The Met Gala, an annual fundraiser for the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is generally acknowledged as the biggest night in fashion, with designers, industry insiders, models, and celebrities turning out in their finest looks for a night at the museum, celebrating all things sartorial.
Since the event is a fashion lover’s dream, it should come as no surprise that when it comes to the red carpet, attendees pull out all the stops, often adhering to the night’s theme with fantastical, stunning, and at times, bizarre ensembles. If there’s ever a night to take a fashion risk, the Met Gala is the perfect event to go all out.
From Rihanna‘s sweeping yellow, fur-trimmed Guo Pei cape that launched a million memes to Madonna‘s barely-there, punk-inspired fishnet and plaid Givenchy getup, see the 18 most outrageous Met Gala looks of all time above.
Diana Ross, 1981Bertrand Rindoff Petroff—Getty ImagesCher in Bob Mackie, 1985Ron Galella—WireImageLiv Tyler and Stella McCartney in Stella McCartney, 1999New York Daily News Archive—NY Daily News via Getty ImagesAmber Valletta in Maggie Norris Couture and John Galliano, 2004Evan Agostini—Getty ImagesDaphne Guinness in Alexander McQueen, 2011Larry Busacca—Getty ImagesBeyoncé in Givenchy, 2012Stephen Lovekin—FilmMagicSarah Jessica Parker in Giles Deacon and Philip Treacy Headpiece, 2013Stephen Lovekin—FilmMagicMadonna in Givenchy, 2013Larry Busacca—Getty ImagesLupita Nyong'o in Prada, 2014Dimitrios Kambouris—Getty ImagesErykah Badu in Givenchy, 2014Dimitrios Kambouris—Getty ImagesRihanna in Guo Pei, 2015Larry Busacca—Getty ImagesKaty Perry in Moschino, 2015Larry Busacca—Getty ImagesKaren Elson in Dolce & Gabbana, 2015Jamie McCarthy—FilmMagicSolange Knowles in David LaPort, 2016Jamie McCarthy—FilmMagicKaty Perry in Maison Margiela Artisinal by John Galliano, 2017Venturelli—FilmMagicKaty Perry attends the "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between" Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 1, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images For US Weekly)Theo Wargo—Getty Images For US WeeklyHelen Lasichanh in Comme des Garcons, 2017Karwai Tang—WireImageRihanna in Comme des Garcons, 2017Neilson Barnard—Getty Images