Over the years, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual Costume Institute gala has become synonymous with striking displays of couture, rivaled only by the masterful coifs—decorated with subtle blooms and subversive headpieces alike—that accompany them. See: Beyoncé’s beaded birdcage veil, circa 2014, designed by Riccardo Tisci, or, in a move that has left an indelible mark on red-carpet history, the extraordinary bejeweled bishop’s hat that Rihanna donned to the “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” gala four years later.
This year, the star-studded event will be “America: An Anthology of Fashion.” To mark the upcoming First Monday in May, we’re looking back at the best Met Gala hair accessories of all time, below.
Marisa Berenson, 1974
Marisa Berenson glittered from head to toe at the 1974 “Romantic and Glamorous Hollywood Design” gala.
Paloma Picasso, 1980
Six years later, Paloma Picasso, pictured here alongside Carolina Herrera, attended the 1980 Met Gala with a striking floral updo.