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Met Gala Themes Over the Years

Look Back at Some of the Wildest Met Gala Themes Over the Years

Forget Halloween — the biggest night for costumes every year is the Met Gala. The annual event, a fundraising gala for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, brings out the biggest stars of fashion and Hollywood to New York City for a glamorous, glittering evening. Although it's often talked about as a night of high fashion (and it definitely is!), the Met Gala is, at its heart, simply the coolest costume party of all time.

Every year, the gala has a different theme, and attendees are encouraged to interpret the theme however they choose. Though the ball has been taking place for decades, modern themes have ranged from the straightforward (honouring a specific designer, for instance) to the wild. Ahead of 2019's "Camp"-themed ball, take a look at some of the previous themes from recent years.

Image Source: Getty / Taylor Hill

2006: "AngloMania: Tradition and Transgression in British Fashion"

The 2006 gala brought out all the Anglophiles, with looks inspired by British designers or, in some cases like Sarah Jessica Parker, by traditional fashions from across the Atlantic.

Image Source: Getty / Evan Agostini

2007: "Poiret: King of Fashion"

French designer Paul Poiret was known for his draping techniques and straight-line or rectangular motifs. For the 2007 Met Gala centreed on his designs, stars like Jennifer Lopez brought out the most gorgeous draped and geometric gowns in modern updates to Poiret's style.

Image Source: Getty / Evan Agostini

2008: "Superheroes: Fashion And Fantasy"

Sure, superhero style is impractical, but combining it with high fashion resulted in an incredibly creative theme for the 2008 gala, before superheroes took over pop culture. Most of the night's attendees opted for subtle touches suggesting superhero looks or, like Blake Lively, an outfit that appears to almost be mid-transformation.

Image Source: Getty / Rabbani & Solimene

2009: "The Model As Muse: Embodying Fashion"

2009 had a rather confusing theme of, well, models? Jessica Biel, Madonna, and Katy Perry mingled alongside Cindy Crawford, Kate Moss, and Brooke Shields for the annual celebration. The red carpet was mostly uninspired (sorry!) as guests reached for their best ballgowns and slinky slips.

Image Source: Getty / Taylor Hill

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2010: "American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity"

2010 was the year of the American woman, however each individual defined it. The night led to a wide array of gorgeous, glamorous styles inspired by countless eras and designers, with several stars (including Jennifer Lopez) chose to include subtle symbols of stars, eagle feathers, and other "American" motifs.

Image Source: Getty / Larry Busacca

2011: "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty"

2011's tribute to Alexander McQueen, the designer beloved by celebrities and royalty alike, was designed around the Met's exhibition of his work. Many stars opted to embrace the designer's romantic/Gothic blend of styles, like Taylor Swift in this sweeping gown with Gothic detailing.

Image Source: Getty / Kevin Mazur

2012: "Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations"

Schiaparelli, the Surrealist-inspired designer of the early 20th century, seems like an odd pairing with Prada — but that was exactly the point of the 2012 gala. The night's attendees, including Carey Mulligan, took the inspiration and ran with it, arriving with looks that melded the unusual textures and shapes of Schiaparelli with Prada's contemporary glamour.

Image Source: Getty / Stephen Lovekin

2013: "PUNK: Chaos to Couture"

The 2013 theme of "chaos" certainly brought some memorable looks to the red carpet, as stars like Taylor Swift took their cue from the wide-ranging theme to assemble looks that were one part glam, one part edgy.

Image Source: Getty / Kevin Mazur

2014: "Charles James: Beyond Fashion"

Designer Charles James was best known for his stunning ballgowns and structured aesthetic, both of which featured heavily on the red carpet for the 2014 Met Gala honouring his work. Stars like Hailee Steinfeld embraced his sculpted, structured style that brought the "ballgown" look into the modern world.

Image Source: Getty / Dimitrios Kambouris

2015: "China: Through The Looking Glass"

In 2015, the Met Gala honoured one specific culture, leading attendees to find creative ways to honour Chinese fashion without leaning into costume-y cultural appropriation. Rihanna, for instance, worked with Chinese designer Guo Pei on an epic gown with scrolls of Asian-styled flowers.

Image Source: Getty / Larry Busacca

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

2016's technology-focussed theme led to a slew of creative, futuristic fashions. While some stars chose out-there, techno-future styles, others incorporated the theme in subtler ways, as Beyonce did with beaded detailing that resembled neural pathways or the inside of a computer chip.

Image Source: Getty / John Shearer

2017: "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art of the In-Between"

Inspired by the modernist fashion of Rei Kawakubo, the 2017 event invited celebs to experiment with fashion and the definition of the "in-between." The quirky theme resulted in some of the most avant-garde fashion choices, like this architectural Comme des Garçons choice worn by Rihanna.

Image Source: Getty / Taylor Hill

2018: "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination"

The 2018 gala focussed on sacred imagery, especially inspired by the grandeur of sacred art in the Catholic tradition. While some attendees focussed more on the "heavenly bodies" aspect, with star and sky inspiration, others, such as Katy Perry and Rihanna, went all-in on the religious motifs.

Image Source: Getty / Kevin Tachman

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