From Camp to Gilded Glamour: A look back at iconic Met Gala themes

The 2025 Met Gala is almost here, and anticipation is building over all of the fashion moments that the event will bring.

Over the years, stars across fashion, film and music have delivered some of the most iconic style moments at the annual charity event, which originated in 1948 and began assigning specific themes aligned with the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute exhibits in the 1970s, after former Vogue Editor-in-Chief Diana Vreeland was named as a special consultant to the institute.

Vreeland has been credited with moving the gala to the Met, where guests could mingle among the museum's exhibits, and for turning the annual party -- previously an industry event for fashion insiders and socialites -- into a lavish affair full of celebrity guests and other prominent figures.

Following Vreeland's reign from 1972 to 1987 and Pat Buckley's term as a consultant to the Costume Institute from 1988 to 1995, current Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour took up the reins, continuing Vreeland's legacy and evolving the Met Gala further into the star-studded, glamorous event it is today.

Ahead of this year's Met Gala -- the theme and dress code for which are "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" and "Tailored for You," respectively -- we're taking a look at some of Wintour's most memorable Met Galas from the past.

2024: 'Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion'

Last year's theme was "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion." The related Costume Institute exhibit focused on nature and "sleeping beauties," a term used to describe "garments that can no longer be dressed on mannequins due to their extreme fragility," according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The dress code for the 2024 Met Gala was "The Garden of Time," inspired by J.G. Ballard's 1962 book of the same name, according to Vogue, which described the theme as "fleeting beauty." Memorable looks from the night included Tyla's sands of time-inspired look from Balmain, and Zendaya's two dramatic looks from John Galliano and Givenchy.

2022: 'In America: An Anthology of Fashion'

In 2022, after two pandemic postponements, the Met Gala returned on the first Monday in May with the theme "In America: An Anthology of Fashion," inspired by the Costume Institute exhibit of the same name. That exhibit followed "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion," which was hosted the year prior at the Met's Anna Wintour Costume Center. Both iterations of the theme focused on American style.

Blake Lively's multicolored Versace gown was a standout look for the evening's dress code, "Gilded Glamour." Another buzzworthy moment from the night was when Kim Kardashian stepped out in Marilyn Monroe's iconic "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" dress, which was originally designed by Bob Mackie and created by costume designer Jean Louis.

2019: 'Camp: Notes on Fashion'

Perhaps the most over-the-top Met Gala was in 2019, when the event's theme was "Camp: Notes on Fashion." That year, the exhibit, inspired by Susan Sontag's essay, "Notes on 'Camp,'" explored how the elements of irony, humor, parody, pastiche, artifice, theatricality and exaggeration are expressed in fashion, according to the Met.

A specific dress code wasn't highlighted ahead of the event, but in her "Go Ask Anna" Vogue series on YouTube, Wintour said that the exhibition that year was about "self-expression and individuality." Looks that caught the eye of many that night included Cardi B's custom Thom Browne gown, Jared Leto's all-red look designed by Alessandro Michele for Gucci (which he accessorized with a bust of his own head), and Lady Gaga's hot-pink look from Brandon Maxwell, which included a performative aspect on the carpet.

2018: 'Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination'

At the 2018 Met Gala, celebrities donned their "Sunday Best" for the theme "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination." That year, the exhibit focused on how Catholicism has influenced fashion throughout the ages.

Memorable looks from the gala included Rihanna's pearl and crystal Maison Margiela papal-inspired gown and Lively's dramatic Atelier Versace gown, which she accessorized with a halo-inspired headpiece.

2015: 'China: Through the Looking Glass'

Rihanna's most iconic Met Gala moment came in 2015. In a nod that year's theme, "China: Through the Looking Glass," she wore an opulent, golden yellow Guo Pei design with a fur-trimmed train. The theme focused on the impact of Chinese aesthetics on Western fashion and how China has fueled the fashionable imagination for centuries, according to the Met Museum.

2012: 'Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations'

The 2012 Met Gala exhibit and theme was "Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations." It explored the "striking parallels between Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada," according to Vogue.

Beyoncé famously closed the carpet that year in a stunning, feathered Givenchy Haute Couture gown.

2011: 'Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty'

In 2011, the Met celebrated the work of the late British fashion designer Alexander McQueen with the exhibition and theme "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty." In attendance at the Met Gala that year were Naomi Campbell, Renée Zellweger, Madonna, Taylor Swift and more.

2010: 'American Woman: Fashioning A National Identity'

Oprah Winfrey was the star of the 2010 Met Gala, which spotlighted the theme 'American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity." The gala supported the exhibit of the same name, which explored developing perceptions of the modern American woman from 1890 to 1940 and how they have affected the way American women are seen today, according to the Met Museum website.

2009: 'The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion'

The 2009 Met Gala theme and exhibition was "The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion," which explored the relationship between photographers and models or models and designers. In a video for Vogue in 2021, Wintour recalled that the event "was the night that Blake [Lively] took the world by storm."

For the 2009 gala, Lively wore a cobalt blue Versace gown with a thigh-high slit and one sheer sleeve. "This was a dress that was certainly worn to be noticed," Wintour said in 2021.

1999: 'Rock Style'

"Rock Style" was the theme for the 1999 Met Gala, which coincided with an exhibit that celebrated rock 'n' roll music and style. That year, the Costume Institute partnered with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and museum, showcasing styles from Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, The Beatles and more. In the 2021 Vogue video, Wintour recalled the red carpet looks of Stella McCartney and Liv Tyler, who both wore shirts that McCartney designed with the words "Rock Royalty" on them.

1996: 'Christian Dior'

While the Met Gala celebrated iconic designer Christian Dior in 1996, all eyes were on fashion icon and humanitarian Princess Diana, who attended the event following her divorce from Prince Charles. The 1996 Met Gala was the first and only Met Gala she ever attended.

For the event, Diana wore a silk Dior slip dress, accessorizing it with a sapphire and multi-strand pearl choker and a Lady Dior bag, which was formerly called the Chouchou, according to Vogue, and was renamed in honor of Diana.