Ahead of this year’s Met gala on September 13, Vogue’s Anna Wintour is looking back at the event’s most memorable ensembles in a brand-new video. The style highlights are definitely worth a revisit.

Wintour starts her trip down fashion memory lane in 1974, when Bianca Jagger—accompanied by Mick Jagger—wore a dazzling red Halston number for the “Romantic and Glamorous Hollywood Design” theme. “Bianca Jagger was a muse for Halston, and if you look at this incredible picture, you’ll understand exactly why,” says Wintour. That same year, Cher wore her iconic Bob Mackie naked dress. “Cher was so gracious in being a performer at our last Costume Institute exhibition, [2019’s “Camp: Notes on Fashion”], and she looked just as amazing as she does in this photograph,” notes Wintour.

Cut to 1999 and Liv Tyler’s and Stella McCartney’s “Rock Style” looks, complete with bedazzled, slashed tees. “Stella had no idea what the Met gala was, and went to the East Village that afternoon and sewed these two shirts herself,” says Wintour. In 2006 Sarah Jessica Parker attended wearing a tartan gown, accompanied by Alexander McQueen. “Sarah Jessica Parker is the perfect Met guest. She takes the theme of the night unbelievably seriously and plans it out months and months ahead,” says Wintour. “[She and McQueen] planned out this look meticulously; he flew over from London more than once. She kept every single piece from this look, including the pins and the scraps.”

As for more recent highlights, Wintour remembers the 2010 gala, when cochair Oprah Winfrey arrived in a sleek black Oscar de la Renta gown for the “American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity” theme. “Standing in the receiving line, as [the cochairs] always do, was so much fun because the guests were so overwhelmed to see Oprah,” says Wintour, adding that some even curtsied. In 2012 Beyoncé stole the show in her black and lilac Givenchy dress for the “Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations” event. “She was, by far, the last person on the carpet, so she had the carpet entirely to herself, which was what she absolutely deserved,” says Wintour.

Last but certainly not least, Wintour recalls how Lady Gaga’s multiple Brandon Maxwell outfit changes for the 2019 event totally wowed the crowd. “A day before the gala, she called and told me she wanted to do performance art on the carpet, because that truly represents camp,” says Wintour. “I had no idea what she was going to do.” Boy, were we all in for a treat.

Director: Robert Semmer
DP: Steven Mastorelli
Editor: Camille Getz
Director, Creative Development: Anna Page Nadin
Supervising Producer: Jordin Rocchi
AC: Sean Rogovin
Gaffer: Omar Nasr
Audio: Gabe Quiroga
Associate Producer: Michelle Wong
VP, Digital Video Programming and Development: Robert Semmer
Director of Content: Tara Homeri
Production Manager: Emily Yates
Postproduction Manager: Marco Glinbizzi