As it happened: Met Gala 2024 highlights (2024)

Celebrities stunned Monday night at the Met Gala in New York City in earthen colors inspired by concepts like decay and fairytales.

The official dress code was "The Garden of Time," which takes its title from a 1962 short story written by British author J. G. Ballard, set (as its title suggests) in a garden filled with translucent, time-manipulating flowers.

The Ballardian theme accompanies The Costume Institute’s exhibition,“Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,”which will run at the Metropolitan Museum of Art from May 10 through September 2.

Here's what you should know:

Alas, fashion lovers: Some of our favorite Met Gala attendees of years past did not grace the green carpet this year.

Perhaps the most notable absence was that of Rihanna, who's delivered some of the most memorable Met Gala looks of recent memory, including her stunning yellow Guo Pei cape from 2015 or that incredible, gem-encrusted mitre hat from John Galliano. When she has stopped by the Met Gala, she's typically one of the final celebs to walk the carpet.

Blake Lively, another Met Gala regular, didn't return this year either. Amateur Met Gala historians are still fawning over her 2022 Versace gown inspired by the Statue of Liberty's patina.

Supermodel Kate Moss was noticeably missing. Her 1995 pastel yellow Calvin Klein gown is one of the most casually beautiful looks in Met Gala history.

Beyoncé hasn't been to the Met Gala since 2016, and yet every year, fans hold out hope that she'll make her grand return. At least she's delivered some exceptional country-fied looks on Instagram to celebrate the release of her new album, "Cowboy Carter."

Solange, sister of Beyoncé and fashion icon in her own right, was deeply missed at this year's Met Gala. The carpet could've used her unique infusion of personality, intellectual curiosity and fearlessness.

And finally, Taylor Swift, the other concert movie queen of 2023, has also chosen not to return to the gala since 2016. Perhaps she'll consider returning in 2025 once she's taken a break from world domination.

These looks would never fly at WayStar Royco.– but on the Met Gala red carpet, the stars of the Emmy-winning HBO drama eschewed the corporate dress code.

"Eldest boy" Jeremy Strong, currently starring on Broadway in "An Enemy of the People," wore a creamy tux with floral embellishments on one side of his lapel and a single earring that Logan Roy would certainly not approve.

Kieran Culkin, who won an Emmy for his raucous performance as Roman Roy, was accompanied by his wife Jazz Charton and wore a colorfully printed suit.

Tom Wambsgans himself, Matthew Macfadyen, jazzed things up with a velvety blue tuxedo jacket.

And Juliana Canfield, who played Kendall's beleaguered assistant Jess across four seasons, finally got her moment in the spotlight, dazzling in a strapless black gown with a giant bow across the bodice and a feathery skirt.

Though their looks weren't as attention-grabbing as their counterparts on the green carpet, several celebrities made impressions in suits and tuxedos with subtle nods to the night's garden-centric theme.

Donald Glover, who recently teased new music from his rap alter ego Childish Gambino, looked relaxed in various shades of brown.

Ed Sheeran, attending with Stella McCartney, wore a powder blue suit straight out of an '80s prom, complete with a casually undone bowtie.

Jack Harlow, on his third trip to the Met Gala, matched his mullet-in-progress with a gray-and-silver suit.

Nicolas Galitzine, who stars opposite Anne Hathaway in Amazon's romance "The Idea of You," wore a sharp custom Fendi tuxedo to his first Met Gala.

A blond Adrien Brody accented his otherwise standard black tuxedo with a large silver brooch.

Sebastian Stan looked relatively subdued in a black T-shirt and pants, minus his dashing coat with black sequin appliques.

Director Taika Waititi, accompanying wife Rita Ora to her 10th Met Gala, wore a monochromatic milky brown suit complete with gloves. It looks as though he was dipped in the river at Willy Wonka's chocolate factory.

Just when we thought we'd seen the last of her, Zendaya is again walking the Met Gala carpet in a surprise second look styled by Law Roach and sourced from Beverly Hills vintage clothing store Lily et Cie.

In addition to the dramatic black Victorian gown — pulled from the archives of spring/summer 1996 Givenchy by John Galliano — she accessorized with a headpiece crafted from a bouquet of roses. It was designed by Philip Treacy for Alexander McQueen for spring/summer 2007.

Dressed like a whimsical character out of Lewis Carroll's Wonderland, Lizzo's dress didn't stop at her neck. Instead, it turned into a conical hat that wrapped around her face and was laced in the back with corset-like closures. The hem of her dress curved up, like the lip of an anthurium flower.

Nicki Minaj has made her grand entrance at the Met Gala, wearing a vibrant yellow Marni minidress reminiscent of an idyllic oil painting.

Model Amelia Gray's mini Undercover dress is one of the most ambitious of the night: When the marigold look was modeled on the runway, it was filled with live butterflies.

The dress now appears to feature roses alone, but it's no less show-stopping. It glows in the dark, too, though the lights of the carpet were too bright for the effect to fully dazzle.

The "terrarium" dress closed Undercover's Spring-Summer 2024 show in Paris and is now on the cover of the hardcover book commemorating the Metropolitan Museum of Art's exhibit, "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion."

It wasn't without its detractors, though. Designer Jun Takahashi apologized for featuring live insects inside the dress after animal rights organization PETA criticized the look.

The British Formula 1 driver was proud to share the inspiration behind his oversized black coat from Burberry: An unnamed gardener, an enslaved man brought to the UK in the slave trade who became the first Black gardener in Wales in the 18th century.

The slave trade was abolished in the British Empire in 1807 and the Slavery Abolition Act went into effect in 1834.

"Through adversity, he really triumphed," Hamilton said.

Inside the coat is a large tag with a poem from an unnamed Black English poet, he said.

Hamilton's dedication to the Met Gala — this year is his fifth — is unmatched. He was in Miami just this morning after racing there on Sunday.