If there's a given at the Met Gala, it's Anna Wintour.
Chair of the annual benefit for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute since 1999, the quietly elegant presence of the Vogue editor-in-chief and global editorial director of Condé Nast can always be counted on.
She's never in one of the flashiest outfits, leaving that to the more adventurous A-listers who score a coveted invitation to the exclusive event, but it does mark one of the rare occasions where she sometimes leaves her signature sunglasses at home (or at least in her bag).
She did wear them as she left the go-to getting-ready spot at The Mark Hotel, it still being broad daylight when the party started after all.
In keeping with the 2024 dress code, "The Garden of Time"—sprung from the Met's "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" exhibit—Wintour wore a white dress with subtle floral detailing by Loewe, her look not entirely unreminiscent of a retro wedding dress. (See all the looks blooming on the 2024 Met Gala red carpet.)
For her next leg of stepping and repeating she donned a full-length black coat with colorful feather appliqués, which lessened the bridal effect, and she removed her shades for the occasion.
The 74-year-old—who was also sporting an impressively unsubtle diamond necklace and brooch—was joined in her efforts this year by co-chairs Chris Hemsworth, Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and Bad Bunny, as well as honorary co-chairs Jonathan Anderson, the creative director of Loewe (and costume designer on Zendaya's slick tennis drama Challengers), and TikTok CEO Shou Chew.
So, ladies and gentlemen, rev your algorithms!
"When Anna calls you, and asks you to co-host the Met Gala along with her—it's kinda the biggest night in fashion—and to raise money for the museum, it was a real honor," Lopez, who will be attending for the 14th time, said in a video posted to Vogue's Instagram in April. "It's a nice thing to be a part of."
Zendaya, meanwhile, hasn't been a part of it since 2019, but once again she's turned to longtime stylish Law Roach to help her create a capital-M Moment.
"I'm a little nervous, but it's exciting," the 27-year-old said on The Jennifer Hudson Show in April. As for being a Met Gala co-chair, she admittedly didn't "really know" what that meant. "It's like a host, I suppose, so I guess welcoming people in and that kind of thing. But it's an honor, obviously." (And she picked her Joan of Arc-inspired Atelier Versace look in 2018 as her favorite Met Gala ensemble so far.)
But we don't think she has to stand at the door the whole time and greet everybody. Roughly 400 people were invited (way down from the old days of 800) and ticket prices have increased $25,000 from last year to ring in at $75,000 apiece, while tables begin at $350,000.
The 2023 Met Gala raised almost $22 million, leaving the organizers envisioning an even grander affair next time around—and knowing that TikTok, as well as their old pal Instagram, had really helped boost social engagement among the Gen Z crowd enjoying the parade of looks from home.
"If you look back at the early days of the event, it was really a society event," Wintour biographer Amy Odell told TIME ahead of this year's gala. "Anna's innovation was to make it a pop culture event, like the Super Bowl of red carpets, which is what it is today."
While she usually shows up, smiles and makes her way up the stairs into the museum—sometimes solo and other times with daughter Bee Carrozzini and son Charlie Shaffer—she made uncharacteristically personal headlines last year when she attended on the arm of English actor Bill Nighy.
The world was ready to get excited for what looked to be a debut, having seen photos of the pair out and about before, but it wasn't that kind of love, actually.
"Bill and Anna have simply been great friends for two decades," her rep said after the event. "They are not in a relationship."
But in the meantime, Wintour remains firmly committed to the Met Gala.
And she started planning in the fall, so make it worth her while and keep reading to see every stunning look on the 2024 Met Gala red carpet:
Zendaya
In Maison Margiela.
Sydney Sweeney
In custom Miu Miu.
Cardi B
In Windowsen.
Kim Kardashian
In custom Maison Margiela Couture and Lorraine Schwartz jewelry.
Jessica Biel
In Tamara Ralph.
Bad Bunny
In custom Maison Margiela.
Jodie Turner-Smith
In Burberry and Chopard jewelry.
Kylie Jenner
In custom Oscar de la Renta and Lorraine Schwartz jewelry.
Kendall Jenner
In Givenchy Haute Couture and Lorraine Schwartz jewelry.
Jennifer Lopez
In custom Schiaparelli Haute Couture.
Mindy Kaling
In Gaurav Gupta.
Ariana Grande
In custom Loewe and Lorraine Schwartz jewelry.
Shakira
In Carolina Herrera and Stuart Weitzman shoes.
Mona Patel
In custom Iris Van Herpen couture.
Janelle Monáe
In custom Vera Wang.
Dua Lipa
In Marc Jacobs and Tiffany & Co. jewelry.
Gabrielle Union
In custom Michael Kors.
Sarah Jessica Parker
In Richard Quinn and Philip Treacy hat.
Ayo Edebiri
In Loewe.
Gigi Hadid
in Thom Browne and Chopard.
Nicki Minaj
In Marni.
Jaden Smith
In Thome Browne.
Elle Fanning
In Balmain and Cartier jewelry.
Zendaya
In Givenchy SS96 Couture.
Ambika Mod
In Loewe.
Pamela Anderson
In Oscar de la Renta.
Cara Delevingne
In Stella McCartney.
Naomi Campbell
In custom Burberry.
FKA Twigs
In Stella McCartney.
Lea Michele
In Rodarte.