Red-carpet fashion and dressing can be tricky, no stylist wants to get it wrong. With social media, red-carpet looks are under more scrutiny than ever, meaning celebrities are less inclined to take big risks for their appearances. However, the Met Gala is, and always has been, a little bit different.  

Celebrity stylist Rebecca Corbin-Murray sums it up when she says, “It’s a showcase for fashion in its pure art form.”. 

We agree – the Met Gala is an innovative, creative space where people all over the world take inspiration from. 

Here are our favourite looks from women over 40 at the Met Gala:

Diana Ross in Gucci – 2003  

Diana Ross

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock (415815zm)
Diana Ross
‘Goddess: the Classical Mode’

Tracee Ellis Ross in Balenciaga Couture – 2021 

Tracee Ellis Ross

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock 
Tracee Ellis Ross  “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” 

Anna Wintour in Karl Lagerfeld – 2019  

Anna Wintour

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Matt Baron/Shutterstock (10225578q)
Anna Wintour
 “Camp: Notes on Fashion, Arrivals”

Madonna in Jean Paul Gaultier Couture – 2018 

Madonna

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP/Shutterstock (9665131dp)
Madonna  “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination”

Salma Hayek in Gucci – 2019

Salma Hayek

Mandatory Credit: Photo by David Fisher/Shutterstock (10225566on)
Salma Hayek
 “Camp: Notes on Fashion”

Erykah Badu in Givenchy – 2014  

Erykah Badu

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock (3731773vd)
Erykah Badu
“Charles James: Beyond Fashion”

Joan Collins in Valentino – 2019

Joan Collins

Mandatory Credit: Photo by David Fisher/Shutterstock (10227741bv)
Joan Collins
“Camp: Notes on Fashion” 

Halle Berry in Atelier Versace – 2017

Halle Berry

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Matt Baron/Shutterstock (8770835gm)
Halle Berry
“Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art of the In-Between, Arrivals”

The Met Gala is back on Monday 2nd May, you can find out everything you need to know here