39 Unforgettable Met Gala Looks

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Benefit (commonly known as the Met Gala) has been a storied fashion tradition since 1948, when publicist Eleanor Lambert launched the event as a philanthropic opportunity for New York society. Celebrities like Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Cher, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Rihanna have all stunned on the red carpet, and their looks have been etched into fashion history (regardless of how closely they followed the night’s chosen theme). Take a look back through decades of daring and glamorous fashion that could only happen at the Met Gala.