Before the Met Gala 2025, Revisit 10 Years of Met Gala Fashion and Themes

It’s hard to believe it’s been a decade since Rihanna first made fashion history at the Met Gala. While she had previously attended the ultra-exclusive event, it was the yellow, fur-trimmed embroidered gown with a lengthy train by designer Guo Pei, that she wore for “China: Through the Looking Glass” in 2015 that instantly secured her spot on best dressed-lists the world over.

“I can’t really walk in it without any help—but it’s so worth it. I love this dress so much! It’s Chinese couture and it’s made by Guo Pei. It’s handmade by one Chinese woman and it took her two years to make. I found it online,” she told Vanity Fair at the time. “I was researching Chinese couture on the Internet and I found it.”

A testament to just how inspiring the Met Gala’s theme can be.

As the countdown to Met Gala 2025 is underway, take a look back at ten years of extravagance, grandeur and history-making fashion.

China: Through the Looking Glass, 2015

In 2015, the Met Gala celebrated China’s influence on Western fashion. The highlight of the evening? Rihanna’s huge yellow fur dress, created by Chinese designer Guo Pei.

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

In 2016, celebrities drew inspiration from technology for their outfits. While Katy Perry imagined her dress with a gothic, futuristic accent, Emma Watson intrepreted the theme by wearing a dress made of water bottles. That year’s exhibit focused on the difference between handmade and machine-made garments.

Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between, 2017

Japanese fashion designer Rei Kawakubo was the guest of honor at the Met Gala in 2017. Renowned for her innovative creations and offbeat fashion, she dressed many stars that evening, while others were content to draw inspiration from her signature aesthetic. Katy Perry and Pharrell Williams were co-chairs of the event for this edition.

Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination, 2018

In 2018, the exhibition featured rare artifacts from the Vatican, and so, the evening’s guests were tasked with walking the red carpet dressed in celestial and religious dress codes.

Camp: Notes on Fashion, 2019

In 2019, the theme was extravagance. Guests showed up in their most eccentric finery. While Lady Gaga took the theme literally, slipping into a huge, imposing fuchsia-pink ensemble, others played it simple. Kendall and Kylie Jenner, looked fierce in feathers, one in purple and the other in orange.

In America: A Lexicon of Fashion, 2021

For the Met Gala’s return after the COVID-19 pandemic, celebrities were instructed to celebrate “American independence.” Billie Eilish transformed herself in a golden-age Hollywood ball gown, and Zoë Kravitz caused a sensation by daring to wear sheer.

In America: An Anthology of Fashion, 2022

Opulence was at the heart of the Met Gala 2022. That evening, the event also celebrated the role of fashion in American history. Celebrities took the opportunity to honor the country’s most emblematic American designers.

Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, 2023

Fashion genius and leader of an iconic era in the fashion industry, Karl Lagerfeld was honored at the Met Gala 2023. Guests embraced his signature colors, spilling an avalanche of black and white onto the red carpet.

Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion, 2024

In 2024, Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, and Chris Hemsworth all served as co-chairs. Celebs were instructed to follow “The Garden of Time” dress code, which emphasized sleeping beauties, those rare and unique fashion pieces, a legacy of past eras.

Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, 2025

For this edition, which will take place on May 5, Anna Wintour will once again be well accompanied as co-president of the Met Gala. Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, and Pharrell Williams have been named co-chairs. LeBron James will be honorary chairman. The celebrities’ outfits must honor the “Tailored for You” dress code, emphasizing tailoring and the freedom to interpret the theme in a very personal way. For the Met, it is “deliberately designed to provide guidance and invite creative interpretation.”