Let’s face it, red carpets are practically synonymous to shark tanks. The critique that celebrities succumb to during award season can be brutal, however fairly amusing. Dressing to please has become so common that it sometimes feels a though the red carpet has creatively flat-lined as one lackluster gown is followed by the next.
Luckily, on the first Monday of May, Anna Wintour helps to revive the elite of the elite in the name of art with a true balls to the wall approach *sigh of relief*. A night dedicated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in NYC reminds us how incredible playing dress-up can be. In other words, those who truly raise the bar, command the event, and elevate the given theme to their own frontier are those worth the praise. With that said, what is worn at the Met Gala really only works because it’s the Met Gala.
Now, to quench your creative thirst and for your viewing pleasure, here’s my comprehensive list of the most worthy looks to have climbed the renowned Met steps.
1. Lupita Nyong’o in Calvin Klein for 2016′s Fashion in the age of Technology theme.
2. Zendaya in Fausto Puglisi for 2015′s China: Through the Looking Glass evening.
3. Florence Welch stunning in Alexander McQueen for 2012′s theme: Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations.
4. Rihanna’s iconic Guo Pei moment at the 2015 China: Through the Looking Glass Gala.
5. Rihanna once again slaying this year’s Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons avant garde theme, appropriately strutting in custom Comme des Garçon.
6. Amber Valletta in Versace perfectly suited up for 2008′s Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy theme.
7. Solange in a form-defying Giles dress, taking China: Through the Looking Glass literally yet tastefully in 2015.
8. Sarah Jessica Parker in a stunning signed Oscar de la Renta gown for 2014′s Charles James: Beyond Fashion themed Ball.
9. Queen Cher in a show-stopping Bob Mackie jewel encrusted body mold back in 1974 for the Gala’s Romantic and Glamorous Hollywood Design evening.
10. Nicole Kidman literally moonlighting as the queen of the Cosmo’s in the majestic Alexander McQueen for 2016′s Manus x Machina: Fashion in An Age of Technology.
11. J-Lo wearing Gucci for the Gala’s Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty theme of 2011.
12. Karolina Kurkova unapologetically head-to-toe in Rachel Zoe glam for 2012′s Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations.
