Over the past couple months, there hasn’t been a lot to look forward to. Basically every event is canceled, so whether you’re into sports, live theatre and concerts, or just like, drinking somewhere that’s not your house, things have been bleak. And amidst all the disappointment, today is especially depressing. Normally, the Met Gala, held on the first Monday in May, is the most exciting time in the world of fashion (and making fun of fashion), but sadly, this year’s event is indefinitely postponed. But that doesn’t mean we can’t entertain ourselves by looking back at some of the most tragic Met Gala looks from years past.
Remember, the Met Gala is not just about who wore the cutest dress. Every year, there’s a theme, and it is the time to be creative, fashion-forward, and over-the-top. When considering what makes a Met Gala look bad, some of these celebs’ outfits were just fugly, but others fundamentally misunderstood the assignment. Here are the worst Met Gala outfits of all time.
Kris Jenner, 2019
The 2019 theme was Camp, which basically begged people to make bizarre choices. But Kris Jenner managed to look weird even given this theme, which is kind of impressive. I know we all joke that she works harder than the devil, but nobody was working hard on this outfit. But maybe that was the problem. Was she so tired of everyone calling her the devil that she decided to dress as Glinda the Good Witch? This is truly upsetting. She looked like a cross between the Tooth Fairy and the Fairy Godmother, which I guess would make her the Fairy Godmomager. Also who did her spray tan, Tan Mom?
Ashley Graham, 2019
Remember, the theme was CAMP. Do something crazy. This was not the time to come in a Gucci logo dress, lookin’ like your grandma’s strawberry sucking candy. Ashley looked gorgeous, and her body is obviously to die for, but that’s not the point. Where is the DRAMA? I’ve been wearing a top with no pants for the last 55 days, it’s called quarantine chic. This was a swing and a miss.
Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen, 2018
The 2018 theme was Heavenly Bodies, and the Olsen twins didn’t fully miss the memo. But they’ve been dressing in mysterious cloaks and capes for like, what, a decade now? So I was kind of hoping to see a little more from them. Instead, they’re both serving middle school pottery teacher realness. I’m willing to bet on my most-liked Instagram photo that at least one of them was wearing Birkenstocks underneath all of that. Also, why is one twin aging exponentially faster than the other??
Shailene Woodley, 2018
I actually could warm up to this look if someone could please confirm that Shailene Woodley purposefully showed up to the 2018 Met Gala in a Sexy Lord Farquaad costume. Like, go off sis, I love Shrek too! Sadly, I don’t think that’s what she was going for, which makes this outfit totally inexcusable. The more I look at it, the more uncomfortable I get, and from the look in her eyes, I think she knew it was bad, too.
Jennifer Lopez, 2017
Jennifer Lopez is always one of the most stunning people at the Met Gala, but dressing to the theme is not her strong suit. In 2017, the Met Gala celebrated the work of Rei Kawakubo, one of the most influential avant-garde designers. And you know what’s pretty much the opposite of avant-garde? This beautiful flowing blue caftan. J.Lo is basically dressed like Patricia from Southern Charm, and while Patricia is chic AF, she couldn’t be further from the theme.
Madonna, 2017
Madonna always puts in effort at the Met Gala, and for that I am grateful. But I’m sorry, I f*cking hate this dress she wore in 2017. The camo material? Hate. The literal plastic buckle on her belt? Nope. All of the jewelry? Absolutely not. The cape/shawl made out of a different, even worse camo material? The matching CANTEEN that she carried on the carpet?? I’m done. Maybe this worked for the theme, but it didn’t work for my eyes.
Kanye West, 2016
Say what you will about Kim’s outfit, but she looks glam as f*ck, and she’s dressed to theme. Kanye West, however, showed up to perhaps the fanciest even in the world wearing RIPPED JEANS AND A T-SHIRT. His jacket is totally sick, and I think the outfit is cool, but this was at the MET GALA. Fashion’s biggest night! It’s a disgrace.
Emma Stone, 2016
The 2016 theme was about the relationship of fashion and technology, which for most people, just meant wearing metallic dresses. Emma Stone, however, came dressed as an extra from any movie set in Ancient Rome, except I guess the corset is metal? Idk, it’s not anything special, and this look sits at the tragic intersection of basic and ugly. That’s about the worst place to be when Rihanna is a few feet away, shutting down the red carpet.
Donatella Versace, 2015
I have many questions about this outfit. This year’s theme was “China: Through The Looking Glass”, and I have no idea what that has to do with this dress. There’s just so much going on. Why are there 18 kinds of netting material? What are those glittery symbols all over? Why does her hair look like that? I really want to jump through the computer screen and trim her bangs. Donatella is iconic, but this look is a total mess.
Kris Jenner, 2015
Pull the lever, Kronk! pic.twitter.com/7JGeAHzGQR
— LADbible (@ladbible) May 5, 2015
We started this list with Kris Jenner, so why not bring things full-circle? Her 2015 Met Gala look was basically just a red silk robe with shoulder pads, complete with a chunky gold belt and some of the largest earrings I’ve ever seen. She looked a little ridiculous, honestly, but it’s probably not as bad as last year’s Tooth Fairy couture. But most importantly, this look was the source of all the “pull the lever, Kronk” memes, because Kris’ botox situation looked absolutely insane. I’m sure a lot of stars get a little, um, touch-up before the Met Gala, but Kris may have gone a little overboard.
Obviously, fashion and taste are subjective, but I feel pretty comfortable sh*tting on these outfits. And if you liked them, sorry, but it’s really not that big of a deal. Sadly, we won’t get a new crop of outfits to roast tonight, but hopefully Miss Rona hurries the f*ck up out of here, so we can still have a Met Gala at some point this year. After all that’s been taken away from us, we deserve to see some Rihanna glam.
Images: Sean Zanni / Contributor (2), George Pimentel (2), Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / Contributor / Getty Images; Sky Cinema / Shutterstock.com, Ovidiu Hrubaru / Shutterstock.com (2); ladbible / Twitter
Last night was the annual Met Gala, and many of the world’s biggest stars took to the red carpet to show us their interpretations of Camp. Some nailed it, while others were more on the boring side, but there was a lot going on. While we were busy focusing on A-listers like Cardi B and Jennifer Lopez, there were also some random faces on the pink carpet. The Met Gala is a notoriously exclusive event, so how did these unfamiliar faces manage to get tickets? Call Kris Jenner, because this is a job for the FBI.
Liza Koshy
One of the first people on the pink carpet last night was Liza Koshy, looking like she was smuggling a TV under her Balmain dress. Liza is a famous YouTuber who got her start on Vine (RIP), and her videos have more than two billion combined views. Damn. She’s also a co-host of MTV’s TRL, which I didn’t realize was still on. She was at the Met Gala this year as a Vogue correspondent, interviewing other celebs on the red carpet. Somewhere, Giuliana Rancic is having a tantrum that she didn’t get this gig.
James Charles
While we’re on the subject of famous YouTubers, let’s talk about James Charles. Full disclosure, I can’t stand James Charles. He’s an obnoxious YouTube makeup guru, who has a history of saying super problematic/racist things, and he’s also annoying as f*ck. James was invited by YouTube (unclear why they get invitations) and dressed by Alexander Wang, because sure, why not?
Chris Lee
Like I said, I can’t know everyone in the world, and we all have pop culture blindspots. Turns out that Chris Lee is a super famous singer from China, and it’s exciting to see celebs from around the world getting equal opportunity exposure at the Met Gala. More of this, please! The one unfortunate thing is that the gown Gucci gave her looks way too similar to the one Saoirse Ronan was wearing, also by Gucci. Why would they do this?
Charlotte Casiraghi
Whoever this is, she definitely didn’t understand the theme. When I Googled Charlotte Casiraghi, the first thing the internet told me is that she’s an “Italian industrialist.” I’m not sure what that means, but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t get you invited to the Met Gala. On second glance, and more importantly, it turns out Charlotte is eleventh in line to the throne of Monaco. Her grandmother was Grace Kelly. Casual. Now I understand why she’s on the guest list, but I’m still really struggling with her dress that looks like it was made from shredded records.
The Entire Cast Of ‘Riverdale’
Look, Riverdale has never been my cup of tea. It’s not for me, but I understand that it’s very popular. But I’m a little surprised that almost everyone in the main cast merited an invitation to an event like the Met Gala. Like, Lili and Cole? Sure. But Camila Mendes’ yellow and blue nightmare looked like a Teen Choice Awards mistake, and Madelaine Petsch’s Tinkerbell couture was, um, also a choice. Good for them I guess, because I certainly wasn’t invited.
Caroline Trentini
In the grand scheme of things, it’s really not that random that Caroline Trentini was invited. She’s a model, and random models make up about a quarter of the Met Gala guest list. But I was a little surprised at her outfit. It’s by Thom Browne, who also dressed Cardi B this year, but I really can’t with the Party City skeleton look. I’m sure this dress was very expensive, but like Countess Luann says, money can’t buy you class.
Who Was Noticeably Absent?
Usually, Met Gala Monday unofficially doubles as Rihanna Day. Rih knocks it out of the park every single year, but this year she didn’t show up. She addressed her absence on her Instagram by playing with that f*cking makeup, and also declared Anna Wintour best dressed. I’m glad she didn’t ignore that the Met Gala was happening altogether, but I’m still pretty pissed that she didn’t show up to teach everyone how to stick to a theme.
Rihanna wasn’t the only high-profile absence from this year’s Gala. Past red carpet all-stars that were also missing included Sarah Jessica Parker, Blake Lively (who gets a pass only because she is pregnant), Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Madonna. I’m sure they all had great excuses, but I’m gonna need them all back in 2020 with some incredible fashion. Thanks in advance!
Images: @foreverlizakoshy, @jamescharles, @urnotchrislee, @Charlotte.casiraghi, @cherylfeed, @carolinetrentini, @badgalriri / Instagram
