The annual Met Gala Ball is meant to raise funds for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York, but it has grown to become a grand social event where A-list celebs come dressed in their finest outfits in accordance to the theme. There’s a reason why it’s affectionately referred to as “fashion’s biggest night out”, after all.
Met Gala has seen its share of dramatic outfits, but this year’s theme — Camp: Notes on Fashion, based on Susan Sontag’s essay that discusses the subversive nature of camp fashion — guarantees without a doubt that it’d be a night of outlandish, excessive ensembles that will be discussed for days to come.
From Lady Gaga to Cardi B, here are 15 of our favourite outrageous looks at the Met Gala 2019 that stunned, shocked and awed.
READ ALSO: MET GALA 2019: BEST BEAUTY LOOKS SPOTTED ON THE RED CARPET
We can always count on Lady Gaga to dish out a gorgeous yet outrageous look on the red carpet. In fact, this year’s theme was practically curated for her. Gaga, who is also one of the hosts of the night, did not disappoint with her OTT, billowy hot pink Brandon Maxwell dress that she slowly took off on the red carpet revealing not one, not two, but three other outfits underneath. The train of the dress was so big that she had an army of umbrella-toting men to help lay it. Ob-sessed.
Photo: Instagram / @nytimesfashion
READ ALSO: BEST DRESSED CELEBS AT THE MET GALA 2018
Billy Porter isn’t afraid to take risks when it comes to fashion (remember his Oscars red carpet Christian Siriano dress?). His fearlessness was clear when he appeared on the Met Gala red carpet in this epic glittery gold outfit from The Blonds, which he described as showing “Old Testament Realness”. The bejewelled cat suit came complete with a 24-carat gold headpiece, wings and custom gold-leaf Giuseppe Zanotti shoes. Extra points to him for his memorable entrance — he appeared on an ancient Egyptian litter, borne by six shirtless men who were also in gold. So deliciously flashy, we might want to hail him as the new Pharaoh of Phashion.
Photo: Instagram / @sammyratelle
READ ALSO: MET GALA 2019: BEST BEAUTY LOOKS SPOTTED ON THE RED CARPET
It might be transgender actress Laverne Cox’s first Met Gala showing but she has proven herself to be a fashion force that can’t be stopped with this custom Christian Siriano dress. The black ruffled gown channelled the dark romantic vibes of a black orchid and made her look like a blooming glory. Topping the dramatic creation is a coordinating Rinaldy Yunardi headpiece. Talk about a big shoulder moment. See you at next year’s Met Gala, Laverne.
Photo: Instagram / @lavernecox
READ ALSO: BEST DRESSED CELEBS AT THE MET GALA 2018
English singer Florence (+ The Machine) looked like a majestic goddess on the red carpet in this turquoise and lilac medieval-inspired Gucci gown. We especially loved the oversized, statement-making beaded cape with strong shoulders that made her look like a warrior elf princess character. In fact, she wouldn’t look out of place in any Lord of the Rings movies. Florence wisely paired her embellished, complicated outfit with pared down makeup — another reason why we’re loving this look.
Photo: Instagram / @metgala2019_
READ ALSO: MET GALA 2019: BEST BEAUTY LOOKS SPOTTED ON THE RED CARPET
Did a double take, didn’t you? Decked out in an opulent long sleeve red Gucci gown that’s encrusted with crystals, the irreverent fashion maven Jared Leto walked the red carpet while carrying his own severed “head” like a macabre purse. He was paying homage to Gucci’s F/W’18 runway show where models carried life-size replicas of their own heads. Talk about being a “head” above the rest.
Photo: Instagram / @metgala2019_
READ ALSO: BEST DRESSED CELEBS AT THE MET GALA 2018
We thought Katy Perry would be swinging from the chandelier at this year’s Met Gala, celebrating her recent engagement to Orlando Bloom…except she came as the chandelier in a gown created by her longtime fashion collaborator, Jeremy Scott of Moschino. Katy definitely lit up the room with her crystal crusted look complete with headpiece and working lightbulbs. Lumière from Beauty and the Beast doesn’t stand a chance. Btw, Katy later changed into a plastic cheeseburger ensemble, also designed by Moschino. We can’t help but applaud her gusto.
Photo: Instagram / @metgala2019_
READ ALSO: MET GALA 2019: BEST BEAUTY LOOKS SPOTTED ON THE RED CARPET
Janelle Monáe has an eye for fashion, can you tell? Dressed in a museum-worthy artistic creation by Christian Siriano, this sculptural piece features an eye strategically placed over her left breast and it, erm, reportedly blinks too. The dress drew inspiration from the surreal art of Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso, artists whom Janelle is personally a fan of. Crowning her campy look is a gravity-defying headpiece that features multiple hats stacked atop one another. We love.
Photo: Instagram / @csiriano
READ ALSO: BEST DRESSED CELEBS AT THE MET GALA 2018
Making her second appearance at the event (last year was her first), Cardi B practically shut down the Met Gala with this elaborate custom oxblood Thom Browne creation. Her dramatic burgundy gown took 35 people over 2,000 hours to create and is made from down-filled tulle and silk organic, and featured over 30,000 burned and dye coque feathers. The dress also sported a heart-shaped cutout on the backside and 44-carat ruby nipples, custom-designed by Stefere Jewerly, which cost US$250,000. Although she was covered from head to toe, the cut of the dress accentuated her feminine curves, while the quilted train of her dress, which fanned out in a concentric circle pattern, exuded grandiosity. It goes to show, you don’t need to show any skin to stand out from the crowd.
Photo: Instagram / @iamcardib
READ ALSO: MET GALA 2019: BEST BEAUTY LOOKS SPOTTED ON THE RED CARPET
Disneyland called and they’re reporting a missing Cinderella. Zendaya was initially wearing a grey-toned gown, until her stylist Law Roach waved a smoky wand on the red carpet and transformed her dress into a fluorescent powder blue gown similar to the one worn by the Disney princess. According to her stylist, the dress, which is by Tommy Hilfiger, mirrors a real-life transformation for the actress’ career. The former Disney Channel star is set to helm gritty HBO drama Euphoria. Zendaya finished her look with a small carriage-shaped ball clutch and even left her glass slipper behind on the staircase leading to the museum. However, we think the outfit is reminiscent of Claire Danes’ 2016 Met Gala showing, when she wore a whimsical glow-in-the-dark Zac Posen dress.
Photo: Instagram / @metgala2019_
READ ALSO: BEST DRESSED CELEBS AT THE MET GALA 2018
Lupita Nyong’o loves to take risks with her style, yet she always manages to look like perfection in whatever she wears — even in this sparkly star-printed Versace dress that comes with pronounced ruffled rainbow shoulders which she matched with a similarly-hued fan. Further adding to the camp factor was the inclusion of gold Afro picks embedded within Lupita’s sculpted curly mane, which her hairstylist said was to demonstrate the power, malleability, and luxuriousness of natural hair texture. Furthermore, the combs were topped off with “Fight the Power” raised fists — a symbol for activism and strength. The frothy, fluorescent rainbow look was apparently a re-imagination of French queen Marie Antoinette’s flair for theatrics and excess. Bravo.
Photo: Instagram / @metgala2019_
READ ALSO: MET GALA 2019: BEST BEAUTY LOOKS SPOTTED ON THE RED CARPET
While Dua Lipa might have made her Met Gala debut this year (she came with boyfriend/model Isaac Carew), the English singer and songwriter looked like she has always been there. Gliding across the red carpet in a richly coloured, psychedelic Versace gown that had a plunging neckline and voluminous peplum waist detail, she nailed the look with a dramatic voluminous ‘do and flower hair embellishments that gave the retro vibes to her outfit.
Photo: Instagram / @metgala2019_
READ ALSO: BEST DRESSED CELEBS AT THE MET GALA 2018
Going monochromatic is a relatively safe choice, especially for a theme that celebrates excessiveness and drama. But American hip hop singer and rapper Lizzo showed that it’s perfectly possible to be over-the-top when you go in a coordinated feathered and frilly hot pink creation from Marc Jacobs, complete with matching neon hair colour and makeup. The bold high slit also showed off the singer’s limb.
Photo: Instagram / @lizzobeeating
READ ALSO: MET GALA 2019: BEST BEAUTY LOOKS SPOTTED ON THE RED CARPET
All eyes were literally on Ezra Miller for his head-turning look. The actor is known for his adventurous sartorial choices and boy was his offering at this year’s Met creepy yet enthralling. Stepping out in a pinstripe Burberry suit and pearl corset, the pièce de résistance was the optical illusion makeup that was painted across his face (we counted seven eyes, including his own). It gives us a headache but we can’t look away. We really can’t.
Photo: Instagram / @gqthailand
READ ALSO: BEST DRESSED CELEBS AT THE MET GALA 2018
Celine Dion showed what it means to be mega extra in this showy crystal fringed bodysuit from Oscar de la Renta and matching sandals from Chloe Gosselin that bared her still-toned legs and slender figure. Of course, the highlight of her eye-popping ensemble was the oversized fascinator from Noel Stewart — a gold-tinted feather headpiece of singed peacock feathers — that made everyone sit up. We can’t quite figure out what it was going for — it could be symbolic of a cotton tree in bloom or a bird’s nest on a wispy tree — but it’s stunning, nonetheless. Very Vegas.
Photo: Instagram / @chloegosselin
READ ALSO: MET GALA 2019: BEST BEAUTY LOOKS SPOTTED ON THE RED CARPET
Emily Ratajkowski has a bangin’ body and she isn’t afraid to flaunt it with a see-through shimmering nude gown from Peter Dundas that showed off her lean and toned body. The embellished halter-neck covered just the right places, and she finished the barely-there look with a feathered wing headpiece that included strands of crystals draped from ear-to-ear. The result? The It-girl looked like an ethereal elvish princess. The outfit apparently drew inspiration from the iconic Cher, whom everybody knows, is the queen of camp.
Photo: Instagram / @emrata
READ ALSO: BEST DRESSED CELEBS AT THE MET GALA 2018