Cara Delevingne Remains One of the Met Gala’s Biggest Risk-Takers

Since attending her very first Met Gala in 2011, British model Cara Delevingne has become a mainstay on the star-studded event’s red carpet, which is hosted every year on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Whether embracing the punk theme in 2013, or the theme of camp in 2019, Delevingne has consistently proven she’s dedicated to nailing the dress code—and truly going for it—to deliver a memorable fashion look. Over the years, she’s emerged as one of the Met’s biggest risk-takers. Who could forget the star’s 2022 look by Dior that read: “Peg the Patriarchy”?

While Delevingne played it classic and glamorous for her first few Met Gala appearances, the model truly hit her style stride in 2013, and and began playing up the various dress codes. Honoring that year’s exhibition, “Punk: Chaos to Couture,” she was dressed by Burberry in a plunging black gown embellished with silver spikes: an edgy, rock and roll take on the LBD. For 2017’s Rei Kawakubo and Comme des Garçons theme, Delevingne channeled the experimental vibe of the evening in a silver metallic Chanel suit. The finishing touch? Her head, freshly shaved for a movie role, was also covered in silver paint.

As for more recent Met Gala hits, Delevingne commanded attention in 2019 while celebrating the theme of camp, wearing a rainbow Dior jumpsuit complete with a dramatic Machine Dazzle headpiece (it was adorned with bananas, fried eggs, teeth, and eyeballs—total camp!). In 2022, her “Peg the Patriarchy” Dior look became one of the night’s most-discussed choices, and one of her most famous Met looks. “It’s about women empowerment, gender equality—it’s a bit ‘stick it to the man,’” the model told Vogue of the wardrobe choice. In 2022, she chose a red Dior suit—removing the blazer on the carpet to reveal her bare form covered in gold body paint and pasties—a look that she truly stole the show.

Last year, meanwhile, Delevingne paid homage to Karl Lagerfeld with her look—an appropriate homage, given the Met theme was in honor of the late designer, who counted her as a muse. “I owe him so much,” Delevingne told Vogue of the fashionable choice. You can simply always count on Delevingne to turn heads—and only time will tell what she’ll wear to this year’s grand affair.

Below, explore all of Delevingne’s Met Gala looks over the years.