The 2024 Met Gala gathered some of the world鈥檚 most fashionable and famous people on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City for a giant fashion costume party, overseen by Vogue鈥檚 Anna Wintour.
This year鈥檚 theme was 鈥淪leeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,鈥 which refers to the rare and fragile archival fashion pieces displayed in the accompanying Costume Institute exhibition that are too precious to be worn again. Guests were asked to dress in looks inspired by 鈥淭he Garden of Time,鈥 a nod to a short story by J.G. Ballard.
We saw plenty of archival and vintage looks and sheer, delicate fabrics that spoke to the theme of fragility.聽But most celebs took the 鈥淕arden of Time鈥 theme literally, going heavy on florals 鈥 an easier, safer point of inspiration to work with than the concept of time or the ephemeral nature of fashion. Wintour admitted as much in interviews, calling the theme “confusing.”
This year鈥檚 co-chairs were Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny,聽Chris Hemsworth and Zendaya. The latter, hot off the heels of a tennis-chic press tour for her movie “Challengers,” is always a Met Gala guest to watch, and she graced the carpet not once, but twice.聽
Disappointingly, Met Gala regulars such as Bella Hadid, Beyonc茅, Taylor Swift, Blake Lively and Rihanna were no-shows. Many expected Rihanna to arrive late as usual聽, she was down with the flu and had to skip this year鈥檚 gala. RIP to whatever iconic look she would have worn.
The Met Gala is also a time for fashion鈥檚 biggest brands to make headlines for getting stars into the best looks. Legacy houses with deep archives like Chanel, Dior and Schiaparelli seemed poised to come out on top, but didn’t make much of an impact. John Galliano’s work both past (for Givenchy) and present (for Maison Margiela) was the most frequent reference and vintage pull.
Overall? Much like the recent red-carpet awards season, there were no giant misses but not a ton of whimsical winners. Read on for the best dressed of the night.

Demi Moore attends The 2024 Met Gala.
Dia Dipasupil Getty ImagesDemi Moore聽
A thorn among roses was the theme behind Demi Moore鈥檚 look, designed by British-American talent Harris Reed. The heart-shaped gown was crafted from archival floral wallpaper, and Moore brought a welcome dose of drama to the carpet in it.

Greta Lee attends The 2024 Met Gala.
Jamie McCarthy Getty ImagesGreta Lee
A Loewe regular, Greta Lee did not disappoint at her first Met Gala in a 3D floral appliqu茅 column gown from the brand with a neckline that went up over her face.聽鈥淗ow am I going to eat later?鈥 she quipped on the carpet.

Zendaya attends 2024 The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala.
Evan Agostini Evan Agostini/Invi窜别苍诲补测补听
As one of the most-anticipated guests at any Met Gala, the pressure was on for Zendaya 鈥 and her stylist Law Roach. The duo rose to the challenge with a custom Maison Margiela look that referenced an archival look by Dior (from John Galliano鈥檚 time at the brand) dripping in three-dimensional fruits and beetles. There was even a hummingbird suspended on Zendaya鈥檚 neck.

Zendaya at The 2024 Met Gala in her second look of the night.
Jamie McCarthy Getty Images聽Zendaya, again
She’s back! Zendaya returned to close out the carpet in a second showstopping look, this time a sweeping black gown by John Galliano for Givenchy circa Spring/Summer 1996. The floral-topped hat is by milliner Philip Treacy from Spring/Summer 2007.

Elle Fanning at The 2024 Met Gala.
Jamie McCarthy Getty ImagesElle Fanning聽
Sleeping Beauty herself wore a silvery Balmain look that references the crystal flowers in J.G. Ballard鈥檚 鈥淭he Garden of Time,鈥 which served as a reference for this year鈥檚 theme.

Da’Vine Joy Randolph attends The 2024 Met Gala.
Dia Dipasupil Getty ImagesDa’Vine Joy Randolph
The Oscar winner was a stunner in a custom denim gown by Gap 鈥 well, by the brand鈥檚 new creative director Zac Posen, who was well known for his red-carpet gowns prior to closing down his eponymous label in 2020.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 06: Tyla attends The 2024 Met Gala Celebrating “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 06, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Jamie McCarthy Getty ImagesTyla
The South African singer and songwriter is a shoe-in for best dressed and most on-theme with her hourglass-inspired gown by Balmain. Made from actual sand, the dress was so stiff that the star had to be lifted up the Met’s steps. Worth it.

Mindy Kaling attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala.
Evan Agostini Evan Agostini/InviMindy Kaling聽
Kaling arrived in a swirly, sculptural and shimmering dress by Indian designer Gurav Gupta, which had an on-theme name: The Melting Flower of Time. 鈥淚t makes me really happy to rep talented geniuses from my community,鈥 she said.

Colman Domingo attends The 2024 Met Gala Celebrating “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.”
Jamie McCarthy Getty ImagesColman Domingo
Colman Domingo was the best-dressed man of the recent red-carpet awards season and a hotly anticipated Met Gala guest. He did not disappoint with his聽brilliantly proportioned caped satin suit by Willy Chavaria, accessorized with a handful of calla lilies.

Lana Del Rey attends The 2024 Met Gala.
Marleen Moise Getty ImagesLana Del Rey
Hitting the sweet spot between costume and high-fashion, Lana鈥檚 forest nymph look featured a veil held up by antlers made of twigs. It鈥檚 McQueen, created by the brand鈥檚 recently appointed creative director Se谩n McGirr and referencing a look from Alexander McQueen鈥檚 iconic 鈥淲idows Of Culloden鈥 collection in 2006.

Chlo茅 Sevigny attends The 2024 Met Gala.
Dimitrios Kambouris Getty ImagesChloe Sevigny
The fashion darling did Victorian by way of beloved alternative designer Dilara Findikoglu.

Cardi B attends The 2024 Met Gala.
Jamie McCarthy Getty ImagesCardi B
Taking up even more space on the red carpet than Rihanna鈥檚 iconic Guo Pei look in 2015, Cardi B wore an all-black Giambattista Valli.

Kendall Jenner attends The 2024 Met Gala.
Dia Dipasupil Getty ImagesKendall Jenner
The award for best use of archival fashion goes to Ms. Jenner, who wore Givenchy by Alexander McQueen from 1999. 鈥淚鈥檓 the first human to wear this dress; it was shown on a mannequin,鈥 she said. It fit her like a dream, which is a good thing considering Jenner was not allowed to alter the gown in any way.
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