Beyoncé’s Met Gala Looks Through the Years: firsts and lasts

Nobody does the Met Gala red carpet like Beyoncé.

The “Halo” singer attended the event for the first time in 2008, looking like a real-life princess in a strapless pale-pink Armani Privé gown.

She became even more daring with her fashion choices in the years that followed, wearing many eye-catching Givenchy gowns.

One of her most memorable looks came in 2015 when she wore a custom-made Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci gown. The outfit was embellished in multicolored Swarovski crystals and stone, capturing the theme, China: Through the Looking Glass, and making her virtually sparkle on the red carpet.

beyonce met gala

Though her Met Gala appearances have been less frequent in recent years, with her most recent appearance in 2016 for the theme, Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology, her looks remain iconic.

From her first visit to her most recent, here’s a look back at Beyoncé’s top Met Gala red carpet looks.

2008: Superheroes: Fashion and FantasyThe Metropolitan Museum Of Art Costume Institute Annual Gala - Arrivals

This strapless pale-pink Armani Privé gown demonstrates how much Queen Bey’s style has evolved over the years. With a sweetheart neckline, ribboning down the front, and a short train, this was far more understated than the bold declarations she’d make years later.

2011: Alexander McQueen: Savage BeautyCostume Institute Gala Benefit, Celebrating 'Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty' at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, America - 02 May 2011

After a two-year sabbatical from the red carpet, Beyoncé returned to the Met Gala in a considerably more sophisticated gown by Emilio Pucci. The lavishly embroidered black-and-gold mermaid gown shone with sparkling scale-like sequins, a majestic neckline balanced out by a seductive lace-trimmed cutaway, and a flared tulle skirt.

2012: Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations

"Schiaparelli And Prada: Impossible Conversations" Costume Institute Gala

“I’m so reckless when I wear my Givenchy dress,” is Bey’s Met Gala catchphrase. When she chose to attend the 2012 Met Gala at the last minute, the pop icon ruffled some feathers with her first of many show-stopping Givenchy outfits. This lavishly jewel-embellished gown, with its ombré feathery train, was one of Bey’s most talked-about fashion moments. The barely-there gown had a nude bodice with black lace and large black gems flowing down the collar, center, sleeves, and onto her hands.

2013: Punk: Chaos to Couture"PUNK: Chaos To Couture" Costume Institute Gala

The details on her three-quarter sleeve evening gloves and thigh-high boots were coordinated to match the base of her fiery Givenchy gown, which Ty Hunter (fondly referred to on the Internet as Bey’s “train-fluffer”) continuously smoothed out for photo ops as she made her way up the famous steps. Beyoncé kept the punk vibe going by wearing a black python belt with gold eyelets just below her waist-cinching python corset.Bey reduced her makeup to a light smokey eye and a glossy nude lip, and wore her honey-colored tresses in beachy waves, allowing her dress to take center stage.

2014: Charles James: Beyond Fashion

"Charles James: Beyond Fashion" Costume Institute Gala - ArrivalsWith its deep-V cut mirrored by a thigh-high slit up the middle of the gown, this sheer black lavishly embroidered Givenchy Haute Couture gown was the epitome of edgy elegance. The dress, which had a tight waist, billowing sleeves, and a flowing train, was perfectly complimented by her stylish netting veil and red-and-black statement earrings.

2015: China: Through the Looking Glass

"China: Through The Looking Glass" Costume Institute Benefit Gala - ArrivalsWhile the gown appeared fragile and flowy, her then-stylist Ty Hunter admitted to WWD that it was really one of the heaviest dresses she’d ever worn.

2016: Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology

"Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology" Costume Institute Gala - ArrivalsThe 2,000 pearl embellishments on the puff-sleeve gown were woven into the pastel floral pattern across the bodice and bottom of the garment. Underneath it all, she was naked on towering Givenchy platforms. Bey anchored the outfit with a deep blue smokey eye and black nail lacquer, which highlighted her Lorraine Schwartz jewelry and color-coordinated clutch. While she has traditionally worn her hair in an updo for the event, she deviated from tradition and let her elegant strands fall to her waist.