Met Gala Stunners: Zendaya, Nicole Kidman, Cynthia Erivo Make THR’s 15 Best Dressed List

Did Anna Wintour add more tables to this year’s Met Gala? Because the steps of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art felt especially crowded on Monday evening, May 6, teeming with Hollywood A-listers wearing a plethora of artful looks. And while not everyone leaned into the evening’s theme, “The Garden of Time,” for the most part the stars acquitted themselves well in looks that ranged from quiet elegance to over the top and outrageous.

Even with the nature-centric theme, the night surprisingly was highlighted by some stars in neutrals. Nicole Kidman offered a great backstory for her black and white Balenciaga gown, while Cardi B served up the night’s best drama in a Windowsen black gown that almost spanned the width of the museum steps. Flesh-toned gowns likewise were abundant, including Pamela Anderson in Oscar de la Renta and Lizzo in a custom floral-inspired corset gown by Paris-based designer Victor Weinsanto.

Among the stars who wore color beautifully: Nicki Minaj in a bold yellow Marni dress bedecked with metal flowers and Shakira in a Carolina Herrera column gown and voluminous cape, both items in the house’s signature “Herrera Red.”

Of course, the night’s biggest surprise came courtesy of co-chair Zendaya, who opted to wear not one, but two gowns on the red carpet, a custom look from Maison Margiela Artisanal by John Galliano and a vintage piece, also by Galliano from his first season as creative director for Givenchy in 1996. See all the 2024 Met Gala arrivals photos here.

Whether a star went literal with garden inspirations or explored a more circuitous style path with their Met Gala attire, the night’s best looks shared a common thread of elegance blended with a splash or ethereal, impeccable tailoring or full-on drama. This roundup of 15 stunners highlights that balance.

Nicole Kidman in Balenciaga

The Oscar winner offered one of the night’s best backstories when discussing her Balenciaga gown, crafted of a white silk satin strapless bodice and high-low skirt over a full-length skirt of frayed black organza. The custom design by Demna is based on a Cristobal Balenciaga design from 1951, seen by Kidman in a 1951 photo by Richard Avedon, featuring model Dorian Leigh wearing the original. “It was something that I saw in an Avedon photo, and I asked Demna if he would be willing to reinterpret it,” Kidman explained on the carpet. “In the vein of the [Costume Institute’s] Sleeping Beauties [exhibition] and bringing the gowns back to life, this felt like one of those, so I consider it a sleeping beauty that’s been brought back to life.” Kidman paired the dress with 84 carats of Harry Winston diamonds set in platinum.

Colman Domingo in Willy Chavarria

A fan of Willy Chavarria, Colman Domingo said on the red carpet that he wanted to channel the elegance of the Met Gala, especially via men who liked to embrace a cape for their red-carpet looks, mentioning the late André Leon Talley as an example. Domingo’s black and white suit also included a double-breasted jacket with an oversized lapel detail and wide-legged trousers. He accessorized the look with black velvet boots by Christian Louboutin and a watch by IWC.

Demi Moore in Harris Reed

Star stylist Brad Goreski took to Instagram to share the origin and details of Moore’s gasp-worthy gown by Harris Reed. “The gown is made with a 60-year-old panel of archival silk wallpaper that has 11,000 hours of embroidery on it,” he wrote. “We wanted the gown to reflect the blooming and decay of a flower. The chiffon petals at the bottom of the gown are hand-painted. Harris and his amazing team put this look together in two weeks.” Goreski paired Moore’s stunning gown with diamond and emerald jewels by Cartier.

Kerry Washington in Oscar de la Renta

Among the night’s plethora of floral-bedecked gowns, Washington took the prize for the most sumptuous, wearing a plum-hued strapless Oscar de la Renta gown with a high peaked necklace, lushly embellished with silk flowers down the side and around the train. Her pixie haircut, meanwhile allowed her shoulders and that peaked neckline to shine, while she finished the look with diamond jewels by Yeprem.

Zendaya in Maison Margiela Artisanal

Beginning on Sunday, the rumor mill kicked into overdrive with what Zendaya might wear to the Met Gala, easily the star that drew the most rabid curiosity of red-carpet fans. With PR teams behind three dresses feeling cautiously confident that theirs would be the dress, Zendaya and star stylist Law Roach upended notions of red-carpet dressing once again, selecting not one, but two dresses to wear on the red carpet. After arriving to the 2024 Met Gala in a custom lamé and organza gown from Maison Margiela Artisanal by John Galliano, the Challengers star changed in a specially designated room inside the museum before circling back to the entrance of the museum steps to do another lap, this time also in a gown by Galliano, from his first season as creative director of Givenchy in 1996, a vintage piece acquired from Lily et Cie in Beverly Hills. Zendaya finished both looks with Bulgari jewels. And let’s be honest, Zendaya looks amazing in everything — the third dress, meanwhile, was rumored to be making an appearance at an after-party Monday night.

Phoebe Dynevor in Victoria Beckham

She may have exited Bridgerton before the start of Season 3, but Phoebe Dynevor continues to excel at timeless romance, looking utterly ethereal in a pale pink gown that was a custom design by Victoria Beckham. She finished her look with diamonds by Bucherer Fine Jewellery.

Lewis Hamilton in Burberry

An up-close look might have been required to appreciate the workmanship on Lewis Hamilton’s coat, part of a head-to-toe design by Burberry’s Daniel Lee. With a double-breasted suit and black leather boots, the F1 British racing champion wore a black wool tailored coat embellished with floral bullion embroidery, while the lining featured an embroidered quote taken from the poem “The Gardener” by Alex Wharton. Diamond and sapphire jewels courtesy of Briony Raymond completed his look.

Jennifer Lopez in Schiaparelli

As a co-chair, Lopez was among the night’s earlier arrivals, quickly thrilling the crowd in this custom gown by Daniel Roseberry for Schiaparelli Haute Couture. The strapless sheer butterfly-inspired gown was crafted of illusion tulle and fully embroidered with silver pearls and rhinestones and featured more than 2.5 million silver foil bugles and beading and required roughly 800 hours to complete. Lopez also wowed with her Tiffany & Co. jewels, including a necklace crafted of platinum and 18-karat yellow gold, showcasing a diamond of 20-plus carats at its center and surrounded by more than 75 carats of additional diamonds; the piece is from the just-released Blue Book 2024 Tiffany Céleste Collection.

Cardi B in Windowsen

Monday’s Met Gala was teeming with wow moments, but none quite as dramatic as Cardi B.’s arrival. The rapper turned up in what was easily to be the most voluminous gown of the night, a massive black confection that featured an off-the-shoulder neckline that led to an immense skirt that stretched almost the entire width of the Metropolitan Museum stairs (Cardi required the assistance of nine men for her arrival and to place the skirt perfectly for photographs). The dress was a bespoke design by Chinese designer Sensen Lii, who opened his Windowsen atelier in 2023. The look was finished with a variety of diamond and emerald jewels, including rings by New York-based A. Jaffe.

Cynthia Erivo in Thom Browne

Co-stars of the upcoming Wicked, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo once again evoked thoughts of that imminent release by appearing on the Met Gala carpet together — Grande looking ethereal in a custom Loewe look, while Erivo opted for a black silk faille tailored jacket and skirt with lace-up back details by Thom Browne, both pieces embellished all over with sequins, pink silk petals and 3D beaded insects. Erivo finished the look with Thom Browne patent platform shoes and an assortment of diamond earrings and rings by Roberto Coin.

Nicki Minaj in Marni

Minaj was among the brightest stars on the Met Gala carpet — quite literally, wearing a vivid yellow custom dress by Marni creative director Francesco Risso. Her sculptural dress also was imbued with a sustainable element, as the flowers that adorned the piece were all crafted from recycled metals.

Adrien Brody in Maison Margiela

The Oscar winner’s blond hair took some red-carpet reporters by surprise, but Brody noted he wasn’t preparing for an upcoming role — he was simply bored, he said of the change. His new look actually stood out nicely against his black tuxedo by Maison Margiela, a double-breasted style with grosgrain lapels, paired with a white tuxedo shirt and the house’s black leather Tabi lace-ups.

Cara Delevingne in Stella McCartney

Delevingne is currently starring in Stella McCartney’s Summer 2024 campaign and is also known for her commitment to environmental issues, so it was only natural that she joined the eco-focused designer on the Met Gala carpet. Her chic look included a bespoke bodice that was both hooded and backless and hand-embroidered using more than 500 carats of sustainably created diamonds, paired with a draped and ruched skirt likewise crafted of sustainable fabrics. Her jewels, also by Stella McCartney, also were designed using created diamonds.

Keke Palmer in Marc Jacobs

From her high pony to the splash of sparkle across her forehead to her purposely tattered Marc Jacobs gown, Palmer looked simply perfect. Jacobs, who also appeared on the carpet, created this custom design with antique beaded embroidery and frayed details, the latter a major trend among many gowns. Satin Kiki boots, also by Jacobs, and earrings featuring diamonds set in recycled gold by Almasika Fine Jewelry finished Palmer’s look.

 Amelia Gray in Undercover

When Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion curator Andrew Bolton was gathering the pieces for the nature-influenced show, he sought to highlight designs that spanned a vast timeline, from the 17th century to 2024. The latter is reflected in a dress by Undercover designer Jun Takahashi, whose Spring 2024 collection included a grouping of sculpted designs he dubbed “terrarium dresses” for their clever placement of natural elements within a clear molded skirt. Because it’s a current piece, Amelia Gray chose to wear the design as a nod to the dress seen in the exhibition. She paired the dress with Messika jewels and Alexandre Birman shoes.