It’s the fashion event of the year and 2019’s Met Gala certainly didn’t disappoint. Top fashion glitterati rubbed shoulders with A-list celebrities and business leaders at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York, to celebrate this year’s theme: Camp (inspired by Susan Sontag’s trailblazing essay on the subject).  

Lady Gaga made one of the grandest entrances ever with FOUR live outfit changes on the pink carpet. And Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas made their first debut since getting married last week. Oh, and Jared Leto put his head on a stick (more on that later…). You can see all the Met Gala pink carpet looks here. 

Stylist has rounded up the best Instagram pictures from the evening. Although famously mobile phones are banned from inside the event, which is renowned for the biggest and best names in fashion gathering for the Costume Institute’s annual fashion exhibition, it wouldn’t be an A-list ‘do without a few sly snaps making it onto social media. 

And if you thought 2019 was a stellar year for fashion, Stylist has rounded up the best Met Gala red carpet outfits of all time - remember this Beyoncé outfit?

Lena Dunham

Actor and writer Lena Dunham hit the pink carpet with close friend Jemima Kirke, wearing matching fetish-themed Christopher Kane dresses (Dunhams’s read “rubbertist” while Kirke’s said “looner”). 

The designer told Hollywood Reporter: “Lena has such an intelligent sense of humour and has embraced camp and self-expression for all. We wanted something that Lena would feel like herself in and would be comfortable in, with a nod to the theme. It features a silhouette and print from the most recent Fall-Winter 2019 collection, which explores people’s obsession with fetish around inanimate objects.”

But, before getting ready, Dunham got her priorities in order and made use of the hotel’s room service by simply enjoying a plate of bacon. Sharing the moment on Instagram, she joked: “Enjoying a balanced breakfast #metgala2019 #modeldiet.” She later shared a photo from the pink carpet, captioning it: “Who wants to cum over l8r to wash the glitter off our latex? #metgala2019 #notesoncamp #bestthemeever”

Serena Williams

While her good pal Meghan Markle welcomed her first baby into the world on the other side of the pond, Serena Williams wowed on the pink carpet wearing a custom neon yellow strong-shouldered Versace gown - paired with trainers. Williams arrived with her husband Alexis Ohanian, sharing a photograph of her arrival on Instagram. She perfectly captioned the shot: “I’ve MET my match.”

Celine Dion

Dion shimmered on the pink carpet in a champagne-coloured Oscar de la Renta bodysuit embellished with silvery sequins, topped with a magnificent headpiece. The outfit took 3,000 hours to create and was inspired by one Judy Garland wore in the MGM classic “Ziegfeld Girl.” You just need to take a look at the photos she uploaded to her Instagram account to know that she pretty much owned the Met Gala. 

Mindy Kaling and Ashley Graham

Graham rocked up in a Gucci blazer-dress, before joining a golden Moschino-clad Kaling to take a selfie. The pair poked fun at the no-phones rule by posing with Graham’s purse, which was…well, a huge, golden mobile phone. Kaling uploaded the picture and captioned it: “‘No phones’ #MetGala.” We’re not exactly sure what message Kaling’s cleaning spray inspired accessory is trying to say, but we’re into it. 

Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas

Find a partner who looks at you the way Jonas is looking at Turner in this shot. The newlyweds arrived in matching geometric Louis Vuitton by Nicolas Ghesquière outfits. They walked the whole pink carpet arm-in-arm, fresh from their surprise Vegas wedding which took place just last week. Jonas took a moment to share this perfect picture, writing alongside it: “Me right now: #METGala.”

(Oh and we’re seriously into Turner’s glitter hair gel.)

Zendaya

Actor Zendaya literally lit up the carpet with her Tommy Hilfiger gown. Modelled on Cinderella’s blue ballgown, it lit up when stylist Law Roach (dressed as Cinderella’s fairy godmother) waved a magic wand. She shared a rehearsal video of the special moment, captioning it: “Underneath the magic. Thank you to all the very very smart people who somehow built and made this dress work.”

Rihanna and Anna Wintour 

Rihanna was sorely missed at the Met Gala (*sob*), but the singer still managed to make a statement with her Instagram feed. Sharing a photograph of Vogue editor Anna Wintour in a Chanel dress, she simply captioned it: “best dressed.” 

Janelle Monae 

According to Variety, Alexandra Mandelkorn went through 15 sketches before settling on Monae’s final Met Gala look. The end look was absolutely worth it - a Picasso and Dali inspired masterpiece. So, of course the singer had to upload a video of the dress in motion. 

Jennifer Lopez

J.Lo’s ice queen vibes gave us serious chills - in a good way. The singer and actor shimmered in her floor-length silver Versace dress - with matching wig! - and dripped in diamond bracelets and a gigantic pendant necklace. She attended with her new fiance Alex Rodriguez, who slipped into a powder pink tux for the occasion.

Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas

Chopra and Jonas joined their new in-laws on the pink carpet, and absolutely nailed the theme. Chopra brought all the drama with her Dior Haute Couture dress, with a feathered skirt and a thorny crown. Jonas also wore Dior, and shared this hilarious meme on Instagram which proved that he basically dressed up as Game of Thrones’ Little Finger for the occasion. 

Lady Gaga

No Met Gala round-up would be complete without Lady Gaga, and this year is certainly no different. The singer changed outfit no less than four times during her walk on the red carpet. Staring with a black  Brandon Maxwell gown, which was wrapped up in a bright pink cape, she soon stripped down to a bracelet, fishnets and platform boots. What a legend. Gaga shared the whole show on her Instagram and it does not disappoint.

What was the 2019 Met Gala theme?

The Met Gala theme changes every year, and is based on the Costume Institute’s annual fashion exhibition. This year it was ‘Camp: Notes on fashion’. 

In a recent Q&A video for Vogue, editor-in-chief Anna Wintour said: “The theme of every exhibition is decided by Andrew Bolton, who is the chief curator of the Costume Institute.

“He sometimes can make that decision up to five years ahead, and the only advice that I really ever give to Andrew is whatever the title of the exhibition is, make sure everybody understands it immediately… although to be honest, this theme’s exhibition has created a little bit of confusion.”

Images: Getty