O n Monday evening, Hollywood’s brightest stars will don their most dramatic, their strangest and their most avant-garde looks for the Met Gala, the annual fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. Getups in recent years have drawn inspiration from flappers and figure skaters, brides and birds. But in 1960, when the ball was held in the museum’s Great Hall for the first time, guests did not appear to be competing for any weirdest-dressed lists. Pearls, fur and big skirts ruled the evening as guests danced, LIFE wrote, “beneath the gaze of an Egyptian sphinx … and under medieval gonfalons.”
Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LizabethRonk .
Caption from LIFE. The first ball at the Met's Great Hall.Walter Sanders—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Guests dance at the Metropolitan Museum Fashion Ball, 1960. Walter Sanders—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Guests dance at the Metropolitan Museum Fashion Ball, 1960. Walter Sanders—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Ladies take a break at the Met Fashion Ball, 1960. Walter Sanders—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Guests at the Metropolitan Museum Fashion Ball, 1960. Walter Sanders—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Guests dance in front of a statue of Aphrodite at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1960. Walter Sanders—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Guests at the Metropolitan Museum Fashion Ball, 1960. Walter Sanders—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Guests at the first Metropolitan Museum Fashion Ball, 1960. Walter Sanders—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images A woman admires the dress on a mannequin, 1960. Walter Sanders—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Gala guests with a statue of the Sphinx, 1960. Walter Sanders—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Women model costume dresses at the ball, 1960. Walter Sanders—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Women modeling white dresses at the ball, 1960. Walter Sanders—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Models pose in elaborate dresses, 1960. Walter Sanders—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Dancing nose to nose at the Metropolitan Museum Fashion Ball, 1960. Walter Sanders—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Guests at the first Metropolitan Museum Fashion Ball, 1960. Walter Sanders—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Guests at the first Metropolitan Museum Fashion Ball, 1960. Walter Sanders—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images More Must-Reads From TIME Jane Fonda Champions Climate Action for Every Generation Biden’s Campaign Is In Trouble. Will the Turnaround Plan Work? Why We're Spending So Much Money Now The Financial Influencers Women Actually Want to Listen To Breaker Sunny Choi Is Heading to Paris Why TV Can’t Stop Making Silly Shows About Lady Journalists The Case for Wearing Shoes in the House Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time