
If the Oscars is the night when Hollywood brings out its A-game for glamorous gowns and dapper tuxedos, the Met Gala is the night when A-listers bring out their wildest, most creative looks. The annual event is a fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, and every year it has a specific theme, which guides celebs as they figure out what to wear on fashion's biggest night. Though the theme of the 2023 gala is "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty," we're still not quite recovered from some of them wild looks of past years.
Now, when we talk about Met Gala looks, we have to acknowledge that these are not looks that are meant to be realistic for everyday wear — and they aren't even designed to be especially pretty. Depending on the theme of the year, sometimes celebs are aiming for campy, regal, or technology-inspired. Even within those themes, there are some celebs who play it safe and some who really go for it.
We're here to celebrate the brave fashion souls who went all out in the name of fashion. And does that list feature some of our faves including Rihanna, Katy Perry, Sarah Jessica Parker, and at least one member of the Kardashian/Jenner family? Um, obviously! Read on for 25 of the wildest Met Gala looks of all time.
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Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker never plays it safe for the Met Gala, including this 2018 look that featured a heavy gold dress and a major piece of architecture on her head. The theme that particular year was "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination," which inspired this cathedral-worthy moment.
Iman
Here is a pretty basic fashion rule: Iman can wear whatever the hell she wants and she will make it work. This is a whole lot of look that raises some interesting logistical questions, like how did she get to the gala? Did she arrive in this look, or did it have to come in pieces (likely in separate cars), and she slipped it on before she walked the red carpet? We're so curious about how the transportation works when there is a hat the size of a dining room table top involved!
Dan Levy
Obviously we love Dan Levy, and he always serves up an interesting red carpet look. This one from the 2021 Met Gala (which had the theme "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion") sort of looked like a deconstructed globe combined with a comforter and bedazzled leggings. We love the message of supporting queer love, but it's a little hard to take it all in when there is so much happening in one outfit.
Kid Cudi
What happens when one rapper gets combined with a sweater made from Grover's fur and a shower curtain from a frat house? Well, this. This is what happens. On the plus side, Kid Cudi looks super comfortable. On the downside, we're not sure what this wild look is actually about or how it connects to the 2021 "In America" theme.
Katy Perry
It's giving Lumière from Beauty and the Beast vibes. It's giving "how is she gonna sit down?" energy. It's giving Katy freaking Perry really committed to the "Camp: Notes on Fashion" theme from 2019. It's wild but it's unforgettable, and we suspect that is exactly what Katy was going for.
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Lana Del Rey
Here's a look that said, "Getting stabbed in the chest, but make it fashion!" and it really could only make sense as a 2018 Met Gala outfit. This Lana Del Rey outfit was created by Gucci and included an ombré bird wing-inspired headpiece designed to give off an angelic vibe.
Janelle Monáe
If one hat is good, then surely four are better, right? This Christian Siriano look from 2018 is an example of high camp, and Janelle Monáe looked wild but still somehow made it work, which is impressive considering their boob is staring at us.
Kim Petras
German singer-songwriter Kim Petras has some songs that are really fun bops (but don't listen to her album Slut Pop with the kids around, as it will lead to lots of questions about what makes someone a "Throat Goat"). She's cool, but her 2021 Met Gala outfit was kind of terrifying. This Collina Strada dress featured a 3D horse head bustier that she said was designed to honor all the horse girls out there.
Kim Kardashian
Only Kim Kardashian could end up in a wildest dressed roundup for being totally covered up. This look is wild because, like some of the other looks on this list, it just raises so many logistical questions. How could she see? Pee? Eat? How did she not trip all night long?
Rihanna
For the 2015 Met Gala, Rihanna and a whole bunch of other people had to put in the work to make her look happen. She wore a bright yellow couture gown by Chinese designer Guo Pei that aligned with the theme of "China: Through the Looking Glass." The dress took more than 20 months to make and weighed 55 pounds. And that train was all about the drama but could also have doubled as a cover for a king-sized bed.
Madonna

Madonna's 2016 Met Gala look featured leather, lace, jewels, and a whole lot of her bare butt. She described the look as a political statement against ageism. "My dress at the Met ball was a political statement as well as a fashion statement," she said. "The fact that people actually believe a woman is not allowed to express her sexuality and be adventurous past a certain age is proof that we still live in an ageist and sexist society." We're not totally sure how that connected to the theme of "Fashion in the Age of Technology," but Madonna is gonna Madonna.
Marc Jacobs
The whole nearly naked, see-through dress thing has been done to death on red carpets events in recent years, but it is still a little wild to see a guy go for it in the way that designer Marc Jacobs did in 2012. We're not sure what grabs our attention most: the super basic white boxers he wore underneath, or the fact that he is wearing bedazzled pilgrim shoes.
Julie Macklowe

This look seems like it was inspired by a Scottish person's love of that iconic Carol Burnett Show skit where she plays Scarlett O'Hara wearing the drapes. We can't be mad at something that reminds us of Carol Burnett, but we do have to ask: Where are socialite and businesswoman Julie Macklowe's arms in this outfit?
Lady Gaga
We know that Lady Gaga is no stranger to wild looks, and this Met Gala one might even be tame compared with her infamous meat dress, but we also have to note two things: She is not wearing pants at a formal event, and those have to be the highest heels we have ever seen. Walking in those is a wild and athletic feat!
Naomi Campbell

OK, so this is a look that seems like it should be found on the MTV Video Awards red carpet and not the Met Gala, but it really seems wild when we remind ourselves that the theme that year was a tribute to Jacqueline Kennedy in the White House years. Oh, goodness — Jackie O would never!
Solange Knowles

While the most wild Met Gala look for Solange Knowles was probably 2014 when she and brother-in-law Jay-Z had a very memorable elevator incident, this 2015 getup shouldn't be forgotten either. She looked like a really interesting shell, but the 3D design of this dress likely meant that she couldn't put her arms down all night. Probably couldn't throw a punch either, lucky for Jay-Z!
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Pharrell Williams & Helen Lasichanh

We're kind of obsessed with the fact that Pharrell Williams and his wife, Helen Lasichanh, look like they are going to two entirely different events here. Pharrell looks like he could be going on a Target run, while Helen is going for structural, edgy Met Gala realness.
Rihanna
Who else but Rihanna could pull off a look that is basically "Pope but make it sexy?" This pearl- and jewel-encrusted gown by Maison Margiela was a total show-stopper on the "Heavenly Bodies"-themed red carpet that year, and Rihanna looked wild in all the best ways.
Cardi B
Cardi B looks like a glamorous cross between a bug and a bird in this 2019 look by designer Thom Browne. Cardi is never afraid to go a little extra, including rocking a gown that has sequins, feathers, ruffles, a corset, and a headpiece that looks like the most luxe swim cap ever. Did the train on this require its own assistant? Of course it did.
Frances McDormand
Frances McDormand — who we adore for her many iconic roles and her often entertaining awards show speeches — was out here looking like the fanciest gift bag ever in this Valentino Couture look. It featured an absolutely major headpiece that makes it clear that Met Gala attendees for sure don't have to drive themselves to the event.
Fredrik Robertsson

Swedish fashion icon Fredrik Robertsson stole the show at the 2022 Met Gala — and not just because some people thought he was actually Jared Leto. He collaborated with designer Iris van Herpen to create a totally custom outfit for the gala that took 700 hours to produce.
Jordan Roth

Broadway producer Jordan Roth stunned on the red carpet at the 2022 event when he showed up in an all black Thom Browne look. Between the dark makeup and the dramatic ensemble, it's hard not to be impressed with how he committed to the moment.
Sarah Jessica Parker (Again)

Is it just us, or is this totally a look that Carrie Bradshaw would wear if she were invited to the Met Gala? In 2022, Sarah Jessica Parker wore this gown designed by Christopher John Rogers that was inspired by Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley, the first Black fashion designer in the White House who worked as Mary Todd Lincoln's dressmaker.
Kim Kardashian (Again)

It would be impossible to talk about wild Met Gala looks over the years without including Kim Kardashian's headline-making outfit from 2022. She controversially wore a dress that once belonged to Marilyn Monroe, even though she had to go to extreme measures to diet in order to fit into the dress.
Blake Lively

Blake Lively's 2022 Met Gala dress wasn't just a dress — it was a moment. After she arrived on the red carpet, we got to see her gown transform, with the bottom changing from copper to green, representing the Statue of Liberty and classic New York architecture.