Top Five: Met Gala Looks

Blake Lively 2018

The actor embodied Met Gala theme ‘Heavenly Bodies: The Catholic Imagination’ with a Versace gown in which burgundy meets gold and a tight underdress is covered by a voluptuous outer skirt with an extremely long tail. The combination of colours recalled the Byzantine era, while the shapes of Lively’s gown were influenced by both the Renaissance and the Baroque period: it was in the time between these two eras that the female hourglass figure became central to fashion. This choice allowed the actress to wear a particularly sensual look. 

Claire Danes 2016

This pale blue dress by Zac Posen featured a wide skirt and a fibre optics mechanism which caused it to shine in the dark. Very tight in the waist, this dress recalled Disney’s 1950s Cinderella. It was a clever take on the theme of that year, ‘Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology’, since it was a pioneering technology that allowed it to light up. It was one of the most talked-about looks of the night.

Naomi Campbell 1995

In 1995, Naomi Campbell attended the Met Gala accompanied by Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace, who dressed her in a sublime, glittering dress, both long and tight, that highlighted Campbell’s slim figure while causing her to appear to be wrapped in stardust. This was the era of the supermodel, when Campbell joined models such as Kate Moss and Cindy Crawford to become an icon of the 90s. This shiny gown served to highlight her stardom status.

Bella Hadid 2017

Hadid’s sleek and sexy catsuit went viral on the internet when designer Alexander Wang dressed her in it in 2017. The model’s look interpreted the theme of the year, that of the avant-garde, as she wore a body-suit to an event which usually sees its guests dressed in traditional ball gowns. Hadid herself, who was actually sewn into the glittering catsuit, was a key part of the look.

Emily Ratajkowski 2021

In 2021, designer Vera Wang dressed Ratajkowski, one of the most high-pro- file models in the world. Ratajkowski, who is politically engaged activist and a feminist writer, wore a custom crimson red strapless gown with a trumpet silhouette. The lace dress was worn with a crimson red, hand- cut organza floral neck piece. In a year that honoured American fashion, Ratajkowski wore the romantic tones typical of Wang, an iconic bridal fashion designer.