Fashion

40 Iconic Met Gala Looks Through The Years

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It's officially the day of the Met Gala, the first Monday in May. The annual Costume Institute’s Metropolitan Museum Gala was scheduled to take place today — before COVID-19 swiftly removed any possibility of that from reality. The gorgeous Central Park-based museum in New York City is currently closed, though you can walk through the virtual galleries on their website. But one of the biggest events in fashion will have to wait for another time.

The 2020 exhibit, titled About Time, was curated by Andrew Bolton, and designed to portray “how fashion has changed in the last 150 years, how it’s stayed the same—and where it’s headed next,” according to Vogue. Though it will now not open until October, the publication has given the world a behind-the-scenes look at what could have been this coming week…. and what visitors will be able to see in person when the museum can re-open its doors.

The event that you won’t be getting, however, is the Met Ball, the parade of jaw-dropping red carpet looks that are promised by all in attendance, year after year. Celebrities and socialites alike pull out all the stops when it comes to creating looks that are totally on-theme with the exhibit, working closely with their favorite designers to bring their outfits to life. The result? Gowns, suits, and even jeans that will live on in history. And while 2020's Met Gala isn't happening today, let’s take a walk down memory lane and celebrate the looks that once were.

Cher in Bob Mackie, 1985

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Princess Diana in Dior, 1996

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Lee Radziwill, 2000

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Diana Ross in Tom Ford, 2003

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Sienna Miller in Burberry, 2006

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Sarah Jessica Parker in Alexander McQueen, 2006

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Rihanna in Dolce & Gabbana, 2009

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Gwen Stefani in L.A.M.B., 2010

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Gwyneth Paltrow in Stella McCartney, 2011

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Carey Mulligan in Prada, 2012

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Sarah Jessica Parker in Giles Deacon, 2013

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David Beckham in Ralph Lauren Black Label and Victoria Beckham in Victoria Beckham, 2014

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Ashley Olsen in Gianfranco Ferré and Mary Kate Olsen in vintage Chanel, 2014

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Sarah Jessica Parker in Oscar de la Renta, 2014

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Lupita Nyongo in Prada, 2014

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Sienna Miller in Thakoon, 2015

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Grace Coddington in Michael Kors, 2015

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Solange in Giles Deacon, 2015

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Rihanna in Guo Pei, 2015

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FKA Twigs in Christopher Kane, 2015

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Beyoncé in Givenchy, 2015

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Brie Larson in Proenza Schouler, 2016

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Selena Gomez in Louis Vuitton, 2016

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Kendall Jenner in La Perla, 2017

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Zendaya in Dolce & Gabbana, 2017

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Rihanna in Commes des Garçons, 2017

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Kylie Jenner in Versace, 2017

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Ariana Grande in Vera Wang, 2018

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Frances McDormand in Valentino, 2018

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Zendaya in Atelier Versace, 2018

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Solange in Iris Van Herpen, 2018

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Rihanna in John Galliano, 2018

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Bully Porter in The Blonds, 2019

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Harry Styles in Gucci, 2019

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Celine Dion in Oscar de la Renta, 2019

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Lizzo in Marc Jacobs, 2019

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Hailey Bieber in Alexander Wang, 2019

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Zendaya in Tommy Hilfiger, 2019

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Lady Gaga in Brandon Maxwell, 2019

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Jared Leto in Gucci, 2019

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