Met Gala 2024: The 58 Best-Dressed Men of All Time
The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute Gala, otherwise known as the Met Gala, might be the most-watched red carpet on earth. Some of it has to do with watching A-listers from every walk of life (movies, music, high society) in the same place. But most of it has to do with seeing how guests attack—or demure from—a given year's theme. And while the guests execute months of fashion preparation, you get to view and relive the Met Gala livestream from the comfort of your home.
In years past, most famous guys (or, more accurately, their stylists) have done right by the black tie (or, on occasion, white tie) dress code by playing it safe. But thanks to history's pioneering menswear mavericks, men's celebrity fashion has shifted gears these last few years, which has propelled more and more famous dudes to really go there on the red carpet…especially when the Met Gala gives them carte blanche to do so. That said, let's also pour one out for the guys who either don't care, or care too much, that their Met Gala fits defy dress code, convention, and sometimes description. (Armor? Robot arms? Robot armor arms?)
See all the biggest fits from this year's Super Bowl of fashion.
Let's take a look back at the guys who have honored the night's fashion-first ethos through the years:
Kevin Mazur/MG191/58Jared Leto, 2019
That year's exhibit: “Camp: Notes on Fashion”
Easily the accessory of 2019: literally your own head.
Dia Dipasupil2/58Chadwick Boseman, 2018
That year's exhibit: “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination”
Just three months earlier, Boseman made history as the first man to wear Givenchy haute couture on the Oscars red carpet. While we didn't expect him to turn up at the Met Gala in something run-of-the-mill, we also didn't expect the Black Panther star to arrive at his first Met Gala so pope-d out.
Ray Tamarra3/58Marc Jacobs, 2012
That year's exhibit: “Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations”
To honor two designers who didn't/don't play by fashion's rules in their respective bodies of work, Jacobs threw on a Comme des Garçons lace polo dress, some boxer shorts (thoughtful), and bedazzled pilgrim shoes, which are really something we ought to see more of.
Mike Coppola/Getty Images4/58Pedro Pascal, 2023
That year's exhibit: “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty”
The Valentino-clad thighs seen ’round the world.
- Mike Coppola/Getty Images5/58
Riz Ahmed, 2022
That year's exhibit: “In America: An Anthology of Fashion”
Riz Ahmed's unconventional white tie workwear flipped the “Gilded Glamour” dress code on its head. The outfit, as Ahmed explained, was “a love letter to those blue collar workers, those immigrant workers” who keep both New York City and the fashion industry afloat.
Rabbani and Solimene Photography6/58Alexander McQueen (with Sarah Jessica Parker), 2006
That year's exhibit: “AngloMania: Tradition and Transgression in British Fashion”
In 2006, the gala celebrated "Tradition and Transgression in British Fashion," and naturally the reigning king of transgressive fashion wore the most traditional outfit he could, in Clan Macqueen tartan to boot.
Dimitrios Kambouris7/58Timothée Chalamet, 2021
That year's exhibit: “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion”
Timmy's Haider Ackermann-designed tribute to Americana might have been the first time Chuck Taylors graced the Met Gala red carpet since Marc Jacobs wore them in 2013 (see below).
Ron Galella8/58André Leon Talley, 2004
That year's exhibit: “Dangerous Liaisons: Fashion and Furniture in the 18th Century”
We're never not in awe of Mr. Talley's ability to convincingly pull off a flowing cape, a drape-y caftan, an emperor-level coat, or some amalgam of all three. We can all learn a thing or two about owning the shit out of our wardrobes like Talley does.
Dimitrios Kambouris9/58Frank Ocean, 2019
That year's exhibit: “Camp: Notes on Fashion”
No better understanding of camp than wearing black nylon to a camp-themed gala.
George Pimentel10/58Jaden Smith, 2017
That year's exhibit: “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between”
The year the youngest Smith cut his hair...then carried it as an accessory to the Met Gala.
Jim Spellman11/58Alan Cumming, 1998
That year's exhibit: “Cubism and Fashion”
It takes a brave man to wear a space-age Mylar-esque suit to the Met Gala. It takes a man with a serious commitment to giving zero fucks to wear it with sneakers.
Patrick McMullan12/58Ralph Lauren (with Ricky Lauren), 2010
That year's exhibit: “American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity”
If ever there were a man alive who could not only get away with jeans on the Met Gala red carpet but make said jeans actually look...elegant, that man's name is Ralph Lauren.
Karwai Tang13/58Harry Styles, 2019
That year's exhibit: “Camp: Notes on Fashion”
Lacy, racy, all-around killer.
George Pimentel14/58Zayn Malik (with Gigi Hadid), 2016
That year's exhibit: “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology”
Not other men's look in recent Met Gala history has caused as much simultaneous internet combustion as when Malik stepped onto the museum's steps in these Versace metal armor/robot arms. Whether you think it's brilliant or you hate it, you have to give Malik credit for playing it anything but safe this year.
Dimitrios Kambouris15/58N.E.R.D. (Shay Haley, Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo), 2004
That year's exhibit: “Dangerous Liaisons: Fashion and Furniture in the 18th Century”
We're pretty sure that year's dress code didn't call for “Best Going-Out Outfit.” But Hugo's fat-tie-and-leather-jacket combo was a dangerous liaison, so maybe they weren't too far off the mark.
- Mike Coppola/Getty Images16/58
Elliot Page, 2021
That year's exhibit: “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion”
Page pinned a green rose onto his big Balenciaga suit in homage to the playwright (and queer forefather) Oscar Wilde.
- Evan Agostini/Getty Images17/58
Alan Cumming, 2001
That year's exhibit: “Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years”
Chronologically, Alan's was just the first of many memorable kilts to grace the Met steps. (Indeed, it's one of the four kilts included in this list.) That, plus knee-high boots and a literal feather in his cap? Tough to beat.
Neilson Barnard18/58Migos, 2017
That year's exhibit: “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between”
How do you make a classic tux a hell of a lot more interesting? Put a turtleneck underneath, pile the contents of an entire diamond mine on top, and finish the look off with a pair of next-level shades.
Neilson Barnard19/58Migos, 2018
That year's exhibit: “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination”
Next question: How do you top your impressive first-timer fit from the year before? If you're Migos, the answer is easy: Versace, Versace, Versace, Versace.
Stephen Lovekin20/58Marc Jacobs and Robert Duffy, 2011
That year's exhibit: “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty”
The MJ masterminds—Jacobs, the designer; Duffy, the businessman—did their part to pay homage to McQueen's genius (and his own Met Gala fit just a few years earlier). And if people didn't pick up on that, well, these are still two menswear mullet looks (business up top, party down below) that we appreciate.
John Shearer21/58A$AP Rocky and Rihanna, 2021
That year's exhibit: “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion”
The first couple of fashion closed out the 2021 arrivals with two epic ensembles: Rocky in ERL (thrifted quilt robe and all), and RiRi in Balenciaga couture.
David Cabrera22/58Kendrick Lamar, 2023
That year's exhibit: “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty”
Kendrick didn’t even walk the Met Gala carpet in 2023, but he still managed to pull off one of the cleanest fits of the night.
Ron Galella23/58Elton John, 1995
That year's exhibit: “Haute Couture”
Sequin. Formal. Pants.
24/58Steven Seagal, 1999
That year's exhibit: “Rock Style”
Just a reminder that Steven Seagal was not only once invited to the Met Gala, but that he attended in the most (only?) Steven Seagal fit ever.
Mike Coppola / Getty Images25/58Bad Bunny, 2023
That year's exhibit: “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty”
To paraphrase Cher: Can we hear a little commotion for the suit? Now let’s hear it for the back of the suit! [uproarious applause]
- Mike Coppola/Getty Images26/58
Evan Mock, 2022
That year's exhibit: “In America: An Anthology of Fashion”
The grown-out pink buzzcut seen 'round the world.
- Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images27/58
Frank Ocean, 2021
That year's exhibit: “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion”
The Met Gala may have been the first time Frank Ocean introduced us to his green baby robot named Cody, but it would not be the last: Frank also toted out the animatronic tot during his divisive 2023 Coachella set.
- Kevin Mazur/MG22/Getty Images28/58
Bad Bunny, 2022
That year's exhibit: “In America: An Anthology of Fashion”
Bad Bunny told Vogue that his Burberry look was inspired by “what was going on during the Gilded Age in my country, in Puerto Rico,” with combined elements from both men's and women's trends of the era.
- John Shearer29/58
Justin Bieber, 2021
That year's exhibit: “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion”
The year that Bieber made the bad suit seem very, very good.
Evan Agostini30/58John Galliano (with Charlize Theron), 2006
That year's exhibit: “AngloMania: Tradition and Transgression in British Fashion”
Here's a list of what Mr. Galliano is rocking in this photo: A fedora. A perm. A skull-and-crossbones necklace. No shirt. A lace-embroidered robe coat. A polka dot velvet vest. Sequined jeans. Exotic-skin cowboy boots. And most importantly: the supreme confidence to wear it all as if the look were a T-shirt and jeans. The Met Gala is all about taking a risk, and this might be the riskiest fit ever to hit the red carpet.
- Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images31/58
Virgil Abloh, 2021
That year's exhibit: “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion”
Nothing is more Virgil Abloh than a tux jacket with the word “Modernism” airbrushed across it, which is exactly what cemented this an all-time look for the late designer.
Jamie McCarthy32/58Dwyane Wade, 2015
That year's exhibit: “China: Through the Looking Glass”
Nailing a strict white-tie dress code and dressing up like a Disney prince are, in fact, two different things. That said, you have to give Wade credit for out-brooching everyone on the red carpet that year.
Mike Coppola/Getty Images33/58Ke Huy Quan, 2023
That year's exhibit: “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty”
Easily the night’s best version of Karl Lagerfeld cosplay.
Stephen Lovekin34/58Mick Jagger, 2011
That year's exhibit: “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty”
When is a button not just a button? When it's a massive crystal-encrusted Christmas-tree ornament masquerading as a button.
Dimitrios Kambouris35/58André 3000, 2008
That year's exhibit: “Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy”
This look is peak Benjamin Bixby-era André, which is to say it's somehow elegant and unconventional at the same time.
Gregory Pace36/58Gerard Butler, 2003
That year's exhibit: “Goddess: The Classical Mode”
It's one thing to play around with a striped suit, it's definitely something else entirely when you use dining room curtains to create a striped suit.
- Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images37/58
Jeremy Strong, 2022
That year's exhibit: “In America: An Anthology of Fashion”
Jeremy Strong presents: Street Urchin Glamour.
38/58Jimmy Fallon, 2004
That year's exhibit: “Dangerous Liaisons: Fashion and Furniture in the 18th Century”
Fallon's chocolate brown shirt and slightly flared pants might not seem like an epic swerve, but in 2004 this was about as wavy as black-tie menswear got.
Neilson Barnard39/58Jared Leto, 2018
That year's exhibit: “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination”
Jesus fresco, but make it Gucci.
- Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images40/58
Demna (with Kim Kardashian), 2021
That year's exhibit: “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion”
The Balenciaga designer and his then-muse Kim Kardashian baffled everyone when they appeared on the Met carpet sheathed in black like a pair of blank voids. Who else could attend the biggest IRL fashion event of the year dressed like NPCs, aka non-playable characters, in a video game?
- Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images41/58
Pharrell Williams (with Helen Lasichanh), 2021
That year's exhibit: “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion”
His-and-hers Chanel westernwear. Sheesh!
Jamie McCarthy42/58Zachary Quinto, 2013
That year's exhibit: “Punk: Chaos to Couture”
The challenge to bring punk and formalwear together in 2013 wasn't an easy one for attendees, but at least Quinto played it smart: no sleeves and one blue pseudo-Mohawk.
Evan Agostini43/58Johnny Borrell (with Kirsten Dunst), 2007
That year's exhibit: “Poiret: King of Fashion”
It's one thing to wear cowboy boots with a suit. It's quite another to tuck your pants into said cowboy boots. But the Razorlight frontman did just that back in '07 and, most importantly, had the DGAF conviction to pull it off.
John Shearer44/58Jeremy Strong, 2023
That year's exhibit: “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty”
The 2023 Met Gala, otherwise known as the night when Jeremy Strong hard-launched his friendship with Frank Ocean. Strong wore a necklace from the musician’s jewelry line Homer, which the Succession star described to GQ as his Met outfit’s “missing keystone.”
George Pimentel45/58Larry David, 2015
That year's exhibit: “China: Through the Looking Glass”
That Larry David got an invite to the fashion-heavy, ultra-exclusive Met Gala in itself is funny. That the comedian turned up looking this damn sharp is impressive.
- WWD/Getty Images46/58
Isaac Mizrahi (with Carré Otis), 1994
That year's exhibit: “Orientalism: Visions of the East in Western Dress”
Truth be told? The designer's floppy suit and banana-headband combo would look great on any contemporary red carpet.
Larry Busacca47/58Will.i.am, 2016
That year's exhibit: “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology”
Hardly surprising but still worth mentioning, because in 2016 Will.i.am found a way to out-Will.i.am himself with this hat/visor/post-cataract-surgery sunglass situation.
Stephen Lovekin48/58Marc Jacobs (with Sofia Coppola), 2013
That year's exhibit: “Punk: Chaos to Couture”
Jacobs is no stranger to epic Met Gala fits (this is his third rig to be featured in this photo gallery), and in 2013 the iconic designer and ultimate fan of fashion turned up in the dottiest suit ever to ascend the museum's red-carpeted steps.
- Rose Hartman/Getty Images49/58
Hamish Bowles, 1998
That year's exhibit: “Cubism and Fashion”
The Vogue editor is an all-time legend at interpreting a Met Gala theme, even with this subtly geometric plaid suit.
- Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images50/58
Gunna, 2022
That year's exhibit: “In America: An Anthology of Fashion”
Gunna's custom Thom Browne cape beaded with gold thorns was already exquisite, but his tuxedo-wearing (!) Hector dog bag really put this look over the top.
- Evan Agostini/Getty Images51/58
Johnny Knoxville, 2005
That year's exhibit: “The House of Chanel”
Not only did Johnny Knoxville once attend the Met Gala—but he looked pretty great doing it!
- Peter Kramer/Getty Images52/58
Billie Joe Armstrong (with Adrienne Armstrong), 2006
That year's exhibit: “AngloMania: Tradition and Transgression in British Fashion”
Fresh off the success of American Idiot, the Green Day frontman scoffed off the Met Gala formal dress code years before it was cool.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images53/58Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 2023
That year's exhibit: “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty”
A characteristically great Thom Browne ensemble from the NBA's resident fit god.
- Evan Agostini/Getty Images54/58
Jake Gyllenhaal and Kirsten Dunst, 2003
That year's exhibit: “Goddess: The Classical Mode”
Put these in the books as two of the most 2003 ensembles of all time, Met Gala or otherwise.
- Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images55/58
Sebastian Stan, 2022
That year's exhibit: “In America: An Anthology of Fashion”
No man in recent memory has bulldozed over a Met Gala theme with more gusto.
- Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images56/58
Taika Waititi, 2023
That year's exhibit: “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty”
A languorous Prabal Gurung suit, a fresh buzz cut, and a couple strings of pearls? Very, very cool.
Patrick McMullan57/58John Lydon, 2006
That year's exhibit: “AngloMania: Tradition and Transgression in British Fashion”
This is precisely how we want Johnny Rotten himself to turn up to a fancy gala celebrating Brit style. It's a rare time when expectation actually meets reality, here in all its clashing patterned glory.
- Sean Zanni/Getty Images58/58
Pete Davidson (with Kim Kardashian), 2022
That year's exhibit: “In America: An Anthology of Fashion”
Tough to imagine that Pete Davidson cosplaying as the sun-kissed JFK to Kim Kardashian's Marilyn Monroe won't go down in Met Gala history.
