The 48 best Met Gala dress-code rejectors of all time

The Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art has played host to a number of red-carpet rebels over the years. Katy Perry famously lit up the night with her dress of 3,000 LEDs in 2010, and who could forget Marc Jacobs’s outrageous chic Comme des Garçons lace look in 2012? And yet there is a sub-section of stylish dressers who subvert the rules in more subtle ways: Enter the theme rejectors.

Over the years, a number of stars have ignored the Met Gala’s dress code and marched to the beat of their own drum—like when Jennifer Love Hewitt wore a marabou-feathered ball skirt to the 1999 rock and roll-themed gala.

Kicking off from the 2010s, the American Woman exhibit in 2010 saw British star Emma Watson choose to fly her own flag, outfitted in an anglo-appropriate Burberry dress. A few years later, the theme rejectors came out in droves for 2014’s punk theme. Katy Perry’s byzantine ensemble by Dolce&Gabbana seemed to predate the punk movement by several hundred years.

There were plenty who also sidestepped 2014’s Charles James-themed gala, countering the couturier’s signature ball gowns with ultra-modern takes on evening wear. Lupita Nyong’o, for instance, sparkled in a Josephine Baker–style Prada look, and she was followed by a parade of chic minidress wearers, like Michelle Williams who wore Louis Vuitton. And few could top Erykah Badu’s sartorial act of rebellion as she entered the Great Hall in a Givenchy couture jumpsuit and oversize hat.

More recently, the 2019 camp theme—which encouraged attendees to go bold in feathers, sequins, and maximalist looks—saw select attendees take a shockingly-simple approach to red carpet dressing. Gwyneth Paltrow, for one, wore a yellow chiffon number by Chloé. It was elegant and whispered in a crown of gowns that screamed. Lily-Rose Depp also wore a chained, black Chanel dress that was hardly camp—but still chic, nonetheless.

Below, 48 of the Met Gala’s best theme rejectors in history.

1 / 48

Jennifer Love Hewitt

The year: 1999
The theme: Rock Style

dia Von Teese in Marchesa — Photo: Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images

2 / 48

Dita Von Teese in Marchesa

The year: 2008
The theme: Superheroes: Fashion And Fantasy

3 / 48

Emma Watson in Burberry

The year: 2010
The theme: American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity

4 / 48

Marion Cotillard in Christian Dior Couture

The year: 2010
The theme: American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity

5 / 48

Pixie Geldof in Moschino

The year: 2013
The theme: PUNK: Chaos to Couture

6 / 48

Linda Evangelista in Marchesa

The year: 2013
The theme: PUNK: Chaos to Couture

7 / 48

Katie Holmes in Calvin Klein Collection

The year: 2013
The theme: PUNK: Chaos to Couture

8 / 48

Ashley Olsen in vintage Christian Dior

The year: 2013
The theme: PUNK: Chaos to Couture

9 / 48

Blake Lively in Gucci Première

The year: 2013
The theme: PUNK: Chaos to Couture

10 / 48

Hailee Steinfeld in Donna Karan Atelier

The year: 2013
The theme: PUNK: Chaos to Couture

11 / 48

Gwyneth Paltrow in Valentino Haute Couture

The year: 2013
The theme: PUNK: Chaos to Couture

12 / 48

Katy Perry in Dolce&Gabbana

The year: 2013
The theme: PUNK: Chaos to Couture