21 of the best '90s-inspired looks at the Met Gala through the years
- Ahead of the 2024 Met Gala on Monday, we're looking back at some of the best looks in history.
- Previous attendees have worn modern takes on '90s-originated trends.
The fashion of the 1990s — and, more recently, the early aughts — has become trendy once again, and not even A-listers are immune.
As Business Insider's Hillary Hoffower noted, one of the reasons Gen Z might have embraced the '90s so wholeheartedly is because it's "impossible to grow up in this economy."
"Nostalgia is a refuge, as people turn to the feelings of comfort, security, and love they enjoyed in their past," Le Moyne College professor and psychologist Krystine Batcho told Hoffower.
While the economy might not be what's influencing these celebrities to revert back to the '90s, it affects the designers whose choices will ultimately trickle down to the general public.
Here are some of the best '90s-inspired Met Gala looks of the last few years.
Elana Klein contributed to a prior version of this story.
In 2022, Kylie Jenner looked like she'd stepped off the set of 1998's "The Parent Trap."
In one of the most famous scenes in "The Parent Trap," Hallie as Annie (played by a young Lindsay Lohan) is tasked with bringing her mother, a wedding dress designer, a hat during a photo shoot because a model's long veil is obscuring her dress. The look ultimately consists of a top hat worn under the veil, to help offset its length.
So, a generation of '90s kids were delighted to see Jenner walk the red carpet wearing a white gown, a white cap, and a veil in at the 2022 event. It was designed by Off-White's founder, Virgil Abloh, who died in November 2021.
Bella Hadid's Burberry corset dress in 2022 was reminiscent of iconic '90s looks.
Bella Hadid's lacy, black corset dress had elements of Elizabeth Hurley's look at the 1994 "Four Weddings and a Funeral" premiere and Carmen Electra's look from the 1997 VMAs.
In this dramatic denim Versace gown at the 2021 Met Gala, Lupita Nyong'o drew from the '90s denim-on-denim trend.
Celebrities like Tyra Banks, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, and the Mowry twins rocked denim-on-denim in the '90s.
The safety pins in Anne Hathaway's 2023 Met Gala Versace dress resembled Elizabeth Hurley's iconic Versace look of '94.
The gold safety pins appear to reference Hurley's "Four Weddings and a Funeral" look, much like Bella Hadid's look.
The black mesh-and-lace Givenchy dress Karlie Kloss wore to the 2022 Met Gala was a nod to '90s style, as was her dark lip.
Among the celebrities who rocked black lace and mesh in the '90s were Winona Ryder (at the 1997 Oscars) and Britney Spears (at the 1999 VMAs).
At the 2019 Met Gala, Harry Styles rocked the sheer trend, which also gained popularity in the '90s.
Styles' Gucci look is one of his most memorable.
As Marie Claire reported, the sheer trend was a staple of the '90s and was worn by some of the decade's most iconic stars, like Sarah Jessica Parker and Jennifer Lopez.
At the 2021 Met Gala, Kendall Jenner seemed to have taken inspiration from Cher's look at the 1998 Academy Awards.
Kendall Jenner's sparkly Givenchy look closely resembled the dress Cher wore to the 1998 Oscars, designed by Bob Mackie.
A darker take on Cher's '98 look, Phoebe Bridgers' 2023 dress by Tory Burch also incorporated mesh and sparkles.
In 2023, Bridgers wore a gown that combined the '90s punk aesthetic with the glitzy, strappy, see-through elements of Cher's 1998 Oscars look.
Miley Cyrus's 2013 Met Gala look was inspired by the '90s punk aesthetic.
Aside from being strikingly similar to the sheer dress Rose McGowan wore at the 1999 VMAs, Cyrus' Marc Jacobs dress channeled a punk aesthetic that was popularized in the '90s by stars like Courtney Love.
Ashley Park also rocked a punk look, this time at the 2023 Met Gala.
Park wore a black netted Michael Kors gown and fingerless gloves for the 2023 Met, which had a theme inspired by Karl Lagerfeld.
In 2023, Rachel Brosnahan wore a sheer look evocative of the '90s.
Brosnahan rocked an especially daring take on the sheer trend with the Sergio Hudson gown.
Billie Eilish's 2023 look combined the sheer, lace, and punk trends.
Eilish's all-black, busy look by Simone Rocha appeared to draw from various '90s styles.
Ben Platt's 2021 Met Gala jacket resembled an iconic 1993 Drew Barrymore look.
Platt's blue suit is not only reminiscent of a jacket Drew Barrymore wore with a Mickey Mouse bag in 1993, but it also bears similarity to Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake's iconic denim outfits of 2001.
Zoe Kravitz's 2021 look by Saint Laurent emulated a see-through look Gwyneth Paltrow wore in the '90s.
Gwyneth Paltrow rocked a similar sheer, shiny look in 1998 at the "Shakespeare In Love" premiere.
The sheer Dior gown Alexandra Daddario wore in 2023 also echoed Paltrow.
Daddario's sheer dress was similar in both shape and style to Paltrow's gown at the "Shakespeare in Love" premiere.
In her Alexander Wang catsuit, Bella Hadid channeled Posh Spice at the 2017 Met Gala.
Bella Hadid's look was reminiscent of the body-con looks worn by Posh Spice (Victoria Beckham) in the '90s.
In 2019, Solange brought back the animal-print craze.
Animal print was all the rage in the '90s, and many celebrities brought it back in the 2010s. The trend has returned once again both on the red carpet and in everyday street style.
In 2019, Solange wore an animal-print outfit designed by Salvatore Ferragamo.
Jennifer Lopez embraced animal print at the 2013 Met Gala.
Lopez's cheetah-print gown by Michael Kors echoed the '90s trend that has recently made a comeback. According to IFCHIC, the popular print became a top-selling trend again in the late 2010s.
Nicki Minaj's campy look at the 2019 Met Gala drew from bubblegum-pink trend of the '90s.
Nicki Minaj's bubblegum gown by Prabal Gurung was similar in color to Gwyneth Paltrow's dress at the 1999 Oscars and Julia Louis-Dreyfus's look at the 1998 Emmys.
The dress' unique shape emulated the gown Geena Davis wore to the 1992 Academy Awards.
Michelle Yeoh's pastel-toned silk dress by Prabal Gurung evoked various '90s red-carpet looks.
According to outlets like Etalk and Harper's Bazaar, Halle Berry, Claire Danes, and Courteney Cox all rocked silk pastels on the red carpet in the '90s.
Tulle was the main event with Emma Roberts' eye-catching pink dress by Giambattista Valli in 2019.
The purple gown Helena Bonham-Carter wore to the 1998 Academy Awards and Alicia Silverstone's light-blue dress from the 1996 Academy Awards featured tulle.
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