27 Amazing Met Gala Throwback Looks You've Totally Forgotten About

Before the stars walk up those famous Met Gala steps, we're looking back at some head-turning looks from years past.

TheMet Gala, which was founded in 1948, has managed to consistently bring together the most sought-after people in fashion and entertainment over the course of its 78-year-run.

Themes were first introduced in 1973, and have included everything from 1992's "Fashion and History: A Dialogue" to 1998's "Rock Style," to 2010's "American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity." Stars and designers have interpreted each in their own way, giving us some of themost unforgettable momentson the carpet — thinkZendayain Zac Posen in 2019,Rihannain Guo Pei in 2015, andDamson Idrisin Tommy Hilfiger last year.

Still, for every jaw-dropping moment, they've been some equally eyebrow-raising ensembles that might have missed the mark. Below, check out 27 amazing Met Gala looks you may have forgotten about— the good, the bad and the ones who were truly just products of their eras.

Timeless Chic

Former first lady Jackie Kennedy continued to be a major style-setter at all the most major fashion events in New York, long after leaving the White House. Above, she is pictured at the 1979 Met Gala themed, "Fashions of the Habsburg Era: Austria-Hungary."

Turning Back Time

Cher looked otherworldly as she was accompanied by designer Bob Mackie for the 1985 Met Gala.

Glitz and Glam

It takes a true supermodel to outshine a dress so sparkly, it's practically galactic. Naomi Campbell was that supermodel at the 1995 event, whose theme was "Haute Couture."

'90s Classic

The relationship between Claudia Schiffer and David Copperfield may have lost its magic, but the photos of them from this era (is that a scrunchie?) sure didn't. The former couple pulled up in all-black for the 1995 Met Gala.

Always Classic

It's a tribute to the star's enduring fashion icon status that she could repurpose this 1995 number today, and we wouldn't bat an eye.

Young Star

Brandy's shimmery two-piece mini suit with matching silver boots at the "Haute Couture"-themed event was so out of this world, it might have been the inspiration for the costumes onXenon: Girl of the 21st Century.

A Royal Appearance

A lady who knew a thing or two about good jewels,Princess Diana accompanied her fashion editor friend Liz Tilberis(and outshone the celebs) in a Dior gown and her famous pearl-and-sapphire necklace in 1996.

Golden Girl

Barbara Walters made allover gold sequins appear timeless as she made her into the event in 1996.

Keeping It Simple

Even at an exhibit dedicated to one of the most flamboyant designers of all time (Gianni Versace), Sandra is going to do Sandra — and we love her for it. The actress kept her ensemble simple and wore all black to the event in 1997.

Art of Seduction

When the Met Gala honored Gianni Versace in 1997, Salma Hayek stunned in leather and was not shy about showing some skin.

Icon Living

Long before fashion faceoffs were a thing, Donatella gave 1999 viewers a preview of the dress Jennifer Lopez would make immortal at the Grammys the next year.

Feeling Blue

A dark-haired Gwyneth Paltrow made waves in a form-fitting, snakeskin-patterned dress for her 1999 appearance.

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Going with the Flow

Jessica's interpretation on the Jacqueline Kennedy theme of 2001 was a decidedly beachy one.

Goddess Chic

For the "Goddess: The Classical Mode" theme in 2003, Victoria Beckham struck a pose in a sheer Dolce & Gabbana mini, five years before she'd reinvent herself as a major designer.

Just Heavenly

With her backless white Stella McCartney gown, halo of curls and tiara, Kate Hudson looked positively angelic at the 2003 Met Gala.

Young Love

Between Jake Gyllenhaal's rumpled, tie-free suit and Kirsten Dunst's knit beanie, could these fashion faux pas from 2003beany more millennial-coded?

Serious About Fashion

Some themes are best left to the supermodels, as Amber Valletta proved in 2004, by making her "Dangerous Liaisons: Fashion and Furniture in the 18th Century"-themed attire look killer rather than costume-y.

Showing Love

Karolina Kurkova understood the assignment, bringing the drama and opulence to 2005's "The House of Chanel" theme.

It's a Twin Thing

Before firmly establishing their caftans-and-oversized-jewels aesthetic, Mary-Kate and Ashley, then-NYU freshmen, opted for floaty boho dresses and a lot of eyeliner at the 2005 Met Gala.

Big Hair, Don't Care

The theme for 2006 was "AngloMania: Tradition and Transgression in British Fashion," which should help put Eva Mendes' sexy tribute to Jane Austen novels in context.

Laced to Perfection

Suffice it to say, no one could have rocked this perfectly-fitted Oscar de la Renta strapless gown like Drew Barrymore in 2006. And the pop of red on the lips took the look to the next level.

All About the Gild

Once again, Cate Blanchett proved she can look transcendent in gowns mere mortals can't even approach as she wore this gilded Balenciaga gown for 2007's "Poiret: King of Fashion" gala.

Red Hot

The best part of this gorgeous red Valentino gown with its cape-like train Jennifer Garner wore in 2007? She could have totally recycled it the next year for the Superheroes theme.

Going for Gold

It's a bold star who chooses a mini for the Met Gala, but Kate Bosworth has never played it safe. The actress opted for custom Prada when she attended in 2007.

Style Starts

She might have been better known for being the daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet back in 2008, but theVogueteam saw her potential early: In the decades that followed, Zoë Kravitz has clearly established herself as a style superstar.

Made for This

There's pretty much nothing more rock 'n' roll than establishing your credentials the way Liv Tyler and Stella McCartney did at 2009's "Rock Style" themed gala via their "Rock Royalty" tees and trousers. (And they came by that title naturally: Dads are Steven Tyler and Paul McCartney.)

Strike a Pose

Blake Lively was draped in Chanel as she took her "red carpet goddess" status super-literally at the Alexander McQueen-themed event in 2011.

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byAnio Baumeister

in

May 02, 2026

27 Amazing Met Gala Throwback Looks You've Totally Forgotten About

Before the stars walk up those famous Met Gala steps, we're looking back at some head-turning looks from years past. TheMet G...

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Vince Gill encouraged wife Amy Grant to 'live the life that you get' after her traumatic brain injury, she says

Amy Grant said husband Vince Gill encouraged her during her health problems in recent years by giving her perspective.

Key Points

• The "Takes a Little Time" singer has had open-heart surgery, a brain injury, and surgery on her throat and shoulder since 2020.

• She will release her first album in a decade, The Me That Remains, May 8.

Amy Grant has been through several health struggles in the last few years, but husband Vince Gill has helped her stay hopeful.

"I just remember saying to Vince, 'What if this is all I get back? What if this is it?'" the "Baby, Baby" singer said Thursday on NPR'sWild Card With Rachel Martin. "Because, to me, it's like the world is in a conversation, and I am down the hall and in a back bedroom [when it comes to] my response time."

Grant, 65, has endured open-heart surgery, a brain injury, and surgery on her throat and shoulder since 2020.

"He just said, 'Amy, life happens to every one of us every day,'" Grant recalled. "A virtuoso musician could have a stroke and never be able to pick up their instrument again. All you do is you just take the hand you're dealt that day and live the life that you get."

That's been difficult for the six-time Grammy winner who appreciates a good joke and likes to drop her own one-liners.

But "that doesn’t happen when you're like three steps behind the rest of the room," she said.

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Her physical challenges have also included having to learn to sing again, following the traumatic brain injury she suffered in a July 2022 crash on her bike that left her with loss of short-term memory, balance problems, and a cyst in her throat that needed to be removed.

Grant married Gill, a music star in his own right, in 2000. She was previously married to Gary Chapman, with whom she shares three adult children. She and Gill share daughter Corrina, who's 25.

Grant has released multiple albums since then, including the upcoming and very personalThe Me That Remains, which, she told NPR, was inspired by her return to touring in 2023. She found herself looking at the audience, full of people about her age, and wondering.

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"At some point,," Grant asked herself, "am I doing us all a disservice by not writing about what life feels like now?"

Grant's new album,The Me That Remains, is available May 8.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

byAnio Baumeister

in

May 02, 2026

Vince Gill encouraged wife Amy Grant to 'live the life that you get' after her traumatic brain injury, she says

Amy Grant said husband Vince Gill encouraged her during her health problems in recent years by giving her perspective. Key Points...

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Miranda Kerr Reveals Son Flynn, 15, Finds the 'Incredible Tool' of Meditation 'Really Grounding and Helpful' (Exclusive)

Miranda Kerr shares how her meditation practice has influenced her 15-year-old son Flynn’s daily routine

NEED TO KNOW

• She explains that her children’s interest in meditation grew from watching her prioritize it in her own life

• The boy mom of four says she hopes meditation becomes a lifelong tool for her kids to use when needed

Miranda Kerr's healthy lifestyle habits are rubbing off on her kids.

While chatting exclusively with PEOPLE at the Living Beauty Cancer Foundation's 2026 Annual Spring Luncheon on Wednesday, April 29, the model and entrepreneur, 43, revealed that meditation practices play a big role in her overall healthy lifestyle. Kerr, who's amom of four boys, shares that her love for the "incredible tool" has rubbed off on her 15-year-old son, Flynn.

"Meditation for me has been such an incredible tool, and I learned when I was 17 how to meditate, and I've been more religious about it probably in the last year than ever," she tells PEOPLE. "I don't have the luxury of having 20 minutes twice a day, but I do have the luxury right now of fitting it in the morning before the kids wake up."

"I've taught the kids, [and] they have their own mantra that they were given by my Vedic meditation teacher, and she sat with them. We did a little meditation. She did her little ceremony when we did a meditation together for my 6, 7, and 15-year-old," she explains. "And my 15-year-old is pretty consistent with it. He finds it really grounding and helpful."

Kerr welcomed her son Flynn with ex-husbandOrlando Bloomin January 2011. The former couple was together from 2010 to 2013 before Kerrtied the knotwith husbandEvan Spiegelin 2017. Kerr and Spiegel have since welcomed three kids together — son Hart, who was born in May 2018, and son Myles, who was born in October 2019, followed by Pierre in February 2024.

The proud mom shared that meditation is something she wants all of her kids to have in their toolkit, explaining that their connection to it comes from watching her prioritize it in her life.

"The thing about kids is that they watch what you do. They don't really necessarily listen to what you say, but they see your actions. When [Flynn] sees me daily doing my meditation and the benefits that that gives me, he's like, 'Oh, that's interesting. I'd like to try that,' " she says. "And he actually had a little friend group who, after he learned, another six of his friends learned as well, and he went together with them when they got their mantra, and they learned, and then they all did a meditation session together."

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"I'm sure it'll be something that he will lean on more in certain times of his life, but it's just a good thing to have in their toolkit," she adds.

Later in the conversation, the doting mom shared the one thing she plans to do to celebrate herself on Mother's Day.

"Honestly, I just want to be having a cup of tea in bed. That's a real luxury to me," she says. "I do have this thing about having a cup of tea in bed and watching the sunrise. I love it with my kids in the bed. So that's a real treat."

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Speaking more about her oldest, Kerr shares that she's sure he'll want to begin learning how to drive next year.

"I'm sure he will," she says, sharing that she learned how to drive on a farm when she was younger. "He's had a little bit of experience, but not as much as I'd like him to."

She adds, "I grew up learning stick, and I wanted him to learn stick as well."

Read the original article onPeople

byAnio Baumeister

in

May 02, 2026

Miranda Kerr Reveals Son Flynn, 15, Finds the 'Incredible Tool' of Meditation 'Really Grounding and Helpful' (Exclusive)

Miranda Kerr shares how her meditation practice has influenced her 15-year-old son Flynn’s daily routine NEED TO KNOW ...

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Building trades unions emerge as a key ally of tech giants in push for AI data centers

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Building trades unions — long fashioned as the voice of the American worker — are now intertwined with the richest companies in the world as they create America's artificial intelligence economy.

Unionized workers are employed on a huge number of massive data center projects and scrambling to recruit new apprentices to feed the explosive demand.

They've also become an ally of tech giants and tech-friendly government officials, echoing the talking point that the United States is in a critical national security race with China for AI superiority.

Unions are a visible force in helping counter fierceopposition in communitiesand hostile legislation in Congress and legislatures, often aligning with traditional Republican pro-business constituencies and forcing Democrats to choose between them and progressives who want to take a harder line.

Unions have aggressively answered complaints about data centers in ways that executives at tech giants and the development firms rarely do, unafraid to bluntly confront concerns about energy and water shortages, rising electric and water bills, or noise and quality-of-life objections.

“When people say, you know, ‘data centers are the root of all evil,’ we’re just saying, ‘look, they do create a hell of a lot of construction jobs, which we live and work in your communities,'” said Rob Bair, president of the Pennsylvania Building and Construction Trades Council.

Instead of “being just a blunt ‘no,'” Bair said, communities should figure out what they need and ask the tech companies for it — such as improvements to the project's plans or millions of dollars for local schools. “If you don’t ask, you’re never gonna get,” he said.

Data centers a boon for unions

With data center construction accelerating, unions are expanding training centers and seeing their ranks grow faster than many union leaders have ever seen.

Unions in a number of states are reporting skyrocketing man hours, apprentice classes doubling in size and training centers undergoing expansions in anticipation of more work coming.

Data centers consume at least 40% of work hours done by members of the Columbus-Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, a top official, Dorsey Hager, estimated. It's at least 50% for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 26 in metropolitan Washington, D.C., spokesperson Don Slaiman said.

The umbrella North America’s Building Trades Unions said it hit a record number of members and apprentices in 2025.

The organization's president, Sean McGarvey, compared it to the build trades' expansion in the 1950s. He attributes today's growth to data centers, power plants and legislation under former President Joe Biden that subsidized the construction of semiconductor and electric vehicle battery factories, energy efficiency projects and grid transmission improvements.

Data centers' voracious energy needs are setting off a power plant construction boom and delivering a one-two punch of new life to unions whose members also build and maintain boilers, ductwork, pipelines and other power infrastructure.

The Boilermakers Local 154, whose members have watched power plants shut down in southwestern Pennsylvania, went from recruiting zero apprentices for four years to now assembling a class of over 200 — and they need more, union official Shawn Steffee said.

For their part, tech giants say they need to train hundreds of thousands more workers in skilled trades. They are spending tens of millions of dollars on training programs, including partnerships with unions that they hire to build their multibillion-dollar projects.

“Across the country, highly skilled union construction workers are laying the foundation for the AI economy,” Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO ofOpenAI, said in a joint statement in March with McGarvey's organization.

Google said the majority of labor used to build its data centers is unionized, and pointed to a $10 million grant to a union-backed electricians training program that it said would help expand the electrician workforce pipeline by 70%.

'The data centers would still be getting built'

Mark McManus, the general president of the United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters, whose members work on pipelines, data centers and power plants, acknowledged criticism that organized labor is getting in bed with the richest, most powerful companies in the world.

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But he rejected it as unrealistic.

“If we chose as a union to have a moratorium on building the data centers because we didn’t believe it was right for America, the data centers would still be getting built,” McManus said. “They’re not stopping because of organized labor.”

His union has a strong relationship with tech companies, is hitting all-time highs in membership and, based on an internal survey, has members working on over 90% of the data center projects in the United States.

“That’s a market share that we don’t have in a lot of other industries,” McManus said. “So it’s pretty near and dear to us.”

It's difficult to pin down exactly how many data center projects involve union labor. An Associated General Contractors of America survey late last year suggested that the labor composition of data center construction likely mirrors the makeup of commercial construction, which is roughly one-third union, an AGC spokesperson said.

Showing up in towns and statehouses

National unions have negotiated labor agreements on major projects, including an Oracle and OpenAIStargate campusin Michigan and the “Project Blue” data center campus in Arizona, with more in the works.

When Gov. Josh Shapiro stood with Amazon executives to announce that the tech giant would spend $20 billion on two data center projects in eastern Pennsylvania, Bair stood with them.

“This is really unique, what we’re building here in this commonwealth. People coming together with common purpose to get stuff done,” Shapiro said.

In statehouses, unions have worked against Maine's since-vetoed proposal for astatewide data center moratorium; standards proposed in Illinois, including requiring data centers to supply their own energy; and an end toVirginia's sales tax exemptionthat helped make it the world's biggest data center destination.

Pennsylvania state Sen. Katie Muth said it has been difficult to collect support from fellow Democrats for her legislation to regulate data centers when it is competing with union-backed legislation that she views as weaker.

“The unions don’t want to promote anything that would impede data center development,” Muth said.

Union representatives have made their presence felt at packed council meetings in municipal buildings from St. Louis to Spring City, Pennsylvania.

Sometimes it's not in a good way.

Speaking to the City Council in Joliet, Illinois, Alicia Morales complained that union members — who sat in the front row holding “vote yes for union jobs” signs — had been disrespectful and “bullied a lot of people” entering the meeting.

Sometimes, union representatives are the only people in a packed municipal meeting room to speak in favor of a project.

“I just want to commend you guys, thanks for being the adults in the room,” Chuck Curry, the president of Ironworkers Local 395, told City Council members in Hobart, Indiana, at a January meeting on an Amazon data center. “Knowing the tax structure, knowing business, that most of the people here don’t know.”

Follow Marc Levy athttp://twitter.com/timelywriter

byAnio Baumeister

in

May 02, 2026

Building trades unions emerge as a key ally of tech giants in push for AI data centers

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Building trades unions — long fashioned as the voice of the American worker — are now intertwined with the riche...

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David Allan Coe, Country Music Outlaw and 'Take This Job and Shove It' Songwriter, Dies at 86

David Allan Coe has died at the age of 86

NEED TO KNOW

• Coe died at about 5:08 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29, his representative said in a statement to PEOPLE

• Coe was part of country's outlaw movement in the '70s and was widely criticized for his use of slurs and racial stereotypes in his songs, as well as frequently using the Confederate flag

David Allan Coe has died at the age of 86.

Coe died at about 5:08 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29, his representative said in a statement to PEOPLE.

"David was a Country Music treasure and loved his fans," his rep said. "Most importantly, he was a true outlaw and A great singer, songwriter, and performer."

The country singer-songwriter found fame in the ‘70s as part of the outlaw country music scene, with songs like "You Never Even Called Me by My Name" and "Longhaired Redneck." In the '80s, he scored country hits with "The Ride" and "Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile.” Coe was widely criticized for his use of slurs and racial stereotypes in his songs; he claimed he was not racist. He was also criticized for frequently using the Confederate flag.

Coe was born in Akron, Ohio, in 1939. At age 9, he was sent to reform school and then spent much of the next two decades of his life in correctional facilities. His interest in music began while he was incarcerated. After he was released in 1967, he headed to Nashville to pursue a music career, busking on the street for money.

Coe released his debut album,Penitentiary Blues, in 1970. Though he struggled to find success as a singer, others had hits performing songs he wrote. In 1973,Tanya Tuckercovered his composition, “Would You Lay with Me (In a Field of Stone),” which was a No. 1 country single. Johnny Paycheck also hit No. 1 on the chart in 1977 with Coe’s “Take This Job and Shove It.” The song also garnered Coe his only Grammy nomination.

Coe’s 1974 albumThe Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboywas his first country record. The name was taken from his attire at the time: he would wear a mask and bedazzled jacket and hat for performances.Once Upon a Rhyme, released the following year, had his first successful single, a cover of Steve Goodman's “You Never Even Called Me by My Name" that hit the country Top 10.

In 1976, he releasedLonghaired Redneck, with the title track directly referencing the outlaw country genre. A year later, he releasedRides Again. However, he never found the same sustained mainstream success as others in the sub-genre, likeWillie Nelson. “I did it," he told thePhoenix New Timesin 1993 of his outlaw credentials. "I was singing that stuff for years. I was living it for years. Willie,Waylon [Jennings]— they just got more famous. I was the original outlaw.”

Consistent commercial success continued to elude him in the late '70s and into the early '80s. Then he had a major comeback in 1983 withCastles in the Sand; its single “The Ride" was a Top 10 country hit. "I like good music, I don't care what it's about, as long as it's good music," he toldThe Oklahomanin 1985 about selecting songs. "I'm not limiting myself to singing protest songs. I just know when I hear it if it's a good song or not, or whether I want to sing it or not."

In 1984, he releasedDivorced, which produced the No. 2 country hit “Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile,” his highest-charting single as a performer. “She Used to Love Me a Lot” from 1985'sDarlin', Darlinreached No. 11.

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Coe used slurs and racist stereotypes in his songs throughout his career. Most notably, he released two underground albums in the late '70s and early '80s that made liberal use of hate speech.The New York Timeswrote in 2000, “In the early '80's the outlaw country singer David Allan Coe released very small quantities of two underground albums of songs that are among the most racist, misogynist, homophobic and obscene songs recorded by a popular songwriter.” After the songs were bootlegged for years, Coe began selling them on his website in 2000, though without his name on them.

Coe claimed in a 2000 interview withCountry Standard TimethatThe New York Timesmischaracterized the songs and did not give him a chance to respond. He said that off the record, he had told the outlet “they couldn't call me a racist or White supremacist because that wasn't true."

"I've got a Black drummer who's married to a White chick," Coe toldCountry Standard Time. "I've got [Black former heavyweight boxing champion] Leon Spinks pictures all over my bus, pictures he took with my family. My hair's in dreadlocks. I'm the farthest thing from a White supremacist that anybody could ever be. I'm really [ticked] off, ya know." He claimed that he had previously sold the rights to all his songs in bankruptcy proceedings and that he was no longer making money off of them.

The Austin Chroniclereported at the time that Coe wrote a letter on his website explaining why the albums existed. “I was a young man living with a motorcycle club. . . . I had given up on any commercial success and country radio wouldn't play my songs anyway. . . . I made these albums for bikers to play at parties . . . . Not everyone appreciates biker humor, even in music,” he wrote, adding, “I don't apologize for these albums, because they are very funny, but don't expect me to sing these songs at my shows!"

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Coe released over 40 studio albums in total.

Coe was married six times. For a time in the ‘80s, he claimed to be a Mormon polygamist. In 2010, he married sixth wife Kimberly Hastings, perThe Boot. He had four children, Tyler, Tanya, Shyanne and Carson, with ex-wife Jody Lynn Coe. He also had a daughter Shelli. Tanya also became a musician. Coe’s son Tyler hosted the country music podcastCocaine & Rhinestonesand was Coe’s band leader until his father dismissed him in 2013. Tyler toldGQin 2021 that they had not spoken since.

In 2015,he pleaded guiltyto obstructing the IRS from collecting taxes. In 2016, he was ordered to pay nearly $1 million, per theAssociated Press.

Coe is survived by his wife and children.

Read the original article onPeople

byAnio Baumeister

in

May 01, 2026

David Allan Coe, Country Music Outlaw and 'Take This Job and Shove It' Songwriter, Dies at 86

David Allan Coe has died at the age of 86 NEED TO KNOW Coe died at about 5:08 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29, his rep...

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