The Met Gala is always a top fashion event that gathers a large number of influential faces. Looking back at the red carpet of this event over the years, Rihanna deserves to be the one with the most impressive style, daring to break all the standards to shine the brightest.
For her first appearance at the Met Gala in May 2007, singer Rihanna wore a relatively simple but pretty Georges Chakra dress. The white dress featured silver rhinestones on the bodice. She paired it with black mesh gloves and a red rose to match the theme of “Poiret: King of Fashion”.
In May 2009, Rihanna wore a much bolder outfit – an over-the-top Dolce & Gabbana suit. The elaborate, puffed-out shoulders added to the look. Her pixie cut added edginess and personality.
In the May 2011 issue of “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty,” Rihanna wore a one-sleeved black lace dress by Stella McCartney. The sheer black dress was embellished with silver sequins. Her red-orange hair seemed to make Rihanna stand out even more.
At the 2012 Met Gala with the theme – Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations, Rihanna chose a long black leather dress, with a unique and sophisticated embossed pattern depicting the surface of crocodile skin. This dress took a lot of effort to create. Designer Tom Ford also revealed to Rihanna’s stylist that she was the image of the woman he wanted to see in this design.
In contrast to her black dress in 2012, Rihanna appeared on the red carpet in a pure white Stella McCartney outfit. The two-piece design included a long-sleeved, off-the-shoulder underboob crop top that showed off the singer’s waist, along with a long dress designed on a diagonal fabric with pleated details on one side. Her stylist, Mel Ottenberg, shared that he wanted Rihanna’s look to be simple but truly luxurious, following the image of star Rita Hayworth. The expensive accessories that accompanied the outfit were from the brand Cartier.
Rihanna was one of the few attendees at the 2015 Met Gala to wear Chinese designers (the theme of this year’s gala was “China: Through the Looking Glass”). Surprisingly, Rihanna had taken the initiative to find the outfit on Google. Helping the singer move to the red carpet and throughout the event was a “tough” challenge, but the end result made the whole team’s efforts truly worthwhile.
At the 2017 Met Gala with the theme “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between”, the singer scored with a Comme des Garçons outfit and Chopard jewelry, matching with strappy sandals. Her outfit was marked by avant-garde rebellion – destroying the structure in each design, creating a thorny beauty. Her hair and makeup were in harmony with the overall design.
At the 2018 Met Gala with the theme “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination”, Rihanna wore an outfit that was thought to have been found in the ancient city of Rome with many Catholic-related artistic heritages everywhere. Designer John Galliano is credited for his unique designs inspired by Catholicism, which he previously designed when he was the creative director of Dior. The outfit was designed by John Galliano, but Stephen Jones was the artist who created the hat inspired by the Vatican crown. The handbag was from the Judith Leiber brand, designed specifically to match the outfit, the shoes were from Christian Louboutin Pigalle, and the jewelry was still from the Cartier brand. The singer did not disappoint the organizers and fans when she was the guest of honor of the event with an outfit that was invested in ideas and effort.
Rihanna wore a couture coat dress as one of the last celebrities to arrive at the 2021 Met Gala. The Fenty founder wore a couture Balenciaga coat designed by creative director Demna Gvasalia. Rihanna paired the look with a beanie, diamond necklace, and a stunning crystal headpiece.
Rihanna arrived at the 2023 Met Gala in style in a white dress and overcoat. For the “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” gala, Rihanna wore a custom Valentino Haute Couture gown. The dress featured a fitted bodice that showed off her baby bump with an intricate floral print down the middle. The long skirt flowed like a long train. Rihanna completed the look with a hooded coat adorned with oversized flowers, fingerless gloves, and sunglasses with eyelashes.
This year, although she had planned to attend the 2024 Met Gala, Rihanna had to cancel her schedule because she was suffering from the flu. Before the 2024 Met Gala , Rihanna had teased what she would wear. “I will wear very simple clothes, compared to what I have worn before,” she shared. “Why simple? Because I am a mother. I am very busy!” Therefore, fans must be very sorry not to see their idol wearing a unique and impressive outfit to this year’s Met Gala.