Nicole Kidman's Head-Turning Met Gala Looks, Ranked

Nicole Kidman has attended the Met Gala on six different occasions, and each time, she's looked incredible. Perhaps that's because Kidman feels so strongly about fashion, and her enthusiasm translates. "I've always loved fashion. I love embracing it and it's rare that you get to really dress up," she told Vanity Fair. "Trust me, I don't dress up at home. So when there's a chance to dress up ... I embrace it."

A love of fashion goes even further at the Met Gala, which explicitly celebrates the history of clothing, and where bold, show-stopping looks are encouraged. Kidman is skilled at selecting looks that are fluent in fashion history, which find an artful balance between her personal style and the event's theme. When it comes to styling for the event, Kidman rarely has a misstep. Unless, of course, you ask her mother. "My mama thought I had many bad red carpet looks," she told W.

Even Nicole Kidman's lowest-ranked Met Gala look is stunning. That's a testament to the star's fashion taste, which is unerringly chic. Kidman was a minimalist vision in a dark blue strapless Chanel gown she wore in 2005. Choosing a gown from the storied fashion house was a safe bet for that year's theme: "The House of Chanel."

There's nothing particularly wrong with this look. It features a timeless silhouette and an elegant combination of black and navy hues. Still, it's a relatively boring look by Met Gala standards, especially when stacked against Kidman's other looks. Plus, while the label on the gown might pay appropriate homage to the theme, there's little about this dress that represents the aesthetic traditions of Chanel, which trend toward feminine maximalism. When people think of the famous label, they're more likely to think of quilted textures, tweed, and soft pink. As a result, Kidman's look seems to reflect the minimalistic fashion sensibilities of its moment more than the night's theme, and, in turn, it looks dated. For an event where the imaginative, elaborate looks are meant to transcend trends and, by extension, time, this choice was a misstep.

With the 2016 Met Gala's futuristic theme. "Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age of Technology," the event explored the intersection of fashion and technology. Nicole Kidman wore an Alexander McQueen gown with a plunging neckline and sheer cape. In a year when plenty of people seemed to take the theme literally — like Zayn Malik's bionic arm from Versace — Kidman's glittering Art Deco motif seemed to allude to the theme indirectly with a reference to space.

To be fair, Kidman's soft personal style was always going to be at odds with the 2016 theme, so it's not surprising this was a year she struggled to embody. After all, sci-fi and technology are hardly words that come to mind when considering the Australian movie star. But while the style falls short on theme, it gets points for being a stunning dress, and a lovely fusion of the famously edgy fashion house's sensibility with Kidman's own personal brand.

The bespoke Gucci gown that Nicole Kidman wore to the 2003 Met Gala was a mesmerizing interpretation of the year's theme, "Goddess: The Classical Mode." The shimmering one-shoulder dress is peak Tom Ford-era Gucci; it's sexy and minimal with a body-grazing silhouette. The one-shouldered style feels like a perfect nod to the Ancient Greece aspect of the theme, and the sculpturally draped neckline evokes the statues of antiquity, so much so that Kidman might almost be mistaken for a goddess.

The look ranks high for its creative interpretation of the theme through a modern-looking dress, bridged by Ford's signature slinky aesthetic. Kidman doesn't appear to be wearing a costume. Instead, the nude colored gown, with its glitter and restraint, is an excellent reflection of her personal style. Still, the theme is clearly legible. The various influences — Kidman, the theme, and the designer — come together for a rich fashion moment that transcends all of its parts, which is what the Met Gala is all about.

The Met Gala honored the Black tradition of Dandyism with its 2025 theme, "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style." That meant there were a lot of suits and suit-inspired gowns on the steps. Nicole Kidman's strapless black dress, designed by Balenciaga, paid homage to the tailoring tradition with its structured, pleated A-line skirt and bow detailing. "I just wanted something very tailor-made for me," Kidman told Vogue. "This was inspired in support of all of those gorgeous, gorgeous dandies ... Dandy is all about where you take a black suit and put a beautiful different button, or something where it's completely individual and made for you."

The heavily menswear-focused theme might have been challenging for Kidman, whose style is so classically feminine. But her dress is a masterclass in reconciling the event theme with personal style, since the finished look features a classic, Old Hollywood silhouette made of suiting materials. Kidman's hairstyle even teased out a rarely seen gamine side to the star, since she debuted a voluminous pixie cut for the event. Her ability to make this dress code work for her in such an unexpectedly charming way is the reason this look ranks third out of all her Met Gala looks.

In 2024, the Met Gala theme paid tribute to delicate archival fashion with its theme "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion." For the occasion, Nicole Kidman wore a bespoke Balenciaga look that designer Demna created based on a 1951 couture design. The white and black gown featured a frothy, layered skirt beneath a strapless satin bodice. Kidman paired the garment with opera gloves and stacks of Harry Winston diamonds.

Speaking to Vogue, Kidman described her delight over the striking look. "When Demna sent me this sketch, I was inspired by the way he was able to take such a beautiful piece from the house's past and modernize it in a way that felt so uniquely me," she said. It's a perfect articulation of why this look works so well, since the gown pays homage to fashion history — nailing the theme — and also reflecting Kidman's elegant, feminine style. It's nearly impossible imagine any other celebrity owning this fashion moment, which is why it ranks highly as Kidman's second-best Met Gala look.

Nicole Kidman was at the height of Met Gala glamour in 2023 when she appeared in a staggering, feathered, pale pink gown with a cascading train. The year's theme was "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty," meant to honor the career contributions of the late designer. Kidman was beautifully on theme in an archival Lagerfeld look with personal significance. She originally wore the gown in a fragrance ad as the face of Chanel No. 5. "It's gorgeous," Kidman told Vogue. "I think my deep, deep sort of love of Karl came through this time together because I knew him very, very well ... There's whimsy to it and it's so light as a feather."

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Fun fact: NicoleKidman's Chanel No. 5 commercial still remains one of the most expensive ads ever made—the budget was a whopping $33 million! Here, the star talks about her iconic dress and relationship with Chanel. Tap the link in bio to watch the full video.

♬ original sound – Vogue

The Met Gala is all about fashion history, and with this look, Kidman demonstrates that she both understands it and is a part of it. The gown, with its glittering jewels, feathers, and soft color, is perfectly emblematic of Lagerfeld's legacy, and also perfectly dramatic for the event. Finally, the dreamy style could not suit Kidman more perfectly because, of course, it was made to capture her essence.

Each Met Gala look was evaluated based on three criteria, ordered by weight: how well it embodied the year's Met Gala theme, how well it captured the star's personal style, and how well it reflected the sensibilities of the fashion house that created the look. Preference was given to the more creative and innovative interpretations of each theme. Since the Met Gala is all about bold fashion, consideration was also given to how memorable each look was, with the most dramatic looks ranking higher than the more subtle choices.