The Met Gala is about pushing boundaries—but as these looks prove, there's a fine line between avant-garde and avant-garish. Fashion may be art, but not all art belongs in a museum... or on the Met steps. The Met Gala is fashion’s high-stakes Super Bowl—where the industry’s brightest stars are expected to dazzle, provoke, and inspire. But with great drama comes the inevitable disaster. Whether it’s poor taste, bad tailoring, or a complete thematic miss, some looks go down in history for all the wrong reasons.
Here’s our curated list of Met Gala looks that had us asking: What were they thinking?
The theme was Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years. The look was… floor-length leopard print. Hillary Clinton’s choice baffled even the most forgiving fashion minds. Jackie O was the patron saint of restraint, elegance, and polished minimalism. Leopard? Not in her playbook. A champagne sheath or pearl-accented silhouette would’ve been more presidential. Instead, we got catwalk chaos.
Sarah usually nails a theme with the precision of a Vogue spread. But in 2015, her dramatic flame-like Philip Treacy headpiece for the 'China: Through the Looking Glass' gala sparked accusations of cultural appropriation. Though paired with a relatively tame H&M dress, the headgear overpowered and offended, turning admiration into awkwardness. A rare misstep for Met Gala royalty.
Taylor’s attempt at merging man and machine landed her somewhere between cyberpunk gladiator and confused high-school goth. A metallic Louis Vuitton snake-print mini dress paired with black lipstick and lace-up heels was less futuristic and more Forever 21-on-a-budget. She missed a golden opportunity to lean into true tech couture—think Iris van Herpen or archival Mugler. Instead, the result was, quite literally, off-theme.
Kylie shimmered in custom Balmain, but behind the sparkle was pain—literally. The dress was so heavily embellished it cut into her legs, causing her to bleed. While the look itself wasn’t a visual disaster, the behind-the-scenes fallout raised a red flag. When couture draws blood, it’s time to re-evaluate our standards. No dress, no matter how stunning, is worth a flesh wound.
Wearing Marilyn Monroe’s iconic 'Happy Birthday, Mr. President' dress might sound like a fashion coup, but it quickly spiralled into controversy. Post-gala photos revealed damage to the original garment—an unforgivable offence in fashion preservation circles. Add to that the fact a replica was available, and this look went from homage to historical faux pas overnight.
When Pat McGrath transforms you into a glittery cat in a thong, you know you’ve crossed into full spectacle. Lil Nas X turned up covered in crystals and little else, serving more shock value than style. While it was a nine-hour labour of love, the execution divided critics. High-concept art or low-effort stunt? Depends on your patience for body glitter and metaphors.
Choupette walked so Doja Cat could crawl—literally. In 2023, she arrived in an Oscar de la Renta look complete with sequins, a feathered train, cat ears, and a disturbingly realistic prosthetic nose. Method dressing? Absolutely. Stylish? Debatable. Her commitment to the feline fantasy extended to meowing through interviews, turning camp into cringe in record time.