Revisiting Jeans and Tees on the Red Carpet, Inspired by the 2027 Met Gala Theme

The 2027 Met Gala theme has officially been announced! Next year, the annual Costume Institute exhibition—titled “extraORDINARY: fashion and the poetics of the everyday”—will ask its visitors “to see the everyday anew,” and will be entirely devoted to celebrating familiar garments and commonplace materials.

The showcase will be separated into two sections: One focused on elevated “archetypal garments,” such as jeans and T-shirts, and the other on garments made of humble and “disposable” materials, including everything from paper to plastic.

While the official 2027 dress code has yet to be announced, it’s an intriguing proposition to strip things back, given the Met red carpets typically lean toward the more extravagant (especially the 2019 Camp year). What can one expect to see celebrities wearing on the iconic Met steps? Jeans and tees will likely have a huge presence on the step and repeat—and past red carpets have proven that A-listers can transform the everyday staples into high-fashion moments.

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The simple tee has had many standout moments this year, for starters. Take Zendaya, who rocked a vintage $35 Spider-Man T-shirt earlier this year while promoting her latest installment in the franchise. Wearing it as a dress and pairing it with a pointy white Louboutin pump? Instant fashion serve. Further back in 1999, Liv Tyler and Stella McCartney also both hit the Met Gala in matching “Rock Royalty” tees—turning the simple graphic top into a bold, cheeky statement. You can get abstract with it, too: Charli XCX’s 2024 Met Gala gown, by Marni, was made of patchworked T-shirts.

Jeans, too, have been elevated and transformed on the red carpets. This year, model Bhavitha Mandava wore Mathieu Blazy’s Chanel—her beige muslin half-zip sweater worn over a pair of muslin-printed pants that had a blue jean effect. A fancy-fied, couture jean! Troye Sivan also wore head-to-toe Prada, including a light-wash pair of jeans that served as an homage to the artist Robert Mapplethorpe and his distinct personal style. Jeans, it turns out, can have just as much of a dramatic effect as a ball skirt or suit trouser; It’s all in the storytelling and styling approach.

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So, will the 2027 Met Gala unearth some unexpectedly chic jeans and tees moments? You can definitely count it. And if celebrities need some inspiration, fear not: Below, revisit even more of the best jeans and tees moments on the red carpets over the years.

Photo: Backgrid

Alex Consani
Photo: Getty Images

Stella McCartney and Liv Tyler