Zendaya attends the 2024 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 06, 2024 in New York City. Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images
The Met Gala is fundamentally a fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Arts' Costume Institute, but over time it has evolved into a cultural phenomenon.
Each year, celebrities and cultural legends turn out in the most daring, dramatic, and boundary-pushing costumes for the biggest night in fashion. The dress code for Tuesday's event was 'The Garden of Time', inspired by a 1962 J.G Ballard short story of the same title.
Who wore it best? Here are some of the celebrity guests who put their best feet forward when it came to honouring the exhibition theme ('Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion') and dress code
Zendaya
Actor Zendaya turned heads in two striking looks; her custom Maison Margiela by John Galliano, and a vintage Givenchy dress from the house's spring 1996 collection.
The first look was a theatrical nod to the Garden of Time dress code, festooned with metallic birds, berries and vines on a blue and green silhouette. It even featured the classic Margiela makeup - thin brows, dramatic eyes and doll-like skin. Her second look was a black off-the-shoulder corset gown with a long train, and featured a massive floral headpiece filled with multicoloured roses.
Zendaya showcased two striking outfits on the green carpet. Photo: Dia Dipasupil/Cindy Ord/Getty Images/AFP
Tyla
South African singer Tyla channelled the sands of time at her first ever Met Gala appearance. She wore a form-fitting Balmain look that was sculpted out of sand and featured a textured train made of the same mould. The dress was so delicate it required her to be carried to the steps of the museum doors by five men. The look was completed by her accessory of choice: an hourglass-shaped handbag.
Musician Tyla went for a sand-inspired look, holding an hourglass on the carpet. Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Mona Patel
The Indian fashion entrepreneur wore an Iris Van Herpen gown, which featured kinetic sleeves and a dramatic train hand-embroidered in India. The costume paid homage to both Patel's heritage and her love of couture, with the butterfly-shaped corset and scalloped train making an elegant nod to this year's theme.
Mona Patel in an Iris Van Herpen gown. Photo: AFP
Elle Fanning
The Met Gala featured quite a few sheer looks this year, from Phoebe Dynevor's rose-coloured tulle and lace gown to Doja Cat's daring wet t-shirt dress. However, no one did it better than actor Elle Fanning, who turned out in a glassy, transparent Balmain number making her look like she was enveloped in hard ice. The sculptural off-the-shoulder wrap dress looked like it could break with a firm touch. It had flowers coming off the neckline, which almost resembled two birds holding up the fabric itself. Rosy makeup, silver sandals and cascading diamond earrings completed the look.
US actress Elle Fanning and Rolling Stone chief executive Gus Wenner arrive for the 2024 Met Gala in New York. Photo: AFP
Bad Bunny
Musician Bad Bunny's fashion is top-tier, and his Met Gala look was no different. Blending personal identity, cultural homage and fairytale fantasy, the Puerto Rican's look perfectly encapsulated the Garden of Time dress code without leaning too much into florals. His custom Margiela outfit featured a black satin corset and a navy wool smoking jacket with notably unusual stitching. A blue foam beret and tiny sunglasses gave the look a gothic touch. The outfit was completed with a personal touch - Bad Bunny walked the red carpet holding a black Flor de Maga - the national flower of Puerto Rico, which symbolises the island's bravery and resilience during challenging times.
Bad Bunny drew on his Puerto Rican heritage. Photo: AFP
Wisdom Kaye
Fashion designer Wisdom Kaye is anything but conventional. He stepped out in a custom look by Robert Wun, which was created to resemble a burnt red rose. The bright red number used techniques of burning, hand-printing and painting to capture the wilting nature of rose petals as they age. Wisdom's outfit subverted every expectation of menswear on the night.
Wisdom Kaye was anything but conventional. Photo: AFP
Gigi Hadid
Model Gigi Hadid's dress belongs in a museum. The two-piece Thom Browne gown took more than 8500 hours to embroider, as 20 people painstakingly attached thorns, vines, yellow roses and 2.8 million micro-beads to it. The dress came in two parts: a sleek, white off-the-shoulder top, and a voluminous skirt and train trimmed in black satin. The look was completed with an Old Hollywood-style wavy blonde bob, red lips, and five handlers as she made her way through the gala. A vision of beauty and fragility, completely on theme.
Model Gigi Hadid wore a custom look by Thom Browne. Photo: John Shearer/WireImage/Getty Images
