The Best, Worst, and Most WTF Looks in Met Gala History

Worst: Beyoncé’s Team Did Her Dirty

2016, Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology

In all fairness, the look has some potential: the nude-tone dress, the long golden-honey hair, the heavy eye makeup. But it’s in the details where things fall apart. The studs on the gown felt a bit too… visually uncomfortable, to say the least. The highlights in her hair were too contrasting, and up close, her makeup didn’t hold up to its perfect airbrushed nature. While latex makes for an interesting fabric, unfortunately, it doesn’t quite hold its own in terms of pushing the boundaries of technology.

PHOTO : SEAN ZANNI/PATRICK MCMULLAN/GETTY IMAGES

 WTF: Kim Kardashian Parades a Priceless Artifact

2022, In America: An Anthology of Fashion

It’s probably the biggest moment in Met Gala history. After Kim wore Marilyn Monroe’s “Happy Birthday” dress on the carpet, which the midcentury starlet famousely wore during a John F. Kennedy fundraiser in 1962, reports soon surfaced of damage inflicted on the historical artifact. Not only was the internet quick to damn the socialite, but when news came out that a replica was made that could have been worn instead, the media turned into a frenzy. Perhaps she was on theme, but on all other accounts, this wasn’t Kim’s finest moment.

PHOTO : JOHN SHEARER/WIREIMAGE

Best: Rihanna & A$AP Rocky Get Cozy

2021, In America: A Lexicon of Fashion

Rihanna never really has a bad moment, does she? But this was a first for A$AP Rocky, standing next to the fashion titan herself and holding his own. While Rihanna wore Balenciaga couture — which spiked rumors of a baby bump hidden under the bulbous gown — it was A$AP’s ERL quilt that had everyone talking. Not only did the “Fashion Killa” upstage the queen on the Met Gala steps, but he did it in a multitoned blanket that looks like something that could have been made by his grandmother. If his ability to upstage the queen on her own turf isn’t worthy of a standing ovation, then I don’t know what is.

PHOTO : RICHARD CORKERY/NY DAILY NEWS ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES

WTF: Who Invited This Asshole?

Best: Cher Is an Inspiration to Us All

1974, Romantic and Glamorous Hollywood Design

We believe they call this a revenge dress. Although Cher’s divorce from Sonny Bono wasn’t finalized until 1975, it’s clear from the 1974 gala she was getting her groove back. The dress, designed by Bob Mackie, is a sight to behold, made using souffle silk, which was outlawed in the U.S. at the time due to its flammable nature. Although it fit the Old Hollywood theme perfectly, given its risqué skintight silhouette, it ruffled some other feathers. “When [the dress] appeared in Time, that magazine was banned from some states because people were horrified or thrilled,” Mackie recalled to Variety. “After all, it was considered dirty.” Dirty or not, this look is a clear showstopper. Breaking the law, making people blush, and looking good while doing it? You go Cher.

Worst: Taylor Swift Falls Short

2016, Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology

Between the black lip, which is already a hard look to sell, and the gladiator heels, this was not Taylor Swift’s finest moment. But the nail in the coffin was the metallic snake-print dress. If she was going for a blend of futuristic style with organic elements, we would have preferred to see her in a designer like Iris van Herpen, who uses biomimicry to emulate patterns in nature using actual futuristic technology and materials. Or go complete robot with the work of Mugler, who made both Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” and Beyoncé’s “Sweet Dreams” robotic armor.

Best: Zendaya as Joan of Arc Nails the Theme — and the Gala

2018, Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination

It wasn’t enough that Zendaya nailed the theme by showing up as Joan of Arc, one of the youngest female leaders in history. But arriving in a full chevalier gown and effortlessly climbing the stairs in chain mail — in platform heels? That takes on a whole new meaning of strength.

Worst: Gwyneth Paltrow, Is That You?

1999, Rock Style

It doesn’t help that the dress is tent-like, but throwing a snake print on a glorified prom dress doesn’t automatically make it rock & roll. If that’s the case, then everyone teen girl in the 1990s and 2000s would be on their way to becoming a rock legend. Rock & roll fashion is all about the energy you feel when looking at the person. Perhaps if the dress was scorched, like she just crawled out of hell, or drenched in fake blood, then I could get behind it. Otherwise, it should have stayed on the rack where it belonged.

Best: Kim Kardashian Wears Head-to-Toe Balenciaga — Literally

2021, In America: A Lexicon of Fashion

In the most ironic way possible, Kim Kardashian has really never looked better than at the 2021 gala. Covered head to toe in a black Balenciaga dress, it was a departure from her traditional over-the-top glam. There was no makeup and nothing really special about the hair. Yet even when cloaked like a dementor from Azkaban, her figure was unmistakable. And what better way to showcase the theme than with the assets that made you into a cultural American icon?

Best: Rihanna’s Omelet Dress

2015, China: Through the Looking Glass

It’s the look that launched a thousand memes. From being labeled the “omelet dress” to looking like the tastiest slice of NYC pie, this gown will live on in Met Gala history. Crafted by Chinese designer Gue Pei, the dress was entirely handmade, taking two years to produce and weighing enough that Rihanna needed three handlers to get it up the stairs. It was a spectacle, to say the least, and isn’t that really what fashion is all about?

WTF: Frank Ocean With A Baby?

2021, In America: A Lexicon of Fashion

Overall, Frank Ocean’s look was pretty on theme. His velvet Prada set took us back to the 2000s, when Kimora Lee Simons’ Baby Phat found its way into every celebrity’s closet and Juicy Couture tracksuits were the go-to uniform. Even his brightly colored curls reminded us of Lil Kim’s looks from “Crush on You.” But what was with Ocean’s baby? It seemed to be a marketing stunt to promote his brand Homer — the Shrek-looking animatronic is swaddled in custom looks from his luxury line. That’s one thing, but to do it via a Shrek-looking baby dressed in custom apparel from the brand? While suckling off the teet of Ocean sounds pretty luxurious, that’s weird, even for him.

Worst: That Time Hillary Clinton Wore Leopard Print

2001, Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years

It’s not to say that Hillary Clinton could never wear leopard print; however, it’s a choice to wear such an audacious print as a puffy, floor-length gown given the theme. Jacqueline Kennedy was known for her simple yet flattering approach — a black dress and string of pearls would have sufficed. Or maybe something in champagne-toned silk. As a former first lady, you would assume Clinton would know a thing or two about looking White House chic — but this fell far from the mark.

Best: Rihanna as the Pope

2018, Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination

Not only was Rihanna the host for this Met Gala, themed “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination,” but she was arguably the best dressed for the event. Her reinterpretation of the Pope’s traditional garb was heavenly (pun intended), encrusted in pearls, beading, and diamonds that lit up during her entire grand entrance. She was truly shining bright like a diamond.

Worst: Lil Nas X Goes Full C-3PO

2021, In America: A Lexicon of Fashion

“I knew I wanted to do some armor stuff, even before we knew anything about the theme,” Nas told Vogue before he hit the carpet. That statement alone should have been a sign that this look had nothing to do with the theme. Not only did it feel off with no redeemable thread that makes sense, representing the monarchy more than it did American history, but someone should have told Nas that Lady Gaga did the same theatrics at the previous gala. At least for Gaga, it made sense.

Worst: Zendaya Goes Disney Princess and Misses the Mark

2019, Camp: Notes on Fashion

This gown felt a little too costumey rather than camp. The hair looks as if it could have been bought at Spirit Halloween, and the dress looks like it was borrowed from backstage at Disneyland. To make matters worse, when her stylist showed up as the fairy godmother and waved his wand, which illuminated Zendaya’s gown, a disappointingly small amount of smoke came out in what was surely meant to be a grandiose moment. Not even Cinderella’s mice and birds could have fixed this one.

WTF: It Doesn’t Get Any More Jared Leto Than This

2022, In America: An Anthology of Fashion

Jared Leto pushes the boundaries every year, and that’s good, because if you’re not having fun with fashion, you’re doing it wrong. He’s showed up in metamorphic pieces by Iris van Herpen, and held his head in Gucci, both of which felt just crazy enough to be remarkable. Even this look feels on par with Leto’s contemporary style and the theme. The cream-colored suit, decorated with embellishments and a velvet lapel, is pretty on the nose with America’s history of maximalist design — but the presentation ends up looking like the creepy twins from The Shining.

Best: Some Gossip, an Elevator, and the Infamous Black Dress

2014, Charles James: Beyond Fashion

It started with a leaked video of Jay-Z, Beyoncé, and Solange entering an elevator. Then everything went south. A kick, punch, and some angry threats later, rumors spread about Jay’s unfaithful rendezvous with a certain “Becky with the good hair,” as Beyoncé would later sing on her track “Sorry.” But perhaps the best part of all was Bey’s calm composure dressed in all black. Not only did the dress look like a modern take on the work of Charles James, an Anglo-American couturier who specialized in regal gowns for the elite, but she was clearly dressed for someone’s funeral. Jay’s manhood was buried at dawn, so all in all, props.

Best: An Exceptional Moment, but for Lady Gaga This Seems Normal

2019, Camp: Notes on Fashion

Lady Gaga is no stranger to over-the-top theatrics, but her four-scene performance on the carpet was a highlight, even for her. From the moment she glided on the velvet steps, the entire gala became her stage. Hidden under a bellowing dress carried by five dancers, three distinct looks embodied camp, the theme, in its many forms: exaggerated, kitschy, and slightly tacky. Designed by Brandon Maxwell, the look referenced Gaga’s past, like the telephone and oversize sunglasses that nodded to her breakout hit “Telephone,” and her background in theater, as her dancers carried umbrellas that nod to musicals like “Singing in the Rain.” Not only was Gaga on theme, but perhaps she was the only one that really did the gala right that year.

Worst: Does Anna Ever Really Do the Theme Justice?

It would be remiss not to mention the woman who turned the Met Gala into what it is today. Anna Wintour is a force, though, over the years, she’s never quite measured up to her own gala’s theatrics. Her looks straddle the theme, feeling so disjointed it’s hard to follow the through line, and sometimes they’re just simply underwhelming to the point it begs the question, why did she even bother walking the stairs? Take for example her 1989 look, where she wore a sequin double-breasted blazer and pearls. The theme was “The Age of Napoleon: Costume From Revolution to Empire,” and you could say there are elements that make sense, but the look feels a bit more office chic than gala ready. Or in 1996 when she wore a slip dress that could have easily worn to lunch. Although she’s the queen of an empire and has shifted the course of fashion for years to come, we have to say dressing for the Met Gala just isn’t her thing. Sorry, Anna!