Every year, on the first Monday in May, the Met Gala is held in New York. Dubbed the fashion Oscars, it signals the opening of the Metropolitan Museum’s annual fashion exhibition.
Thanks to its sometimes controversial theme, based around the year’s exhibition, the result is a fashion blockbuster showdown like no other, a red carpet parade of high-glam, avant-garde and take-notice ensembles.
The combination of high fashion and high-profile celebrities make the Met Gala the most buzzed about fashion event. A-listers pose on the famed museum staircase in an array of interpretations of the theme, spawning memes and stealing headlines.
Ahead of this year’s Camp: Notes On Fashion themed Met Gala on May 7th, we take a walk down red carpet memory lane, with some of the most memorable moments.
Rihanna
It wouldn’t be a Met Gala without at least a handful of Rihanna moments. Her most infamous (and memed about) was her 2015 gold Guo Pei Gown complete with 16ft train.
Kim Kardashian
For the reality star’s first Met Gala in 2013, pregnant Kim donned a long-sleeve floral Givenchy dress with co-ordinating gloves, which proved fodder for the internet liking the look to a couch and Mrs Doubtfire.
Beyonce
Taking the trend for naked dresses to the extreme,
opted for a sheer dress complete with jewel-encrusted Givenchy couture gown for her 2015 Met Gala appearance.
Princess Diana
Making her first and only appearance, Princess Diana attended the Met three months after her divorce to Prince Charles in 1996. Choosing a slip style, her Dior bias-cut gown might seem modest compared with today’s naked dress standards but was reported as daring and risque, signalling a liberated moment for the princess.
Katy Perry
Descending on the Met for the Heavenly Bodies theme last year was Katy Perry in custom Versace. Her angel wings spanned nearly 6ft, and needed their own open-top vehicle to get the singer to the venue.
Sarah Jessica Parker
Perfectly in step with the Anglomania theme, SJP arrived on the arm of Alexander McQueen in a one-shoulder tartan design. In her 10-year tenure of attending the Met, Parker has had many a memorable moment, with her 2015 outfit producing the headdress that launched a million memes.
Madonna
Never one to shy away from a controversial costume moment, Madonna defended her sheer Givenchy ensemble from 2016 claiming it was a political statement meant to fight ageism.
