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- Taylor Swift has attended six Met Galas to date, making her debut at the event in 2008.
- Some of her Met Gala looks have fallen flat, while others stood out on the red carpet.
- Her most recent Met Gala look was her most iconic, in part because of its significance in her music.
The fashion world is abuzz as the 2025 Met Gala is swiftly approaching.
A-list celebrities, billionaires, and athletes will gather at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on May 5 for the annual fundraiser. Chaired by Anna Wintour, it raises money for the museum’s Costume Institute.
The Met Gala red carpet is always exciting for fashion fans, as celebrities reveal their interpretations of the event’s dress code. For 2025, stars will put their spin on the “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” theme.
The guest list is always kept secret before the event, so fans don’t know which celebrities will walk the red carpet. Taylor Swift has been absent from the gala since 2019, and it’s unclear if she’ll break that streak in 2025 — and bring her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, for his Met Gala debut.
Whether she attends in 2025 or not, Swift’s legacy at the Met Gala has already been solidified. Take a look back at all the looks she’s worn to the event, ranked from least to most iconic.
Swift’s white dress for the 2010 Met Gala was simple.
Swift’s white Ralph Lauren gown featured a pointed neckline, ruffled, off-the-shoulder sleeves, and a coordinating skirt.
The dress was pretty, but it didn’t stand out in a way that fit the “American Woman: Fashioning A National Identity” on the red carpet.
Likewise, instead of elevating her outfit with accessories, Swift wore minimal jewelry and kept her hair in a demure updo.
The singer upped her game slightly for the “Savage Beauty” theme at the 2011 Met Gala.
Swift arrived at the “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty” gala in a one-shoulder J. Mendel gown. The dress mixed taupe and frayed, black fabric, and it had a textured, mermaid skirt.
The dress was well-suited to the theme, but Swift’s simple updo took away from the effect. A more over-the-top hairstyle could have taken the outfit to another level.
Swift embraced semi-sheer detailing at the 2013 Met Gala.
Swift sported another J. Mendel gown for the 2013 “PUNK: Chaos to Couture” Met Gala.
The bodice of the black, floor-length gown was covered in cutouts of sheer, webbed fabric, and it had a cutout on the bodice.
A jeweled collar and dramatic eye makeup completed the look, which fit the punk theme well.
Swift made her Met Gala debut in a gown that hinted at her sophomore album, “Fearless.”
Swift attended her first Met Gala in 2008 wearing a gold ombré gown from Badgley Mischka.
The dress celebrated the “Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy” theme with its head-to-toe embellishments and shape that nodded to a mermaid tail.
The look seemed to be an Easter egg for Swift’s “Fearless” album, which was released in October 2008.
The album cover had golden tones, on which Swift was photographed with her hair flowing around her as she spun her head — which Swift modernized for “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” in 2021.
Her Met Gala gown had the same color scheme, and her hair was styled similarly. The look set the tone for the release of Swift’s second album just months before its release.
Swift’s pink dress for the 2014 Met Gala exuded Old Hollywood glamour.
The 2014 Met Gala’s theme was “Charles James: Beyond Fashion.” The event’s white-tie dress code called for formal looks from celebrities, and Swift rose to the occasion in a soft-pink Oscar de la Renta gown.
The dress had a scooped neckline and was embroidered with delicate flowers. The column dress had a low back and a dramatic train flowing from an oversized bow.
The elegant dress was modern but evoked the glamour of Old Hollywood, and unlike in years past, Swift matched the look of the dress with her hair, which was swept to the side in soft waves. It was a step up from her past looks.
Swift nailed the theme with her 2016 Met Gala look when she was co-chair for the gala, and the ensemble became culturally significant for her fans.
Swift was a Met Gala co-chair in 2016, so it’s no surprise she embraced the “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology” theme.
Her custom Louis Vuitton dress was metallic, featuring a scaled pattern and daring cutouts along the stomach. Swift paired the dress with heels that wrapped to her knees. Bleached hair and black lipstick completed the futuristic look, making the look edgy overall.
The departure from Swift’s typically softer looks made it a standout on the Met Gala carpet and in Swift’s fashion history, but it became truly iconic because the 2016 Met Gala proved significant for Swift personally and musically.
Swift was first romantically linked to Tom Hiddleston at the Gala, as a video of her dancing with him in a Louis Vuitton dress went viral. Fans also speculate that Swift met Joe Alwyn, whom she dated for six years, the same night. Swift and Alywn split in February 2023, and she’s been dating Travis Kelce since the summer of 2023.
Fans also suspect her interactions with both Hiddleston and Alwyn at the Gala served as inspiration for two songs on her album “Reputation” — “Dress” and “Getaway Car.”
The silver-toned look she wore to the Met Gala also mimicked the coloring of her “Reputation” cover, again connecting the album to the event.
