Most memorable Met Gala themes through the years
The Met Gala, co-chaired each year by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, has long been fashion's night of nights since it started in 1948.
Each year, the stars of the world head to New York City on the first Monday of May to walk the Metropolitan Museum of Art steps in a spectacular display of fashion meets art.
The ball is in support of raising funds for the museum's Costume Institute, with a unique exhibition held each year.
For 2025, the exhibition is Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.
An important distinction to make is that each year there is a separate dress code for the stars to follow on the red carpet – and we now know what it is.
Guests will be expected to suit up, with the dress code Tailored for You being a nod to Superfine: Tailoring Black Style's emphasis on suiting and menswear.
Now we're that just days away from the 2025 red carpet, let's take a walk down memory lane and see some of the most memorable Met Gala themes to date.
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2024: Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion
The 2024 exhibition theme at The Costume Institute was Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.
For the red carpet, the dress code was The Garden of Time.
One of the common themes in a lot of the celebrity attendees looks for the 'garden' theme was, of course, florals and natural motifs – think lots of fresh petals and leafy embellishments on the dresses.
Zendaya quite literally walked the red carpet with a bouquet of flowers on her head – her second flower-themed look of the night.
The Garden of Time brought us some incredibly memorable and wonderfully eccentric interpretations – exactly what the Met Gala is all about!
One of the standout looks was courtesy of singer Tyla, who was quite literally turned into a sand sculpture on the red carpet.
The Water singer wore a dress made of sand by Balmain for her Met Gala debut.
But the dress proved to not be the most practical for walking a red carpet, giving us the following memorable moment.
Tyla
The star couldn't exactly walk up the stars due to how structured and fragile the dress was. So, she required three people to help carry her – and the gown – safely to the top of the steps.
Designer Olivier Rousteing later shared a video of him cutting the dress skirt off so the star could move more freely heading inside for the rest of the night.
As you can see, the theme was floral heaven.
Here, singer Kelsea Ballerini was covered in crushed flowers from head-to-toe.
The theme also gave room for other garden and nature interpretations, like this whimsical forest-inspired Alexander McQueen look worn by singer Lana Del Rey.
The Summertime Sadness singer had branches crawling up her dress and even wore some custom 'hoof' boots.
The 2024 theme saw the best of fashion and creativity shine with Elle Fanning's glass-like dress by Balmain.
The actress looked like she was encased in actual glass with birds about to take flight off her shoulders.
In reality, the dress was made of organza and layers of resin over the top for a sheer and glossy appearance.
2023: Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty
2023 was one of the most controversial themes in Met Gala history.
The theme for the year was Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty, in honour of the late Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld.
The dress code for the year was simply: In honor of Karl.
The theme got some public backlash due to the late fashion designer's problematic comments in the past, including some body-shaming remarks.
For the 2023 Met Gala, many of the stars dressed in Chanel on the red carpet to pay homage to Lagerfeld's lifework.
Actress Anne Hathaway had one of the standout looks of the night, dressing in a tweed Atelier Versace look.
Dua Lipa was one of the stars who wore Chanel to stick closely to the theme.
The pop star opted to wear a vintage gown first worn by model Claudia Schiffer for the 1995-1996 Chanel runway show.
While the red carpet was saturated with lots of black and white looks and tweed, the theme also showcased the best of fashion 'thinking outside the box'.
Rapper Doja Cat gave a clever spin on the theme by dressing up as Lagerfeld's fluffy white cat Choupette – facial prosthetics and all.
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