The Breathtaking 2021 Met Gala Looks We'll Be Talking About for Years
That's right, the time has finally come. After a two-and-a-half-year hiatus, the Met Gala is back, and believe us when we say it's really back. While we typically find ourselves counting down the days in the lead-up to the first Monday in May, this year has us especially on our toes and not just because we've been missing the epic red carpet looks. The 2021 Met Gala, who's theme is In American: A Lexicon of Fashion, will be an "intimate gala" with a guest list that skews notably Gen Z, if the night's co-chairs Billie Eilish, Amanda Gorman, Naomi Osaka, and Timothée Chalamet are any indication.
The looks you're about to bear witness to feature everything from over-the-top feathers and showstopping shimmer to sultry cutouts—many of them fresh off the spring/summer 2022 runways that just wrapped up in New York. They may be all we can talk about right now, but we just know they'll leave an impact on fashion dialogue for years to come. With plenty of breathtaking moments and epic celebrity sightings to enjoy, scroll down to see all the best red carpet looks from the 2021 Met Gala.
WHO: Rihanna
WEAR: Balenciaga; Bulgari and Thelma West jewelry; custom Maria Tash earrings
WHO: Billie Eilish
WEAR: Oscar de la Renta; Jimmy Choo shoes; Cartier jewelry
WHO: Amanda Gorman
WEAR: Vera Wang; Stuart Weitzman shoes; Chopard jewelry
WHO: Emma Chamberlain
WEAR: Louis Vuitton
WHO: Keke Palmer
WEAR: Sergio Hudson; Giuseppe Zanotti shoes; Ana Khouri jewelry
WHO: Olivia Rodrigo
WEAR: Saint Laurent
WHO: Timothée Chalamet
WEAR: Haider Ackermann jacket; Rick Owens pants; Converse shoes; Cartier pin and brooch
WHO: Zoë Kravitz
WEAR: Saint Laurent
WHO: Yara Shahidi
WEAR: Custom Dior; Cartier jewelry
WHO: Gigi Hadid
WEAR: Prada
WHO: Saweetie
WEAR: Christian Cowan
WHO: Kendall Jenner
WEAR: Givenchy
WHO: Iman
WEAR: Harris Reed
WHO: Lily Rose-Depp
WEAR: Chanel
WHO: Megan Thee Stallion
WEAR: Coach; Stuart Weitzman shoes; Fernando George jewelry
WHO: Serena Williams
WEAR: Gucci
WHO: Emily Ratajkowski
WEAR: Vera Wang
WHO: Jennifer Lopez
WEAR: Ralph Lauren
WHO: Addison Rae
WEAR: Vintage 2003 Gucci
WHO: Naomi Osaka
WEAR: Louis Vuitton
WHO: Hailey Bieber
WEAR: Saint Laurent
WHO: Gabrielle Union-Wade
WEAR: Iris Van Herpen dress; Jimmy Choo shoes; Messika jewelry
WHO: Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz
WEAR: Both in Valentino
WHO: Barbie Ferreira
WEAR: Jonathan Simkhai
WHO: Kristen Stewart
WEAR: Chanel
WHO: Storm Reid
WEAR: Prada
WHO: Eva Chen
WEAR: Christopher John Rogers
WHO: Ella Emhoff
WEAR: Adidas by Stella McCartney
WHO: Tracee Ellis Ross
WEAR: Balenciaga dress and clutch; Tiffany and Co. jewelry
WHO: Kaia Gerber
WEAR: Oscar de la Renta dress; Christian Louboutin shoes
WHO: Maisie Williams
WEAR: Reuben Selby dress; Nodaleto shoes; Cartier jewelry
WHO: Evan Mock
WEAR: Thom Browne; Lorraine Schwartz
WHO: Nia Dennis
WEAR: Adidas by Stella McCartney dress; Ana Khouri jewelry
WHO: Anna Wintour
WEAR: Oscar de la Renta
WHO: Ilana Glazer
WEAR: Aliette
WHO: Tom Ford
WHO: Anok Yai
WHO: Kim Kardashian
WEAR: Balenciaga
WHO: Emily Blunt
WEAR: Miu Miu; Messika jewelry
WHO: Simone Biles
WEAR: Area
WHO: Troye Sivan
WEAR: Altu dress; Rick Owens shoes; Cartier jewelry
WHO: Dixie D'Amelio
WEAR: Valentino Haute Couture
WHO: Finneas
WEAR: Givenchy; Cartier jewelry
WHO: Chance the Rapper and Kirsten Corley
WEAR (Chance the Rapper): Ralph Lauren
WHO: Lil Nas X
WEAR: Versace
WHO: Jennifer Hudson
WEAR: AZ Factory
WHO: Valentina Sampaio
WHO: Laura and Kate Mulleavy
WHO: Paloma Elsesser
WEAR: Zac Posen
WHO: Kim Petras
WEAR: Collina Strada
WHO: Zoey Deutch
WEAR: Versace dress
WHO: Grimes
WEAR: Iris Van Herpen
WHO: Normani
WEAR: Valentino dress; Lorraine Schwartz jewelry
WHO: Debbie Harry
WEAR: Zac Posen
WHO: Kit Harrington and Rose Leslie
WEAR (Leslie): Oscar de la Renta
WHO: Ben Platt
WHO: Nikkie de Jager
WHO: Karlie Kloss
WEAR: Carolina Herrera dress; Christian Louboutin shoes; De Beers jewelry
WHO: Adrien Brody and Georgina Chapman
WHO: Madison Beer
WHO: MJ Rodriguez
WHO: Eiza Gonzalez
WEAR: Versace dress; Bulgari jewelry
WHO: Dan Levy
WEAR: Loewe; Cartier jewelry
WHO: Sophia Roe
WEAR: Halston
WHO: Mary J. Blige
WEAR: Dundas
WHO: Megan Fox
WEAR: Dundas dress; Jimmy Choo shoes
WHO: Channing Tatum
WEAR: Versace
WHO: Precious Lee
WEAR: Area
WHO: Felix Auger-Aliassime and Nina Ghaibi
WHO: Virgil Abloh
WHO: Audra McDonald
WHO: Chloe Fineman
WEAR: Tory Burch
WHO: Maluma
WEAR: Versace; ASLAN custom 14k gold glove
WHO: Lorde
WEAR: Bode
WHO: Donatella Versace
WHO: Rachele Zegler
WEAR: Christian Dior
WHO: Pete Davidson
WEAR: Thom Browne; Silhouette sunglasses
WHO: Cynthia Erivo
WHO: Taraji P. Henson
WEAR: Stuart Weitzman shoes
WHO: Lourdes Leon
WHO: Irina Shayk
WEAR: Stuart Weitzman
WHO: Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz
WHO: Rita Ora
WEAR: Prada
WHO: Sienna Miller
WEAR: Gucci
WHO: Tyler Mitchell
WEAR: Bode
WHO: Kacey Musgraves
WEAR: Ralph Lauren
WHO: Lupita Nyong'o
WEAR: Versace
WHO: Justin Bieber
WEAR: Balenciaga
WHO: Erykah Badu
WEAR: Thom Browne
WHO: Mindy Kaling
WEAR: Tory Burch dress; Jimmy Choo shoes
WHO: Whoopi Goldberg
WEAR: Valentino
WHO: Taylor Hill
WEAR: Versace
WHO: Hunter Schafer
WEAR: Prada
WHO: Julia Garner
WEAR: Stella McCartney
Up next, see the VMAs red carpet looks that shocked and amazed us.
Anna is an editor on the fashion team at Who What Wear and has been at the company for over five years, having begun her career in the Los Angeles office before relocating to New York, where she's currently based. Having always been passionate about pursuing a career in fashion, she built up her experience interning at the likes of Michael Kors, A.L.C., and College Fashionista before joining the team as a post-graduate assistant editor. Anna has penned a number of interviews with Who What Wear's cover stars over the years, including A-listers Megan Fox, Issa Rae, and Emma Chamberlain. She's earned a reputation for scouting new and emerging brands from across the globe and championing them to our audience of millions. While fashion is her main wheelhouse, Anna led the launch of WWW Travels last year, a new lifestyle vertical that highlights all things travel through a fashion-person lens. She is passionate about shopping vintage, whether it be at a favorite local outpost or an on-the-road discovery, and has amassed a wardrobe full of unique finds. When she's not writing, you can find her shooting street imagery on her film camera, attempting to learn a fourth or fifth language, or planning her next trip across the globe.
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