The Best-Dressed Celebrities at 2019 Met Gala

The tricky theme made for one of the most delightful red carpets in recent memory.

If we had a dollar for every time we heard the question, “what is camp?” posed in the lead-up to the 2019 Met Gala, we might be able to afford a five-figure ticket to next year’s soiree. Though the concept of “camp” is purposefully vague and means different things to different people, one thing is for certain: Attendees used the theme as an excuse to throw caution to the wind, take risks, get a little silly and go crazy with color, texture, volume and graphic prints.

Real talk: The tricky theme made for one of the most delightful red carpets in recent memory, as guests who really went all-out let their personalities, senses of humor, tongue-in-cheek historical references and, in some cases, appreciation of all things bordering on bad taste shine through. Our best-dressed celebrities clearly understood the theme and took great care to put on a damn show: From Lady Gaga’s four-look reveal and Billy Porter’s royal, gilded entrance, to Hamish Bowles’s feathery multicolored confection and Cara Delevingne’s rainbow clown ensemble, the smiles were coming a mile a minute.

Of course, showstoppers like Cardi B (in Thom Browne), Janelle Monae (in Christian Siriano) and Lupita Nyong’o (in Versace) rarely disappoint, but we’re confident in saying that all of our favorites looked better — and happier — than ever before.

Click through the gallery below to see our best dressed guests at the 2019 Met Gala.