The Met Gala! An event where artists mingle with athletes; where people sing atop tables and huddle in bathrooms; where supermodels dance around a pharaoh’s tomb—and thousands upon thousands of pictures are taken, many by the attendees themselves. Here, we’ve gathered some of the very best, from a time capsule–y portrait of two bygone power couples to Kylie Jenner’s infamous 2017 bathroom shot—and Elizabeth Chambers’s canny alternative to it. Scroll on to revisit the fun.
2019: A Micro-Met After-Party, Courtesy of Louis Vuitton
In 2019, Justin Theroux captured the scene in one very chic (if also very crowded) elevator, where he appeared alongside Ruth Negga, Riley Keough, Alicia Vikander, Joe Jonas, Sophie Turner, Chloë Grace Moretz, Jennifer Connelly, Grace Coddington, Robyn, and Louis Vuitton creative director Nicolas Ghesquière.
2019: A Tale of Two Former Power Couples
Alex Rodriguez took this picture of himself, Jennifer Lopez, Kim Kardashian, and Kanye West at the “Camp” gala, little realising how strangely dated it would become just two years later.
2019: Céline Dion Serenades Prabal Gurung and Laura Kim
Swipe to hear the Québécois chanteuse entertain a group that includes Gurung, Kim, and models Candice Swanepoel and Joan Smalls.
2018: Madonna Prepares to Take Us There
The night after performing “Like a Prayer” and “Hallelujah” at the “Heavenly Bodies” gala, Madonna posted this front-facing video of her getting-ready process—one that involved a lot of braiding and a bit of snacking.
2018: Gisele Gussies Up
On her way to the party in 2018, Gisele Bündchen showed off her shimmery Versace look.
2017: The Single Greatest Bathroom Selfie of All Time?
In perhaps the best-ever entry to the “Met Gala Bathroom Selfie” canon, Kylie Jenner snapped herself with Ashton Sanders, Luka Sabbat, A$AP Rocky, Kendall Jenner, Paris Jackson, Kim Kardashian, Lily Aldridge, Sean Combs, Frank Ocean, Slick Woods, former Vogue staffer Sophia Li, Brie Larson, and half of Elizabeth Chambers.
2017: The Single Greatest Bathroom Selfie of All Time, Part Deux
Incredibly, Elizabeth Chambers captured precisely the same scene from a different angle.
2016: Two Cool English Girls Walk Into the Met…
Alexa Chung got a somewhat more chaotic perspective on the Met bathroom in 2016, posing with Poppy Delevingne as Elle Fanning, Rita Ora, and others swarmed around them.
2016: Six Models and a Very Distressed-Looking Lady Gaga
This perfectly nice picture of Lily-Rose Depp, Stella Maxwell, Joan Smalls, Lily Aldridge, Doutzen Kroes, and Hailey Bieber was meme-d to the heavens when the Twitter set noticed Gaga stewing in the background.
2015: The World’s Hottest Family Takes a Fittingly Hot Selfie
Zoë Kravitz, Lenny Kravitz, and Lisa Bonet, all together at the Met…need we say more?
2014: Everybody Loves Bill
Gucci Westman observed a lovely moment at the “Charles James: Beyond Fashion” gala as Stella McCartney gathered Rihanna and the late, great photographer Bill Cunningham for a selfie.
2013: “Punks” Indeed
A few years before starry Met selfies became de rigueur, Derek Blasberg took this picture of himself, Miley Cyrus, Karen Elson, Emma Roberts, Karlie Kloss, Cara Delevingne, and Rita Ora at the party for “Punk: Chaos to Couture.”
This story was originally published on Vogue.com.
