Met Gala 2024: Best dressed celebrities on the red carpet from Kim Kardashian to Zendaya

Met Gala 2024: Best dressed celebrities on the red carpet from Kim Kardashian to Zendaya

Stars in New York embraced florals for spring at the Met Gala 2024. Victoria Moss on the night’s red carpet winners

Here we are again at Anna Wintour’s annual first Monday in May fundraiser where the word fashion-tainment comes into glorious technicolour. This year’s theme fell easier on the eye than previous incarnations — no Jared Leto as cat — although there were scattered animalistic nods — see Lana del Ray’s McQueen Hoof boots for one. The exhibition — which will run at The Costume Institute at New York’s Met Museum — is entitled Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion — showcases the abundance of fashion treasure from the museum’s own archive.

However for the night itself, Wintour issued a dress code edict of The Garden of Time. On the surface, many quips surrounding “florals for spring?” the iconic, much-memed line from her alter-ego Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada. And yet. The title comes via a J. G. Ballard short story, in which a count and his wife stave off an attack from the proletariat by throwing flowers from their garden at them. Destroying the earth to save oneself? A compelling analysis of the fashion industry by anyone’s standard.

Wintour had earlier protected her party from its own assault from the masses, as the newly assembled Condé Nast Union stood down from their threats to picket and boycott (and more crushingly — go on content-producing strike for the biggest traffic-driver of the year) the event after a final-hour successful negotiation.

And so to the prettily draped steps of the Met, covered not in a red carpet, but a dappled green one, offering a verdant backdrop to the looks which ranged from blooming English garden in straightforward florals — Ayo Edibiri in Loewe, Amanda Seyfriend in Prada, Sydney Sweeney in Miu Miu (great dress, weird wig) — to more sinister Brothers Grimm, dark forest frights: Dua Lipa in Marc Jacobs, Cardi B in Windowsen and those who looked like they’d lost their clothes on the back off Lana Del Ray’s McQueen antlers — see Emily Ratajkowski in spangly Versace, Rita Ora in Marni and FKA Twigs in Stella McCartney.

Sydney Sweeney
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The naked dressing trend then lingers on with little in the way of shock value left; one could however look to Kendall Jenner — looking sensational in archive Givenchy by Alexander McQueen — as a study in how to flash-flesh elegantly rather than full-blown tits and ass on display.

Wintour herself (more often in Chanel or Prada) wore a Loewe coat with embellished florals — which is a prime anointing from fashion’s very own queen for the Northern Irish designer Jonathan Anderson, who had a very good night dressing Ariana Grande, Taylor Russell, Josh O’Connor, Ambika Mod, Jaime Dornan and Mike Faist.

Daniel Lee’s Burberry also held up the taste levels — his looks for British Vogue’s Chioma Nnadi, Jodie Turner-Smith and Naomi Campbell were quite beautiful, and showed off a level of subtlety which hasn’t always been present on his catwalks. Perhaps the red carpet is more of a natural home for him than previously thought.

Special mention should go to Lauren Sánchez, Jeff Bezos’s plucky fiancé who took on her first Met with aplomb in Oscar de la Renta — with a full skirt which looked like a smashed mirror of florals. Killing off the wicked witch?

Zendaya
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Zac Posen, now heading up Gap, showed just what happens when a designer previously best known for corsetry and mega-gowns discovers denim: Da'Vine Joy Randolph in a custom look which is probably not coming to a mall near you anytime soon.

Best Brits included Phoebe Dynevor who was sweet in pink Victoria Beckham (no Mrs B herself, though) and Harris Reed who almost outdressed his date, Demi Moore, in their elaborate arrow-headpieces. But perhaps for pure heart stopping fashion with a capital F, Nicole Kidman was on major form in black and white Balenciaga, which shows what can be when you ditch the viral-gimmicks and stick to classy house codes.

Nicole Kidman
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And finally, a rehabilitation of sorts continues apace. John Galliano bedecked the headline stars in Maison Margiela Artisanal, Zendaya and Kim Kardashian (plus ballet-core cardy) both wore looks which took a cue from his extraordinary and much lauded January couture show. Tiny corseted waists, major fashion coup. Zendaya has worn three Galliano looks over the weekend, an archive 1998 look to the pre-Met dinner on Sunday night; and two on the Gala-carpet itself (the second a vintage Givenchy gown from 1996, when Galliano headed up the house). Wintour is clearly set on bringing his talent back front and centre under the scalding industry spotlight. Her own sleeping beauty coming back to dramatic life, if you will.

Met Gala 2024: Best dressed stars on the red carpet

Kendall Jenner in Givenchy by Alexander McQueen
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Nicole Kidman in Balenciaga
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Naomi Campbell in Burberry
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Zendaya in Maison Margiela Artisanal
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Cynthia Erivo in Thom Browne and Ariana Grande in Loewe 
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Kim Kardashian in Maison Margiela Artisanal
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Adwoa Aboah in H&M
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Sarah Jessica Parker in Richard Quinn
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Linda Evangelista in Khaite
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Lizzo in Victor Weinsanto
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Doja Cat and Guram Gvasalia in Vetements
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Pamela Anderson in Oscar de la Renta
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Kylie Jenner in Oscar de la Renta
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Dua Lipa in Marc Jacobs
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Sydney Sweeney in Miu Miu
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Rita Ora in Marni
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Keke Palmer in Marc Jacobs
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Andrew Scott, Donatella Versace and Jude Law in Versace
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Lil Nas X in Luar
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Gigi Hadid in Thom Browne
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Eddie Redmayne in Steve O Smith
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Kris Jenner in Oscar de la Renta and Corey Gamble
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Cardi B in Windowsen
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Kylie Minogue in Diesel
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Jeremy Strong in Loro Piana
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Penélope Cruz in Chanel 
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Demi Moore and Harris Reed in Harris Reed
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Elle Fanning in Balmain 
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Karlie Kloss in Swarovski 
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Troye Sivan in Prada
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Zac Posen and Da'Vine Joy Randolph in custom Gap
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Amanda Seyfried in Prada
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Lana Del Rey in Alexander McQueen
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Amelia Gray Hamlin in Undercover
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Little Simz in Burberry
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Jonathan Bailey in Loewe
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Barry Keoghan in Burberry
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Isabelle Huppert in Balenciaga 
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Michelle Williams in Chanel
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FKA Twigs, Stella McCartney, Ed Sheeran, and Cara Delevingne in Stella McCartney
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Iris Law in Versace 
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Precious Lee
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Jodie Turner-Smith in Burberry
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Zendaya in Maison Margiela Artisanal
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Erykah Badu in Comme des Garçons
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Lewis Hamilton in Burberry 
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Nicki Minaj in Marni
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Adut Akech
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Brooklyn Peltz Beckham
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Elizabeth Debicki in Dior
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Michelle Yeoh in Balenciaga
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Chloë Sevigny in Dilara Fındıkoğlu
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Kaia Gerber in Prada 
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Ashley Graham in Ludovic de Saint Sernin 
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Anna Wintour in Loewe
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Bad Bunny in Maison Margiela Artisanal
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Gwendoline Christie in Maison Margiela Artisanal
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Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky, both in Tom Ford
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Lily James in ERDEM
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Sienna Miller, Chemena Kamali, Greta Gerwig, Emma Mackey and Zoe Saldana in Chloé 
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Mindy Kaling in Gaurav Gupta
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Ayo Edebiri in Loewe
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Alton Mason in Thom Browne
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Emily Ratajkowski in Versace
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Taylor Russell in Loewe
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Christian Cowan and Sam Smith, both in Christian Cowan
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Raye in Fendi
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Uma Thurman in Tory Burch
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Chioma Nnadi in Burberry
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Greta Lee in Loewe
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Storm Reid and Stuart Vevers in Coach
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