Rihanna has earned a reputation as the de facto Queen of the Met Gala red carpet with a knack for nailing the year’s theme. Though, it wasn’t always that way. First attending the event back in 2007, Rihanna was always well-dressed, but it took a few more go-arounds on the famed museum steps for her emerge as an ascended master of Met Gala dressing.
Her past Met Gala looks vary from a tailored suit in 2009, to a revealing Stella McCartney white two-piece gown in 2014. On the 2015 red carpet, Rihanna was undeniably one of the best dressed in attendance wearing a yellow Guo Pei gown with an insanely elaborate train and a matching headpiece that made headlines as one of the most memorable Met Gala looks of all time. In 2017, she stole the show again in Comme des Garçons and has since walked the steps in everything from Valentino to Balenciaga. Here, a look back at all of Rihanna’s jaw-dropping Met Gala looks, from 2007 until now.
2007: Poiret: King of Fashion
At 2007’s Met Gala, “Poiret: King of Fashion,” Rihanna wore a white Georges Chakra gown with silver embellishments, paired with mesh gloves. She carried a red rose as an additional accessory.
2007 was Rihanna’s first Met Gala and, clearly, the best was yet to come.
2009: The Model as Muse
Rihanna chose a Dolce & Gabbana suit and bow tie paired with black stilettos for 2009’s “The Model as Muse” Met Gala.
The theme was all about the people that wear the clothes, rather than a central clothing theme itself. Still, Rihanna made a statement with this menswear-inspired look.
2011: Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty
Wearing a black lace Stella McCartney gown at the 2011 Met Gala, “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty,” Rihanna accessorized with a long side-braid and emerald earrings.
It was another year where the exhibition theme was about a specific designer, which can be hard to channel when you’re paired with another fashion house.
2012: Schiaparelli And Prada: Impossible Conversations
Rihanna wore a black Tom Ford gown in a crocodile texture in 2012. The theme was “Schiaparelli And Prada: Impossible Conversations.”
She paired the look with a chic updo, accentuating the fact the side of her head was shaved at the time.
2014: Charles James: Beyond Fashion
Rihanna wore a white Stella McCartney two-piece for the 2014 edition, “Charles James: Beyond Fashion.”
Clearly, she was ahead of the game when it came to wearing formal crop tops.
2015: China Through The Look Glass
2015 was the year Rihanna began to really earn her reputation as the queen of dressing on theme. The exhibition that year was entitled “China Through The Looking Glass,” and Rihanna wore a yellow gown by Chinese designer Guo Pei who said that “only women who have the confidence of a queen could wear it.”
She accented the look with a headpiece fit for a queen.
2017: Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art Of The In-Between
The “avant-garde” mandate of the 2017 red carpet for the “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art Of The In-Between” exhibition tripped up many, but Rihanna knew what to do. She was one of the few to actually wear Comme des Garçons, and arguably the one to pull it off best.
The flower-inspired look may have eaten others up, but Rihanna remained the prettiest blossom in the bunch.
2019: Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination
The theme in 2018 was “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination,” so what did Rihanna do? She dressed as the pope. She tapped Maison Margiela designer John Galliano to create the look, though it was actually based on one he had designed while he was at the helm of Dior.
Her beauty that night was simple, letting the outfit do the talking.
2021: In America: A Lexicon of Fashion
Ok, so apparently Rihanna isn’t always interested in nailing the theme. For the 2021 exhibition, “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” she wore a look from Demna Gvasalia for Balenciaga. “I’m an immigrant and that’s my take on American fashion,” she said on the red carpet.
2021 marked a first for Rihanna. It was the first time she walked the red carpet with a romantic interest, A$AP Rocky.
2023: Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty
No Met Gala red carpet officially ends without an appearance from Rihanna. In 2023, the star kept audiences waiting for all the right reasons. She slipped into an all-white Valentino confection modeled after the Chanel camellia flower (that year, the theme for the night was “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty”).
Then pregnant with her second child, Rihanna unbuttoned her flower coat to unveil a stunning white gown complete with the train of all trains.