Keke Palmer in a Fresh-Off-the-Runway Gown, Emma Chamberlain in Gen-Z Boldness & More Met Gala 2021 Arrivals

It may not be the first Monday in May but the Met Gala is back and bigger than ever.

The Met Gala kicked off this evening with star-studded arrivals left and right. Known as the fashion industry’s Oscars, the Met Gala was first introduced in 1948, two years after the Museum of Costume Art merged with The Metropolitan Museum of Art to become The Costume Institute in 1946. Each May, the annual fundraising event celebrates the opening of the spring exhibition. This year, however, the Met gala takes place in September after the 2020 event had been canceled due to the coronavirus.

This year’s exhibition will be divided into two parts. The first segment, titled “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” will open on September 18. With a focus on the “modern vocabulary of American fashion,” it will honor the Costume Institute’s 75th anniversary.

Related Stories

Keke Palmer Proves She’s a Star in Silver Jimmy Choo Sandals and Archival Versace at 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party

Keke Palmer Selects Transparent Mules to Co-Host Vanity Fair and Instagram’s Young Hollywood Party in Los Angeles

Then for Part two of the exhibition, which will open May 5, 2022, there will be another Met Gala in celebration, taking place on May 2, 2022. The second segment of the exhibition is a collaboration with the Costume Institute and the American Wing. It will explore the development of American fashion through a more detailed historical lens.

For tonight’s show, the co-host of Vogue’s live stream Keke Palmer kicked off arrivals in a fresh-off-the-runway gown from Sergio Hudson. The design pays homage to Black American designers in a statement-making way, complete with unmissable glitter and disco era-inspired hair to tout.

Palmer’s co-host and “Broad City” star Ilana Glazer turned heads as well upon her arrival. The actress tapped stylist Jason Rembert and his Aliette label for her evening attire. As the label is named after Rembert’s daughter and late mother, Glazer’s choice of the brand honors the designer with a memorable moment in a new era of American style.

YouTube sensation Emma Chamberlain also made her way onto the red carpet, tapping into Gen-Z trends in a two-piece Louis Vuitton look — the 20-year-old serves as a house ambassador for the French brand. The look came complete with metallic thin-strap sandals set atop a ’90s-chic square toe.

Click through the gallery to see more red carpet arrivals at the 2021 Met Gala.