The 2017 Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala is finally here, and somehow the red carpet looks are even better than expected. Year after year, celebrities, models and fashion insiders outdo themselves with unthinkable custom gowns. This year the exhibition is honouring Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons, the second living designer to be featured since Yves Saint Laurent.
Thanks to Kawakubo's knack for pushing boundaries, several of this year's attendees decided to play with red carpet conventions. Since the amount of looks on the Met steps can get overwhelming, we're bringing you the best of the evening right here, from the Olsen twins' bridal inspired gowns to Rihanna in a theatrical Comme des Garçons look.
Go on to see the best red carpet looks from the 2017 Met Gala.
WHO: Katy Perry
WEAR: Maison Margiela "artisanal" designed by John Galliano, red décortiqué embroidered wool coat layered over a red tulle and silk chiffon dress with embroidered satin ribbon embellishment. Worn with a red silk tulle veil, headpiece in high polished chrome and red Tabi boots.
WHO: Gigi Hadid
WEAR: Tommy Hilfiger dress; Wolford's Twenties Stay-Ups; Jacquie Aiche Black Rhodium 6 Onyx Trillion Drop Stud, Black Rhodium Ice Pick Earring, Black Rhodium Onyx Round & Trillion Drop Stud and Pave Diamond Midi Rings.
WHO: Kim Kardashian
WEAR: Vivienne Westwood
WHO: Lily-Rose Depp
WEAR: Chanel
WHO: Rihanna
WEAR: Comme Des Garçons; Le Vian rings and Dvani rings.
WHO: Selena Gomez
WEAR: Coach dress; Tiffany Archival necklace with rhodolites and diamonds from the 1982 Blue Book collection, along with three Tiffany rings.
WHO: Kylie Jenner
WEAR: Versace
WHO: Lily Aldridge
WEAR: Ralph Lauren dress; Balenciaga boots; Divas' Dream High Jewelry Ring and Heritage Bulgari earrings.
WHO: Anna Wintour
WEAR: Custom Chanel dress by Karl Lagerfeld inspired by the house's recent S/S 17 Haute Couture collection.
WHO: Emily Ratajkowski
WEAR: Custom Marc Jacobs turquoise and yellow sequin tank gown with a navy velvet empire waist and navy satin platform sandals.
WHO: Kate Bosworth
WEAR: Tory Burch black organza gown and bolero jacket made of laser-cut petals with scalloped edges; Roger Vivier shoes.
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WHO: Solange Knowles
WEAR: Thom Browne
WHO: Cara Delevingne
WEAR: Chanel
WHO: Rita Ora
WEAR: Custom Marchesa
WHO: Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen
WEAR: Inspired by Rei Kawakubo's "Broken Brides" collection of Fall 2005.
WHO: Lily Colllins
WEAR: Giambattista Valli dress; Tiffany diamond cluster earrings and an assortment of diamond rings.
WHO: Emma Roberts
WEAR: Diane von Furstenberg dress cut from heavy hammered satin in lipstick red. Floral Chantilly lace in lipstick red is layered over silk nude crêpe de chine on the corset. The bodice is lined in silk lightweight duchesse satin and the skirt is lined in silk crêpe de chine. Delicate silk charmeuse-covered buttons, button loops and straps finish the gown. Emma carries the Soirée Bag in pink velvet with large white pearls and a gold chain strap and fur stole.
WHO: Jennifer Lopez
WEAR: Valentino dress; Giuseppe Zanotti shoes; Wearing more than 150 carats of Harry Winston diamonds.
WHO: Bella Hadid
WEAR: Alexander Wang; Bulgari jewellery.
WHO: Zendaya
WEAR: Dolce & Gabanna Alta Moda dress; Jimmy Choo shoes; Forevermark jewellery.
WHO: Lupita Nyong'o
WEAR: Prada coral organza chiffon strapless sheath gown, embellished with hand cut organza flowers across the neckline, cascading down the back; Tiffany drop earrings and four multicoloured rings, including sapphire, yellow diamond and orange gemstone.
WHO: Adriana Lima
WEAR: Alberta Ferretti dress; Giuseppe Zanotti shoes; Chopard jewellery.
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WHO: Mandy Moore
WEAR: Michael Kors cashmere knit gown made of Italian strech cashmere. Each flower petal was cut and sewn by hand.
WHO: Behati Prinsloo
WEAR: Topshop nude silk crêpe body-skimming gown with fitted bodice and folded cup details with square cut designs to create a sweeping train; Harry Winston jewellery.
WHO: Candice Swanepoel
WEAR: Topshop black silk Gazar gown with corseted bodice and couture folded skirt.
WHO: Allison Williams
WEAR: Diane von Furstenberg dress with a structured column silhouette. Layers of bias-cut chiffon are covered entirely in white hand-embroidered paillettes/scale sequins. The peplum is cut in white silk double-face satin and the dress is fully lined in white silk crêpe de chine. A black velvet corset with silk satin lining is worn over the dress. Allison carries the Soirée Bag in black velvet; Jimmy Choo shoes.
WHO: Doutzen Kroes
WEAR: Brock Collection off-the-shoulder gown in red lightweight taffeta. This is look 36 from the F/W 17 collection.
WHO: Joan Smalls
WEAR: Topshop deep red silk crêpe gown with plunging neckline and cut out sides, gunmetal Swarovski studded body contour panels, chain detailing and a thigh-high slit.
WHO: Mindy Kaling
WEAR: Prabal Gurung dress; Jacob & Co Safety Pin Ring is 18k white gold and palladium with 0.64ct diamonds.
WHO: Sofia Richie
WEAR: Topshop silver and gold lamé gown with deep-V neckline and cowl back detailing; Giuseppe Zanotti shoes.
WHO: Kendall Jenner
WEAR: La Perla Haute Couture
WHO: Zoë Kravitz
WEAR: Oscar de la Renta dress; Tacori jewelry.
WHO: Celine Dion
WEAR: Versace
WHO: Felicity Jones
WEAR: Erdem floral fil-coupé gown.
WHO: Kerry Washington
WEAR: Custom black double-crêpe-sablé cutout gown with silver patchwork embroidery, silver Niki snakeskin sandals from the Fall 2017 Michael Kors Collection, a black pin-embellished velvet choker and a silver Yasmeen grommeted snakeskin clutch from the Resort 2017 Michael Kors Collection.
WHO: Reese Witherspoon
WEAR: Mugler dress; Tiffany diamonds, including drop earrings, a Tiffany Archival bracelet and two rings.
WHO: Dree Hemingway
WEAR: Diane von Furstenberg dress constructed from a variety of custom fabrics: black embroidered tulle with floral appliqué, tissue-weight striped organza in ivory; and a custom embroidered skirt. It is lined in silk crêpe de chine and finished with silk charmeuse interior bindings and rolled silk straps. Dree carries the Soirée Bag in black suede with a silver oversize curb chain strap.
WHO: Dakota Johnson
WEAR: Gucci
WHO: Bee Schaffer
WEAR: Alexander McQueen ivory heritage patchwork jacquard evening dress with ivory feather stitching and polished brass Tree-of-Life heritage patchwork jacquard box clutch.
WHO: Sarah Paulson
WEAR: Prada midnight blue silk satin sheath gown with long sleeves, and slit back. Embellished with black and red ostrich and marabou feathers at the wrists and hem.
WHO: Diane Kruger
WEAR: Prada white cady gown accented with asymmetric blouson bow back and train, adorned at the front with clusters of gold and crystal; Heritage Bulgari jewellery.
WHO: Lily James
WEAR: Burberry
WHO: Ashley Graham
WEAR: H&M corset dress influenced by Kawakubo's interest in revealing the inner workings of garments. An off-white corset was subtly deconstructed, while a long red silk skirt was boned and fastened by hook-and-eyes, both decorated with exuberant ruffles of dark red silk organza.
WHO: Gisele Bündchen
WEAR: Bespoke pewter embroidered cutout gown by Stella McCartney for the Green Carpet Challenge; Platinum by Neil Lane jewellery.
WHO: Chrissy Teigen
WEAR: Custom Marchesa; Jennifer Behr jewellery.
WHO: Daisy Ridley
WEAR: Oscar de la Renta custom black and white abstract floral print gown by Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia for Oscar de la Renta, inspired by the Fall 2017 collection.
WHO: Zoey Deutch
WEAR: Tory Burch ivory silk shantung minimalistic gown with exaggerated flounce sleeves and hand-cut, hand-enameled disk earrings.
WHO: Claire Foy
WEAR: Erdem floral jacquard gown.
WHO: Miranda Kerr
WEAR: Jimmy Choo clutch
WHO: Blake Lively
WEAR: Versace
WHO: Elle Fanning
WEAR: Miu Miu pale blue chiffon empire line strapless plissé gown with delicate drapery and a flowing soft train. She completed the look with a nude satin high heel and a silver velvet clutch with pearl buckle detail.
WHO: Janelle Monae
WEAR: Calvin Klein dress; Tiffany T earrings and a Tiffany HardWear bold stud earring.
WHO: Jourdan Dunn
WEAR: H&M body-skimming dress that played with the theme of deconstructing and subverting traditional garments. A top of off-white silk taffeta shirting appeared as if falling off a calico bodice, its skirt of deconstructed navy pinstripe suiting that was cut asymmetrically and into bows.
WHO: Helen Lasichanh
WEAR: Comme des Garçons look from Rei Kawakubo's Fall 2017 collection.
WHO: Jemima Kirke
WEAR: Chanel
WHO: Hailee Steinfeld
WEAR: Vera Wang
WHO: Kate Hudson
WEAR: Stella McCartney bespoke optic white silk cady one-shoulder gown.
WHO: Katie Holmes
WEAR: Zac Posen dress; Jimmy Choo shoes.
WHO: Hailey Baldwin
WEAR: Carolina Herrera set; Swarovski crystal studded veil created specifically for the occasion by Gigi Burris.
WHO: Gwyneth Paltrow
WEAR: Calvin Klein By Appointment pale pink one-shoulder sequin cocktail dress with angled front slit; $2.3 million in Harry Winston diamonds.
WHO: Grimes
WEAR: Proenza Schouler
WHO: Maggie Gyllenhaal
WEAR: Marni
WHO: Halle Berry
WEAR: Versace dress; Jimmy Choo shoes.
WHO: Madonna
WEAR: Moschino
WHO: Jessica Chastain
WEAR: Prada pale yellow chiffon plissé off-the-shoulder gown embellished with crystal embroidery.
WHO: Liu Wen
WEAR: Off-White
WHO: Stella Maxwell
WEAR: H&M conscious sheer organic silk chiffon dress covered in strands of pearls. Beginning as a necklace that draped the open back, the pearls crossed the chest and formed the lines of a crinoline into the dress, before falling free to play around the body.
WHO: Riley Keough
WEAR: Louis Vuitton
WHO: Claire Danes
WEAR: Monse F/W 17
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WHO: Nicki Minaj
WEAR: H&M sheer organza gown with a long train, featuring extravagant raw-edged silk taffeta and black vinyl roses trapped at the hem and beneath the train. The dress was held by an off-the-shoulder silk duchesse kimono top, its leather Obi belt featuring a mask of the face of Kawakubo. The train was decorated with rays of black and red, with one red Swarovski crystal ray extending to the front.
WHO: Brie Larson
WEAR: Chanel
WHO: Lena Dunham
WEAR: Elizabeth Kennedy
WHO: Emmy Rossum
WEAR: Carolina Herrera
WHO: Leslie Mann
WEAR: Chanel
WHO: Alexa Chung
WEAR: Diane von Furstenberg dress cut from semi-sheer crinkle chiffon with a screen-printed polka dot pattern in black and ivory. The bias-cut halter top has a silk charmeuse lining and pin hem edge. Alexa carries the Soirée Bag in black sequins.
WHO: Priyanka Chopra
WEAR: Ralph Lauren
WHO: Daria Strokous
WEAR: Dior Haute Couture black and soft pink ballgown with late-summer embroidery with blackberries and small feathered stars, Dior Fine Jewelry "My Dior" rings, Dior shoes and a Dior clutch.
WHO: Taylor Hill
WEAR: Jimmy Choo shoes
WHO: Anna Cleveland
WEAR: Comme des Garçons
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WHO: Natalia Vodianova
WEAR: Diane von Furstenberg floor-length dress constructed from silk double-face charmeuse in a soft rose colour for the body and sleeves, and in gold for the lapel. Crossing at the front, it is fastened with a waistband cut from silk heavy charmeuse in peach with a separate silk chiffon sash tied into a bow, also in gold. The sleeves, cut on the bias, have gentle gathering and a subtle slit at the cuff.
WHO: Karlie Kloss
WEAR: Carolina Herrera dress; Forevermark diamonds.
WHO: Ruth Negga
WEAR: Valentino
WHO: Sasha Lane
WEAR: H&M wore a sheer net-like structured dress embellished with various sizes of polka dots, one of Kawakubo's key motifs. The dress was held by a sheer, boned upper body with black Swarovski crystals, the playful dots in tactile materials such as raffia and velvet.
WHO: Julianne Moore
WEAR: Calvin Klein By Appointment organza slip dress embroidered with translucent beads and embellished with polychromatic hand-painted feathers, Calvin Klein 205W39NYC white python high-heeled pumps and carried a brushed metal box clutch.
WHO: Carly Steel
WEAR: Christian Siriano white iridescent bubble gown from Christian Siriano's Resort 2017 Collection.
WHO: La La Anthony
WEAR: Thai Nguyen Atelier custom high neck long sleeve sheer vein printed & embellished gown with open back & bow
WHO: Salma Hayek
WHO: Natasha Poly
WHO: Diane von Furstenberg
WHO: Laura Osnes
WHO: Sofía Sanchez de Betak
WHO: Lisa Love
WHO: Rose Byrne
WEAR: Ralph Lauren dress; Dauphin jewelry; Edie Parker bag; Giuseppe Zanotti shoes.
Be sure to tell us which looks are your favourite in the comments below!
