Rihanna's Stunning Met Gala Looks, Ranked

When it comes to fashion and personal style, Rihanna has always excelled. Whether she's popping out for dinner with A$AP Rocky, heading to an event, or proving she's one of the few celebs who has mastered the art of the red lip, Rihanna always brings her A-game whether she's dressed up or down. 

A lot of that probably has to do with the fact that Rihanna dresses for Rihanna — even during pregnancy. "I approached [pregnancy] like everything else I approach in fashion," Rihanna told BBC News in 2024. "I just want to do things my way. I just want to always stitch it up and put my own twist on it. But I just refused to buy maternity clothes, really and truly. I was like, whatever fits was what's going to work. And that made me challenge myself to get clever with style."

In fact, some of Rihanna's most iconic looks came during pregnancy, including when she outshone so many others in her Valentino gown at the 2023 Met Gala. Simply put, it's in Rihanna's blood to deliver iconic style ... so ranking her stunning Met Gala looks was a bit of a feat. But it was also a fun walk down memory lane.

In 2012, Rihanna attended the Met Gala for her fourth time, and she pretty much played it safe, not quite ready to experiment with the more adventurous looks she would wear a few years down the line. Still, this black textured dress by Tom Ford is gorgeous, especially with the plunging back. 

It's at the bottom of our list because, while it might have been considered groundbreaking on other celebrities, it's a little weak compared to the bold gowns Rihanna wore later. The star has become so synonymous with iconic fashion, it just looks (and feels) like she's only dipping her toe into uncharted waters here, testing things out before going all in.

Because Alexander McQueen passed a little over a year before the 2011 Met Gala that celebrated him, it was a difficult event to dress for. McQueen, who had suffered from depression for years, died by suicide in February 2010, just nine days after his mother passed away. So as much as "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty" was a celebration of his life and his significant contributions to fashion, there was a cloud of somberness over the event. 

For the gala, Rihanna opted for a one-sleeved black lace gown with a small train that was designed by Stella McCartney. She accompanied the dress with green dangling earrings and a rich auburn hair that was pulled to one side in a long braid. It was simple and elegant, and definitely reserved in all the right ways, considering the beautiful human that was remembered that night.

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By the time 2021 rolled around, Rihanna was no longer a newbie when it came to the Met Gala — and that's very much evident in the choice she made that year. Having not attended in 2019 or 2020, when the Met Gala was canceled due to COVID, Rihanna had two years off. So naturally, when she showed up, she made a huge splash. 

Although Rihanna's gown looked like a comforter she'd just pulled off her bed (as did A$AP Rocky's quilt-esque outfit that year), it was glorious in its over-the-top aesthetic. Considering the theme was "In American: A Lexicon of Fashion," it's interesting that Rihanna chose to wear Balenciaga, which is a Spanish house. However, that small detail aside, she served her own take on the lexicon of fashion. I mean, only an American would wear a beanie to such a high-fashion event, so there's that. 

In 2023, not only was Rihanna a seasoned attendee of Met Galas — and knew how to make a (very) late entrance — she was also pregnant with her second son. That year, the Met celebrated Karl Lagerfeld, and Rihanna clearly understood the assignment. 

Although she didn't wear Chanel, the house Lagerfeld breathed new life into when he became its designer in 1983, her larger-than-life white dress by Valentino absolutely hit the mark. Lagerfeld may have been known for his controversial and often mean comments, especially regarding the weight of some celebrities, but he was undoubtedly larger than life.

What's really interesting about Rihanna's choice for 2009 is that it was only her second time at the Met Gala, yet her outfit was far bolder than the ones she wore in 2011 and 2012. In 2009, the theme was "The Model As Muse: Embodying Fashion," and Rihanna let Dolce & Gabbana take over and dress her in a super slick suit with puffed sleeves, accessorized with black driving gloves. 

At the Vogue Festival in 2015, French fashion designer Olivier Rousteing claimed that Rihanna was the new Madonna, the new Prince, and even took it so far as to compare to her to David Bowie and Michael Jackson. "What I love about these pop stars when it was '90s or '80s, they mixed menswear and womenswear and they did it pretty well," Rousteing said. "Rihanna is the same way. She mixes menswear and womenswear and [gives] it this power... it's great for fashion to see those mix." This look is a perfect example of that. 

Rihanna officially catapulted herself into the league of best dressed attendees of the Met Gala in 2015. Not only did she nail the theme, "China: Through the Looking Glass," with her yellow silk train trimmed in fur, but she also honored China's fashion history by using a Chinese designer Guo Pei. Her creation reached another level of art and sophistication. 

"Nobody will ever forget that, and I will never forget the feeling of discovering that designer based off of the design challenge that Anna gave me," Rihanna told British Vogue. "And damn! You know what, no one would ever expect this, but there's also the Stella McCartney crop top and skirt, and the party dress that she made me for that same [Met Gala] with my little ass crack out." The Stella McCartney crop top and skirt were cute, but it's not on this list for a reason: it lacks a certain artistic integrity that all the rest of these looks capture and convey.

As we get closer to the most stunning look Rihanna has rocked at the Met Gala, we'd be remiss not to include this 2017 outfit by Rei Kawakubo — who was being fêted that year — in the top three. This masterpiece is gorgeously all over the place with its asymmetrical hemline and 3D petals that are adorned with even more florals. 

It's big and bright, and Rihanna's makeup is right there matching the shades and tones of the dress perfectly. This is also one of the times Rihanna rocked the chicest bangs, which helped to bring the whole look to life. The sandals wrapping all the way up to the middle of her thigh definitely look a bit painful, but that's a small price to pay for something that's going to go down as one of her best-ever Met Gala looks.

In 2018, when the Met Gala theme was "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination," pretty much everyone who attended hit the ball out of the park. Even Blake Lively absolutely stunned in 2018, despite not exactly being the most fashionable celebrity out there.

Rihanna, of course, brought something extra special to her look, designed by John Galliano for Maison Margiela. From her gorgeous headpiece to the matching mini dress and coat covered in rhinestones, this isn't just Rihanna's greatest Met Gala look, but one of her best ever outfits. 

In fact, in the seven years since Rihanna arrived at the Met Gala wearing this, no one has come even close to both nailing the theme so accurately and making jaws drop. It is, without a doubt, a perfect interpretation that, frankly, only Rihanna could wear. It's near-impossible to look at this dress and not gasp at how profoundly flawless and gorgeous it is. 

Rihanna has attended the Met Gala 10 times, the first time in 2007 when she was only 19. Although the theme that year was "Poiret: King of Fashion," Rihanna really missed the mark. Instead of wearing something that gave even the slightest nod to French designer Paul Poiret, Rihanna — who was also carrying a rose as an accessory and wearing black fishnet gloves — looked as though she was on the way to prom. Which, of course, is absolutely adorable, but pales in comparison to what she wore most recently to the gala.

As we counted down to Rihanna's best look, we took into consideration the outfit's designer and it's construction, whether it stuck to fashion trends or rebelled against convention. We also looked at how Rihanna's accessories and makeup complemented her entire ensemble, and how her outfit fit into each year's theme.  

Rihanna's most stunning look was an easy one to decide, because topping what she wore in 2018 may be impossible for anyone, Rihanna included. However, all the years in between needed a bit of organization. Luckily, in her earlier attendances Rihanna played it relatively safe, so it wasn't until 2015 that things became complicated. The cultural impact of Rihanna's outfits were also weighed in this ranking, which was a major factor in how our top three picks earned their spots. In each of these years, Rihanna made a major statement, not just about fashion, but about the world.