From the red-carpet theme to the hosting committee, a guide to all essential Met Gala details ahead of fashion’s biggest night.
It’s hard to believe it’s been a decade since Rihanna first made fashion history at the Met Gala. While she had previously attended the ultra-exclusive event, it was the yellow, fur-trimmed embroidered gown with a lengthy train by designer Guo Pei, that she wore for “China: Through the Looking Glass” in 2015 that instantly secured her spot on best dressed-lists the world over.
“I can’t really walk in it without any help—but it’s so worth it. I love this dress so much! It’s Chinese couture and it’s made by Guo Pei. It’s handmade by one Chinese woman and it took her two years to make. I found it online,” she told Vanity Fair at the time. “I was researching Chinese couture on the Internet and I found it.”
A testament to just how inspiring the Met Gala’s theme can be.
As the countdown to Met Gala 2026 is underway, take a look back at ten years of extravagance, grandeur and history-making fashion.
China: Through the Looking Glass, 2015
In 2015, the Met Gala celebrated China’s influence on Western fashion. The highlight of the evening? Rihanna’s huge yellow fur dress, created by Chinese designer Guo Pei.
Rihanna
© Lars Niki/Getty Images
Jennifer Lopez
© Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/Getty Images
Lady Gaga
© Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/Getty Images
Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology, 2016
In 2016, celebrities drew inspiration from technology for their outfits. While Katy Perry imagined her dress with a gothic, futuristic accent, Emma Watson interpreted the theme by wearing a dress made of water bottles. That year’s exhibit focused on the difference between handmade and machine-made garments.
Emily Ratajkowski
© picture alliance/Getty Images
Emma Watson
© Michael Stewart/Getty Images
Katy Perry
© George Pimentel/Getty Images
Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between, 2017
Japanese fashion designer Rei Kawakubo was the guest of honor at the Met Gala in 2017. Renowned for her innovative creations and offbeat fashion, she dressed many stars that evening, while others were content to draw inspiration from her signature aesthetic. Katy Perry and Pharrell Williams were co-chairs of the event for this edition.
Blake Lively
© James Devaney/Getty Images
Zendaya
© Jackson Lee/Getty Images
Hailey Bieber
© Jackson Lee/Getty Images
Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination, 2018
In 2018, the exhibition featured rare artifacts from the Vatican, and so, the evening’s guests were tasked with walking the red carpet dressed in celestial and religious dress codes.
Ariana Grande
© Jackson Lee/Getty Images
Gigi Hadid
© Jackson Lee/Getty Images
Bella Hadid
© Jackson Lee/Getty Images
Camp: Notes on Fashion, 2019
In 2019, the theme was extravagance. Guests showed up in their most eccentric finery. While Lady Gaga took the theme literally, slipping into a huge, imposing fuchsia-pink ensemble, others played it simple. Kendall and Kylie Jenner looked fierce in feathers, one in purple and the other in orange.
Kylie and Kendall Jenner
© WWD/Getty Images
Penelope Cruz
© Theo Wargo/Getty Images
Lily Rose Depp
© Karwai Tang/Getty Images
In America: A Lexicon of Fashion, 2021
For the Met Gala’s return after the COVID-19 pandemic, celebrities were instructed to celebrate “American independence.” Billie Eilish transformed herself in a golden-age Hollywood ball gown, and Zoë Kravitz caused a sensation by daring to wear sheer.
Zoë Kravitz
© WWD/Getty Images
Virgil Abloh
© Taylor Hill/Getty Images
Kaia Gerber
© WWD/Getty Images
In America: An Anthology of Fashion, 2022
Opulence was at the heart of the Met Gala 2022. That evening, the event also celebrated the role of fashion in American history. Celebrities took the opportunity to honor the country’s most emblematic American designers.
Winnie Harlow
© WWD/Getty Images
Cara Delevingne
© WWD/Getty Images
Gigi Hadid
© Sean Zanni/Getty Images
Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, 2023
Fashion genius and leader of an iconic era in the fashion industry, Karl Lagerfeld was honored at the Met Gala 2023. Guests embraced his signature colors, spilling an avalanche of black and white onto the red carpet.
Rihanna
© Arturo Holmes/MG23/Getty Images
Anne Hathaway
© Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images
Kendall Jenner
© Ray Tamarra/Getty Images
Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion, 2024
In 2024, Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, and Chris Hemsworth all served as co-chairs. Celebs were instructed to follow “The Garden of Time” dress code, which emphasized sleeping beauties, those rare and unique fashion pieces, a legacy of past eras.
Demi Moore
Theo Wargo/GA/Getty Images
Lana del Rey
John Shearer
Zendaya
Theo Wargo/GA/Getty Images
Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, 2025
Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, and Pharrell Williams served as co-chairs for the Met Gala 2025, which featured a “Tailored for You” dress code, emphasizing tailoring and the freedom to interpret the theme in a very personal way. For the Met, it was “deliberately designed to provide guidance and invite creative interpretation.”
Rihanna
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Zendaya
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Teyana Taylor
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Fashion Is Art, 2026
For this edition, taking place on May 4th, the Met Gala’s co-chairmanship will be far more female-centric than in previous years. The appointed co-chairs are Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, Anthony Vaccarello, Zoë Kravitz, and Anna Wintour. The dress code, “Fashion is Art,” serves as a true declaration of love to both art and fashion. Guests will need to tap into their deepest reserves of imagination to transform their outfits into works of art in their own right.
Originally published in Vanity Fair France. This post has been updated.
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