The Most Popular Met Gala Looks of the Past Decade

published 3 May 2024

Rihanna wears a gold headpiece and a yellow fur cape at the Met Gala.

While we wait with bated breath for the 2024 Met Gala, I thought I'd tide you over with a little walk down memory lane. The celebrity photo agency Getty Images has a neat feature where you can sort images by "most popular," meaning photos with the highest number of downloads. I used this to find the top Met Gala red carpet look from each year of the past decade.

To no one's surprise, for instance, the most popular image from the 2022 Met Gala was Kim Kardashian wearing Marilyn Monroe's iconic naked dress—a fashion moment that will go down in the history books for better or worse. Going back to the 2017 Met Gala, the most downloaded photo featured Zendaya wearing a colorful Dolce & Gabbana gown. Scroll down to revisit the most popular Met Gala red carpet looks of the past decade.

Revisit the Most Popular Look From Each Year

2023: Anne Hathaway in Versace

Anne Hathaway wears a white tweed column dress.

2022: Kim Kardashian in Jean Louis

Kim Kardashian wears a beige sleeveless dress with crystals.

2021: Billie Eilish in Oscar de la Renta

Billie Eilish wears a pale pink voluminous gown.

2019: Lady Gaga in Brandon Maxwell

2018: Anna Wintour in Chanel

Anna Wintour wears a white beaded gown with a cross necklace.

2017: Zendaya in Dolce & Gabbana

Zendaya wears a colorful voluminous gown.

2016: Blake Lively in Burberry

Blake Lively wears a strapless pink gown with a train.

2015: Rihanna in Guo Pei

Rihanna wears a gold headpiece and a yellow fur cape.

2014: Rihanna in Stella McCartney

Rihanna wears a white crop top and a matching maxi skirt.

2013: Kim Kardashian in Givenchy

Pregnant Kim Kardashian wears a floral long-sleeve gown.

Erin got her start as a Who What Wear intern over 13 years ago—back when the site only published a single story per day. (Who What Wear has since increased that number twentyfold.) She graduated magna cum laude from USC, which is how she ended up moving to Los Angeles from her hometown of San Diego. In college, she also interned at Refinery29, where she was promoted to editorial assistant and then assistant editor. After nearly three years at R29, she came back to WWW in 2016, where she currently holds the title of Associate Director of Fashion News (as well as the unofficial title of resident royal expert—in case you haven't noticed her numerous Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton stories). She spends her days trying to incorporate her idols, Anna Wintour and Roger Federer, into as many stories as possible. Outside of work, she loves tennis, classic rock, traveling, and smothering her dog with affection.