SJP's Met Gala Evolution: From Thrifted Dresses to Haute Couture

Sarah Jessica Parker is a fixture at the Met Gala and a fashion fan favorite. Indeed, SJP is the belle of each annual ball she attends.

Over the decades, she's developed a reputation for being one to watch on the carpet, from her matching tartan with Alexander McQueen in 2006 to her Nativity Scene headpiece in 2018, which was inspired by the "Heavenly Bodies" costume exhibit.

Parker made her Met Gala debut in 1995. Sure, the theme may have been "Haute Couture," but even in a thrifted black velvet dress, she still managed to look like a million bucks. (All the more impressive is the fact that she did her own hair and makeup that year.)

Since then, the Sex and the City star has continued to raise the sartorial bar. For 2013's "Punk: Chaos to Couture" affair, the actress looked appropriately edgy in an abstract Giles Deacon creation and a larger-than-life Philip Treacy mohawk-shaped headpiece.

Fast-forward to 2022, Parker dressed for the "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion" theme in an elaborate gingham Christopher John Rogers gown that paid homage to Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley, the first Black female fashion designer to work in the White House.

In 2024, Parker stunned in a bird cage dress by Richard Quinn for the ball's "Garden of Time" themed event.

Keep scrolling to see these and more of Parker's most memorable moments at the Oscars of fashion.

2024: "Garden of Time"

Parker was a literal flight of fancy in an elaborate Richard Quinn birdcage-esque dress. The hand-cut lace appliqué appeared to grow around it, adding a subtle floral effect.

2022: "In America: An Anthology of Fashion"

Parker paid homage to Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley, a freed slave who went on to become the first Black female fashion designer to work in the White House in the 1800s, as the dressmaker for First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln. The gingham Christopher John gingham gown was inspired by one of Keckley's designs.

2018: "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination"

Parker nailed the theme in a gilded creation by Dolce Alta Moda, which was adorned with precious stones from the bodice to the Watteau train. The crowning glory was a headpiece with a Neapolitan nativity scene.

2016: "Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology"

The Sex and the City star channeled her onscreen counterpart in sporty knickers by Monse. Amping up the effect were Carrie Bradshaw–coded accessories: an oversized cameo necklace, ruffled sleeves and mismatched heels, which she adorned with two of her own brooches, each in a different shape and color, for an extra personal touch.

2015: "China: Through the Looking Glass"

Parker lit up the red carpet with a flame-like Philip Treacy headdress and a custom H&M one-shoulder dress spliced with patchwork details. She was involved in every aspect of her look, including the shoes: a pair of see-through booties from her SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker collection.

2014: "Charles James: Beyond Fashion"

Parker left a lasting impression when she donned a two-tone duchesse satin stunner by Oscar de la Renta. It made a statement coming and going, as the designer's signature was emblazoned on the train in red cursive letters.

2013: "Punk: Chaos to Couture"

The actress turned heads in 2013 when she called on Philip Treacy for a larger-than-life mohawk headpiece that required her to sit on the floor of the car on her way to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was the perfect accoutrement to top off her Giles Deacon dress, which featured an abstract motif with pink, gold and black colors. Her plaid thigh-high boots took the look to even greater heights.

2012: "Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations"

Parker blossomed in a Valentino floral taffeta gown with a ladylike bow belt. The beautiful craftsmanship celebrated the theme, but the pièce de résistance was a pair of matching pumps, which were covered in the same fabric as her dress.

2010: "American Women: Fashioning a National Identity"

This pleated Halston number epitomized late '70s American fashion, as did the ornate glitter-flecked flower hair accessory pinned behind one ear. It was also on brand for Parker, who was president and chief creative officer of Halston at the time.

2006: "AngloMania: Tradition and Transgression in British Fashion"

When the actress asked Alexander McQueen to attend the 2006 Met Gala with her, the designer naturally created coordinating looks according to that year's theme. Dressed in red-and-black tartan, the his-and-hers styles nodded to both British fashion and that evening's sponsor, Burberry.

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This story was originally published April 29, 2026 at 1:53 PM.