There are many Met Gala looks that we will never forget—Beyoncé in the original naked dress, Kim Kardashian wearing Thierry Mugler, basically every one of Rihanna’s appearances—but long before any of those women even attended the event for the first time, models, actors, and socialites were making their mark on the museum steps.

At this point, the Met Gala has been around for quite awhile, so it’s easy to forget some of the looks from 25-plus years ago that would have blown up on social media if they had a chance. Here, look back at the most memorable looks in Met Gala history, from Princess Diana in 1996 all the way to Rihanna’s 2025 Met steps baby bump reveal.

Princess Diana in Dior

At the “Christian Dior” Met Gala in 1996.

Caroline Kennedy in Carolina Herrera

With her husband, Ed Schlossberg, at the “Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years” Met Gala in 2001.

Lee Radziwill in Armani

At the “Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years” Met Gala in 2001.

Iman in Calvin Klein

With her husband, David Bowie, at the “Goddess: The Classical Mode” Met Gala in 2003.

Gisele Bündchen in Dolce & Gabbana

At the “Goddess: The Classical Mode” Met Gala in 2003.

Linda Evangelista in Jean Paul Gaultier

At the “Dangerous Liaisons: Fashion and Furniture in the 18th Century” Met Gala in 2004.

Karolina Kurkova in Viktor & Rolf

At “The House of Chanel” Met Gala in 2005.

Alexander McQueen and Sarah Jessica Parker in Alexander McQueen

At the “AngloMania: Tradition and Transgression in British Fashion” Met Gala in 2006.

Cate Blanchett in Balenciaga

At the “Poiret: King of Fashion” Met Gala in 2007.

Amber Valletta in Atelier Versace

At the “Superheroes: Fashion And Fantasy” Met Gala in 2008.

Christina Ricci in Givenchy

At the “Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy” Met Gala in 2008.

Kate Moss in Marc Jacobs With a Stephen Jones Turban

At the “Model As Muse: Embodying Fashion” Met Gala in 2009.

Doutzen Kroes in Zan Posen

At the “American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity” Met Gala in 2010.

Jennifer Lopez in Zuhair Murad

At the “American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity” Met Gala in 2010.

Kirsten Dunst in Rodarte

At the “American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity” Met Gala in 2010.

Beyoncé in Emilio Pucci

At the “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty” Met Gala in 2011.

Tom Brady & Gisele Büdchen in Alexander McQueen

At the “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty” in 2011.

Daphne Guiness in Alexander McQueen

At the “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty” Met Gala in 2011.

Miranda Kerr in Marchesa

At the “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty” Met Gala in 2011.

Florence Welch in Alexander McQueen

At the “Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations” Met Gala in 2012

Diane Kruger in Prada

At the “Schiaparelli And Prada: Impossible Conversations” Met Gala in 2012

Chloë Sevigny in Miu Miu

At the “Schiaparelli And Prada: Impossible Conversations” Met Gala in 2012.

Anne Hathaway in Valentino

At the “PUNK: Chaos to Couture” Met Gala in 2013.

Sarah Jessica Parker in Giles Deacon with a Philip Treacy Headpiece

At the Costume Institute Gala for the “PUNK: Chaos to Couture” Met Gala in 2013.

Ashley Olsen in Vintage Dior Couture

At the “PUNK: Chaos to Couture” Met Gala in 2013.

Dita Von Teese in Zac Posen

At “Charles James: Beyond Fashion” Met Gala in 2014.

Lupita Nyong’o in Prada

At “Charles James: Beyond Fashion” Met Gala in 2014.

Monica Bellucci in Dolce & Gabbana

At “Charles James: Beyond Fashion” Met Gala in 2014.

Rihanna in Guo Pei

At the “China: Through the Looking Glass” Met Gala in 2015.

Beyoncé in Givenchy

At the “China: Through the Looking Glass” Met Gala in 2015.

Solange Knowles in Giles Deacon

At the “China: Through The Looking Glass” Met Gala in 2015.

Kate Hudson in Michael Kors

At the “China: Through The Looking Glass” Met Gala in 2015.

Anne Hathaway in Ralph Lauren

At the “China: Through The Looking Glass” Met Gala in 2015.

Amal Clooney in Maison Margiela

At the “China: Through The Looking Glass” Met Gala in 2015.

Claire Danes in Zac Posen

At the “Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology” Met Gala in 2016.

Rihanna in Comme des Garçons

At the “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between” Met Gala 2017.

Cara Delevigne in Chanel

At the “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between” Met Gala 2017.

Jennifer Lopez in Valentino

At the “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between” Met Gala 2017.

Zendaya in Versace

At the “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination” Met Gala in 2018.

Rihanna in Maison Margiela

At the “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination” Met Gala in 2018.

Blake Lively in Versace

At the “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination” Met Gala in 2018.

Gigi Hadid in Versace

At the “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination” Met Gala in 2018.

Ariana Grande in Vera Wang

At the “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination” Met Gala in 2018.

Kim Kardashian in Thierry Mugler

At the “Camp: Notes on Fashion” Met Gala in 2019.

Zendaya in Tommy Hilfiger

At the “Camp: Notes on Fashion” Met Gala in 2019.

Cardi B in Thom Browne

At the “Camp: Notes on Fashion” Met Gala in 2019.

Lady Gaga in Brandon Maxwell

At the “Camp: Notes on Fashion” Met Gala in 2019.

Lily-Rose Depp in Vintage Chanel

At the “Camp: Notes on Fashion” Met Gala in 2019.

Jared Leto in Gucci

At the “Camp: Notes on Fashion” Met Gala in 2019.

Kim Kardashian in Balenciaga

At the "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion" Met Gala in 2021.

Kaia Gerber in Oscar de la Renta

At the "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion" Met Gala in 2021.

Iman in Harris Reed

At the "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion" Met Gala in 2021.

Zoë Kravitz in Saint Laurent

At the "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion" Met Gala in 2021.

Blake Lively in Atelier Versace

At the “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” Met Gala in 2022.

Quannah Chasinghorse in Prabal Gurung and Antelope Women Designs jewelry

At the “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” Met Gala in 2022.

Lizzo in Thom Browne

At the “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” Met Gala in 2022.

Emma Corrin in Miu Miu

At the “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” Met Gala in 2022.

Rosalía in Givenchy

At the “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” Met Gala in 2022.

Dua Lipa in Chanel

At the “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty” Met Gala in 2023.

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky in Valentino and Gucci

At the “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty” Met Gala in 2023.

Penelope Cruz in Chanel

At the “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty” Met Gala in 2023.

Bad Bunny in Jacquemus

At the “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty” Met Gala in 2023.

Nicole Kidman in Chanel

At the “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty” Met Gala in 2023.

Tyla in Balmain

At the “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” Met Gala in 2024.

Zendaya in Maison Margiela

At the “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” Met Gala in 2024.

Rihanna in Marc Jacobs

At the “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” Met Gala in 2025.

Lauryn Hill in Stella McCartney

At the “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” Met Gala in 2025.

Teyana Taylor in Ruth E. Carter

At the “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” Met Gala in 2025.

BEIJING, June 11 — Beijing does not immediately strike one as a culinary destination. 

The buildings are towers of glass and steel, the roads wide enough to lose yourself in, and the scale of the city is designed for movement. 

It is a capital in the most literal sense — built for business, not pleasure.

Almost everyone I met on this trip had come from somewhere else. Our guide was from Nanjing. A chef from Henan. A waiter from Fujian. 

It is a city that has always drawn people in from the vast interior of the country, and they bring their food with them: their ingredients, their techniques, their memories of home.

In a handful of restaurants across the capital, a more deliberate version of that same story unfolds. 

Three chefs in three restaurants across Beijing make a serious, meticulous argument for regional Chinese cuisine — not just Beijing’s own, but Cantonese, Sichuanese, and a reimagined version of the capital’s culinary tradition itself. 

The restaurants have Michelin stars and are among Asia’s 50 Best. The cooking is precise, refined, and deeply personal. 

Taken together, they amount to something that feels brand new, yet rooted in the same traditions.

Historically, ducks were marked with sugar syrup in case of a swap during roasting. Today, Mansion Cuisine by Jingyan encourages guests to write messages on their ducks before roasting (left). Traditional Peking-style grilled lamb, served with a sesame biscuit (right). — Picture by Ethan Lau

Mansion Cuisine by Jingyan

Chef Duan Yu calls his cooking “New Beijing Cuisine”, which is the centrepiece at the Michelin-starred Mansion Cuisine by Jingyan, the crown jewel of his Jingyu Catering Group of restaurants. 

Housed in a remodelled siheyuan courtyard near the Lama Temple, the restaurant utilises a modern approach to traditional imperial Beijing cuisine.

Among the dishes that stood out: sea cucumber dressed in a dark, glossy sauce derived from Tianfuhao pork knuckle, 天福号酱肘子, a condiment tracing its history over 280 years to a Shandong shopkeeper who set up in Beijing during the Qing dynasty. 

The sea cucumber itself is firm and springy, nothing like the soft, slippery texture that is more prevalent here.

The Peking duck came three ways: first, a thin slice with cliff honey and black truffle, then carved into the traditional 108 slices to preserve the lacquered skin and served with erbajiang, 二八酱, a classic Beijing peanut and sesame paste condiment, and finally, the rest of the duck wok-fried with salt and pepper, and with chillies and scallions.

Peking-style hotpot, also known as shuanyangrou, or instant-boiled mutton, is a pillar of traditional Beijing cuisine. 

Lamb from Inner Mongolia is used at Jingyan, with thin slices interwoven with strips of cartilage for a snappy, almost crunchy resistance, cooked quickly in a clear broth with goji berries, and served with two sauces: the first a traditional sesame paste, the second with sand onion, also from Inner Mongolia. 

The same cut of lamb is later grilled with onions and coriander and served between sesame biscuits.

Anpu-style poached chicken at The House of Dynasties looks very similar to the white cut chicken we are used to here in Malaysia, but bears a few key differences (left). Instead of soy sauce, oyster brine is used to season the wok-fried beef slices (right). — Picture by Ethan Lau

The House of Dynasties

For most Malaysians — especially those based in Kuala Lumpur — Cantonese food is no mystery. 

So of the three restaurants, this was the one I expected to feel most at home in. 

And I did, for the most part. But there were moments where the food diverged from anything I knew, and those turned out to be the most interesting moments of the meal.

Chef Justin Tan is from Zhanjiang, a small coastal city in Guangdong whose culinary identity is distinct even within Cantonese cooking. 

He made history when T’ang Court at The Langham Shanghai became the first restaurant in mainland China to receive three Michelin stars, in the inaugural 2016 Michelin Guide Shanghai. 

Now at Rosewood Beijing’s The House of Dynasties, a restaurant inspired by Dream of the Red Chamber, a classic of Chinese literature, his hometown keeps surfacing on the plate.

The Anpu-style poached chicken rice was the clearest illustration of the distance between what I knew and what I was eating. 

The flavour was extraordinarily pure — clean, unadulterated chicken, without the familiar presence of scallion and ginger. 

The chicken itself was denser and firmer, none of the slippery, supple texture we are used to here, though the skin had a lovely smooth quality to it. 

The Zhanjiang-style fried lobster arrived buried under fermented black beans and garlic, the meat startlingly firm, deeply savoury and impossible to stop eating.

But the dish that left the biggest impression was the simplest: wok-fried beef. 

Chef Tan explained that instead of soy sauce, he uses oyster brine — made in-house, one step before it’s reduced all the way down to oyster sauce — for its pure, savoury, briny flavour, showcasing Zhanjiang’s famous oysters.

The husband-and-wife-offal pieces are tingly, spicy and texturally stimulating (left). Steamed Wagyu beef from Shandong with celtuce and Chinese celery, a remarkably refreshing summer Sichuan dish (right). — Picture by Ethan Lau

Chef 1996

This was the restaurant I was most looking forward to. I had seen Fuchsia Dunlop — the writer who is arguably the most authoritative voice on Sichuan cuisine in the English language — visit and share her experience on Instagram, and that was enough. 

Here in Malaysia, Sichuan food is having a moment, but it arrives mostly through its loudest exports: the mala hotpot, the numbing heat, the communal spectacle of it. 

What I encountered at Chef 1996 was something else entirely.

Chef Dee Liang’s restaurant is private rooms only, situated in an industrial part of Chaoyang. 

Like with Chef Duan and his restaurant group, Chef 1996 is the showpiece of the Meizhou Dongpo empire, which has over 100 locations in both China and the United States. 

The restaurant’s name is a reference to the year Chef Dee and her husband opened the first location. 

It opened in 2023 and by 2026 had entered Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants at No. 52 — the first Sichuan restaurant ever to do so.

The fuqi feipian — husband and wife offal pieces, beef tongue and tripe in spicy numbing oil — was the dish I had been fixating on since seeing it on Dunlop’s Instagram, and it delivered. 

The numbing heat was less a wall of sensation than a tingle, like little needles dancing across the tongue, the spice precise and almost delicate.

But the dish that genuinely surprised me was the steamed Shandong Wagyu beef with celtuce and Chinese celery, served with an erjingtiao pepper sauce. 

Incredibly fresh and summery, light in a way I had not associated with Sichuan cooking at all — a complete dismantling of my narrow perception of what the cuisine could be. 

The familiar heat returned with the braised topmouth culter, a freshwater fish served with rice jelly, pickled chillies and pickled ginger, layering soft, pillowy textures with sharp, tangy spice.

Mansion Cuisine by Jingyan

22 Jianchang Hutong, 

Dongcheng, Beijing.

Open daily, 11.30am-2pm, 5.30-10pm

Tel: +86 10 8663 2999

http://www.jingyu2020.com/h-col-118.html

Instagram: @jingyan_beijing

The House of Dynasties

4F, Rosewood Hotel, 

Jing Guang Centre, Hujialou, 

1 Chaoyangmenwai Street, 

Chaoyang, Beijing.

Open daily, 11.30am-2.30pm, 5.30-10pm

Tel: +86 10 6536 0066

https://www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/beijing/dining/the-house-of-dynasties

Chef 1996

4A Jiangtaiwa, 

Xinghuo East Road, 

Chaoyang, Beijing.

Open daily 11am-2pm, 4.30-11pm

Tel: +86 135 2150 9321

https://chef1996.com/

Instagram: @chef1996restaurant

* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.

* Follow Ethan Lau on Instagram @eatenlau for more musings on food and occasionally self-deprecating humour.

Jodie Comer’s all-black streak continues. Following her last outings in head-to-toe leather at Paris Fashion week and the British Fashion Awards, the actor returned to the fashion circuit this week in a slick black leather coat and thong heels while promoting her latest film, The Death of Robin Hood. Last night, she added to that dark repertoire with a distinctly daring dress, which also leaned into the recent “naked dressing” revival.

During The Death of Robin Hood’s world premiere in New York City, Comer stepped out in a sharp black gown crafted entirely from intricate floral lace. Her Givenchy by Sarah Burton design featured a high neckline, long sleeves, and floor-length hem, bringing the risqué, see-through piece a distinctly formal shape. Embroidered matching sequins brought the style, simply layered over a pair of black briefs, a dash of sparkling glamour.

Comer placed further emphasis on her dress’s dynamic texture with minimal accents, only consisting of black slingback Jimmy Choo sandals and her own diamond wedding ring. A nude manicure, lightly tousled hairstyle, and glossy mauve lipstick effortlessly completed her ensemble. The same styling move’s been utilized throughout other “naked dressing” looks of the 2020s, which highlight the wearer’s figure through lace, mesh, and sheer fabrics to create an illusion of nudity. This year, the movement’s grown through a myriad of silhouettes and styles, from Gwyneth Paltrow’s sheer Oscars pants, Jennifer Lawrence’s floral-embroidered Golden Globes dress, and Teyana Taylor’s painting-inspired gown at the SAG Awards—plus the see-through looks Anne Hathaway donned while promoting Mother Mary this spring.

While proving a sharp departure from Comer’s regular fashion fare, her transparent dress also upheld the presence of black lace on the red carpet. Through the decades, stars have often gravitated towards the romantic, elegant material to make a sultry statement at formal events. Most recently, Emily Ratajkowski, Kylie Jenner, and Kendall Jenner all wore black lace dresses in a range of silhouettes to the Vanity Fair Oscars party, preceded by instances like Hannah Waddingham’s corseted Suzanne Neville dress at the 2024 Golden Globes and Dakota Johnson’s barely-there Gucci gown at last fall’s Kering Foundation “Caring For Women” event. And, of course, who could forget Britney Spears’ black lace Dolce & Gabbana minidress at the 2001 VMA’s?

Comer’s attire proved the black lace dress isn’t going anywhere, while still continuing her penchant for dynamic silhouettes. Whether she chooses leather, lace, or another fabrication entirely, the star’s next red carpet look is sure to keep us guessing.