
We hope this glimpse into the future of the Met Gala has left you excited for what’s to come in the world of fashion. From red carpet veterans to rising stars, the 2023 Met Gala brought together some of the most talented designers and style icons, resulting in a stunning display of fashion at its finest. These 25 looks have cemented themselves in fashion history as some of the most awe-inspiring and unforgettable Met Gala outfits of all time.
For even more Met Gala looks, keep reading. We’ve got the top ones from last year’s event to share with you as well!
2022’s Met Gala had a questionable theme this year with the dress code being “Gilded Glamour.” The theme harkens back to the Gilded Age when the majority of America’s wealth was enjoyed by just a handful of folks and income inequality was at its greatest level until our current age. The irony seemed lost on most in attendance as the public watched as dozens of America’s richest and most glamorous celebrities walked the red carpet in couture gowns that would cost the better portion of most people’s annual salary.
It was an opportunity for attendees to make a statement about the greed and gluttony of the Gilded Era but most just leaned into opulence. Blake Lively set the tone for the evening, arriving in a copper Versace gown that revealed a light blue train with embroidered images of Grand Central Station. It was a stunt and a sight to behold that those who followed her into the gala could not top. Let’s take a look at the grandiose looks from fashion’s big night.
Blake Lively Part I
Blake Lively was one of the first to arrive at the Met Gala. Her Versace gown was mostly copper on arrival but that quickly changed.
Blake Lively Part II
The tied silk of Lively’s gown unfolded to reveal a mesmerizing blue train with metallic embroidery.
Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish came correct to the Met Gala in a gown that would look at home in a pricey period drama. Corsets were a huge trend among attendees and Eilish’s was one of the night’s most beautiful.
Bella Hadid
Bella Hadid stunned in a leather Burberry number that also found her strapped into a corset.
Lenny Kravitz
Corsets were such a huge trend for this year’s Met Gala that they were not only found on women. Lenny Kravitz also rocked a corset in a fresh, androgynous costume.
Emma Stone
In addition to corsets, feathers were the other big trend of 2022’s Met Gala. Emma Stone arrived in Louis Vuitton in one of the most understated looks of the evening that felt refreshing next to the night’s more ostentatious looks.
Nicola Coughlan
When we tell you the plumage was out, we really mean it. Nicola Coughlan arrived in a gorgeous pink and black gown with matching pink and black feathers.
Ashley Park
Once you get passed just how fabulous Ashely Park‘s shoes are, take a look at another one of the great, feathery looks of the Met Gala.
Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker is never going to be outdone when it comes to a headpiece. It was yet another one of the Met Gala looks that incorporated feathers.
Phoebe Dynevor
As you’ve already gotten a hint, black was the color of the evening. There were so many black gowns at the Met Gala that the pieces that are usually palate cleansers felt oppressive. However, Phoebe Dynevor made it work in Louis Vuitton.
Vanessa Hudgens
Dynevor and Vanessa Hudgens both wore the micro-trend among the black gowns of the evening with sheer fabrics. Hudgens wore Moschino and brought the drama.
Cara Delevingne
Some women skipped the gowns and went for pants instead. Dakota Johnson and Cara Delevingne both went this route with Delevingne’s red suiting and gold chest plate making one of the biggest statements of the night.
Travis Barker
As some women were wearing pants to the Met Gala, some men attended in skirts. Travis Barker appeared by Kourtney Kardashian (we’re not even going to touch her look for the night…) in a black kilt-inspired look. He was not the only one. Oscar Isaac also sported a skirt to the gala.
Kim Kardashian
One of the most successful looks of the Met Gala was served by Kim Kardashian who wore a gown made famous by Marilyn Monroe when she famously sang “Happy Birthday Mr. President” to JFK. It felt both timeless and current.
Megan Thee Stallion
For the Met Gala, Megan Thee Stallion went the predictable route for the theme with a gold dress. It turned out to be a very cool choice with one of the aforementioned trends, feathers, appearing like armor on her shoulders.
Louisa Jacobson
We find sheer black and feathers combined in Louisa Jacobson‘s Schiaparelli Couture gown that looked remarkable. If anyone on at the Met Gala was primed to nail the theme it would be Jacobson who stars in HBO’s period drama, The Gilded Age.
Gigi Hadid
The only person who came close to rivaling Blake Lively’s train was Gigi Hadid who wore a burgundy cross between a puffer coat and a gown. We’re not sure if she was best dressed but it was certainly something to marvel at.
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Jodie Turner-Smith
Another standout from this year’s Met Gala was Jodie Turner-Smith who wore a Gucci gown with a sheer train. She certainly captured the dazzle of the Gilded Era.
There you go! We hope you enjoyed our look into the 2022 Met Gala. The Gilded theme proved a tricky one but some managed to pull it off better than others. Let us know your favorite looks!