Three of Rihanna’s standout Met Ball looks Chance Yeh/Patrick McMullan/Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images/Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
Fans of fashion and celebrity gossip both have good reason to get excited this Monday as the red carpet is rolled out for the annual Met Gala.
The star-studded event is a veritable playground for the rich and famous when it comes to fashion, but few ever have as much fun – or get people talking – as Rihanna.
Over the past decade, the singer and beauty entrepreneur has made herself the true queen of the Met Ball thanks to her breathtaking fashion choices — and all indications are that we’ll get another RiRi moment on the red carpet this year.
So while we wait for all the red carpet photos from the 2024 Met Ball (including Rihanna’s own!), here’s our definitive ranking of the looks the musician has worn to the Met Gala over the years…
10. 2007 – Poiret: king of fashion
Evan Agostini via Getty Images” data-src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/WGFkoe6E_qJSI.dHjPQ7TQ–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTE0NzQ-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/huffpost_uk_744/9dc5e71bec44abcb d0d9eeea7ff876f3″/ > Evan Agostini via Getty ImagesFresh off the success of her then-recent single Umbrella, Rihanna attended her very first Met Gala in 2007 (still sporting the Good Girl Gone Bad hairstyle, no less).
We have to be honest: this outfit isn’t exactly one for the history books, especially when compared to how groundbreaking Rihanna’s fashion choices would become in the years that followed.
Still, even though we weren’t blown away by the white dress, we still have to give a shout-out to those gloves, which do add something to the outfit.
9. 2011 – Alexander McQueen: Savage BeAuty
Kevin Mazur via Getty Images” data-src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/hq8ksFYPk2SUJ139GP.x5Q–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTEyOTI-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/huffpost_uk_744/0bdec052ce633e96ee 45f5a26e6463ff”/ > Kevin Mazur via Getty ImagesAgain, this isn’t our favorite Rihanna look by any means, but we’re really loving this red fish braid moment.
What keeps this outfit from being at the bottom of the list is that the dress is a lot more innovative than it seems at first glance, although you have to see it…
Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock” data-src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/d5kndvDHDY1cTzQJMHNmGQ–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTE0NDA-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/huffpost_uk_744/7ac4df1682ead501ca 1f1217ea615e84″/> Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock…from all angles to get the full effect.
8. 2012 – Schiaparelli and Prada: impossible conversations
Larry Busacca via Getty Images” data-src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/0wjRoDjybsuJPgWuRI2lng–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTE1MzY-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/huffpost_uk_744/06a50369d4af95da 3873c1499df84362″/> Larry Busacca via Getty ImagesShe certainly stepped things up the next year, didn’t she?
In sleek black snakeskin, this look is definitely more reminiscent of ‘Rihanna, the Fashion Icon’ that would appear in the not-too-distant future after this was created.
But while this outfit is a little too simple to rank higher than eighth on our final rankings, we still have to give her props for the cool material (and of course, her fabulous hairdo).
7. 2014 – Charles James: Beyond Fashion
Neilson Barnard via Getty Images” data-src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/XxgqZeduuXsKIHmkwwgmKQ–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA–/https://media.zenfs.com/en/huffpost_uk_744/c2089babcf2d4509 c1d82a0c2d9b43c0″/> Neilson Barnard via Getty ImagesAnother very beautiful outfit from Rihanna. What we love most about her 2014 ensemble is how youthful, fresh and pleasure It is, especially at an event where we secretly suspect there will be little laughter.
Of course, having fun with fashion would eventually become RiRi’s forte, as we’ll discover later in this list…
6. 2022: In America: a lexicon of fashion
Sean Zanni via Getty Images” data-src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/IJAEKI7fJr7SZeSeu2gp_A–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTEzNjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/huffpost_uk_744/e2e41cf80d97572 4c4a11ffdc4d00182″/> Sean Zanni via Getty ImagesThis outfit may not be to everyone’s taste, but if anyone on earth can pull off this massive Balenciaga coat with a matching bejeweled hat, it’s Rihanna — and we’re big fans of the makeup and jewelry.
In 2021, Rih walked the red carpet with A$AP Rocky, marking their very first public appearance as a couple, and within a few months, the We Found Love singer would confirm that she was expecting their first child.
5. 2023 – Karl Lagerfeld: a line of beauty
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But what an outfit this was. Between the huge floral coat (which took on a completely different look when she took off the hood) and those white gloves, there was a lot to love, but we all know the real star of the show…
ANGELA WEISS via Getty Images” data-src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/_b45JA3Rf_A2KHTvjpouEg–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYzMg–/https://media.zenfs.com/en/huffpost_uk_744/2bf4e46fd371 36283e9f6948558e8053″/> ANGELA WEISS via Getty Images…were those incredible sunglasses.
4. 2009 – The model as muse: embodying fashion
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Combining masculine and feminine, with her slacks, bow tie and sky-high heels, Rihanna delivered one of the standout looks of the evening that year, and she would continue to serve up similar fashion moments while promoting her fourth album Rated R. which was released later that year.
It’s also worth noting that this was the then 21-year-old’s first red carpet appearance after being physically attacked by ex-boyfriend Chris Brown a few months earlier, leaving this already powerful (and, in our opinion, underrated) look became even stronger. more impactful.
3. 2018 – Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination
Frazer Harrison via Getty Images” data-src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/yl1uqCw8N00qXD2MCghSDQ–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTE0NDA-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/huffpost_uk_744/489c2be41250995e 665fb9032b3296a2″/> Frazer Harrison via Getty ImagesRihanna was one of the co-chairs of the 2018 Met Gala, so the stakes were especially high when it came to the red carpet.
Luckily, she more than delivered, giving us the standout moment of the entire night.
The funny thing about this outfit is that while some critics on social media suggested it was blasphemous or in bad taste, the Vatican actually endorsed the theme that year, and Rihanna herself borrowed part of her outfit from an actual Catholic cardinal.
2. 2015 – China: Through the Looking Glass
Charles Sykes/Invision/AP” data-src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/VfA8eQiYPFliJ7IBCHfrPQ–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA–/https://media.zenfs.com/en/huffpost_uk_744/d291be7d5c480abf8 163d4af3255acb0″/> Charles Sykes/Invision/APThe dress that spawned a thousand memes, whether you thought it looked like a pizza, an omelet, or a tribute to Big Bird, Rihanna’s 2015 look was one that got absolutely everyone talking.
Rihanna later revealed that Shex came across the dress while Googling Chinese couture online, telling Vanity Fair: “I’m so in love with this dress, but the train is crazy!
‘I can’t actually walk in it without help, but it’s so worth it. I love this dress so much! It is Chinese couture and made by Guo Pei. It was handmade by a Chinese woman and it took her two years to make it. I found it online.”
It was a big year for Rihanna at the 2015 Met Gala, where she not only won the red carpet, but also performed at the event (in a much more stage-friendly ensemble, obv).
1. 2017 – Rei Kawakubo/Comme Des Garçons: art of the in-between
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images” data-src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/xswXfbHN0.lSgFG2rJUqxw–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTE0NDM-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/huffpost_uk_744/ca4196856a7aa2 842b8a3839b9811844″/ > Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesThere are always a breakout or two on the Met Gala red carpet, with celebrities preferring to wear something pretty or flattering rather than actually sticking to the theme of the event — but 2016 was the next level.
Since the evening was inspired by Comme Des Garçons, the fashion house known for their elaborate and bizarre silhouettes, many of the stars in attendance opted for something simpler than the requested invitation.
But not Rihanna.
Mike Coppola via Getty Images” data-src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/lqijQRNRTXdng6GtXftmwQ–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYzOA–/https://media.zenfs.com/en/huffpost_uk_744/b42592524741716d 8758a82923ccb0c0″/> Mike Coppola via Getty ImagesShe walked the red carpet in this enormous creation, which turned all eyes on her and gave us a look so iconic that it’s literally the one used to illustrate the Met Gala on Wikipedia.
Not only is it stunning and inventive (and actually ties in with that year’s theme, when so many chose not to even try), it’s also a lot of fun and completely illustrates everything we love about Rihanna’s fashion.