Fashionable Chairs
Then-Gucci creative director Tom Ford and Nicole Kidman, fresh from her Best Actress Oscar win for The Hours, joined Vogue Editor in Chief Anna Wintour as co-chairs of the 2003 Met Gala—the event's return to the calendar after it was canceled in 2002 in the wake of 9/11. The night's theme, "Goddess: The Classical Mode," was interpreted in a variety of ways, starting with Kidman looking statuesque in—what else?—Gucci by Tom Ford.
Starting in 1971, the Met Gala took place in December for three decades until it was turned into an April affair in 2001 (incidentally, after the event was also canceled in 2000 along with the planned Chanel exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute following the death of head curator Richard Martin). The first-Monday-in-May routine began in 2005, with "House of Chanel" as the years-in-the-making theme.
Actually Famous
Kate Hudson kept the designer of her stunning Grecian-style dress, Stella McCartney, close at hand while making her Met Gala debut.
Stardust Memories
Iman's essence is basically "goddess," so the supermodel really could've worn anything and been right in keeping with the night's theme. But her dreamy white silk halter gown made her look as if she was ready to marry David Bowie all over again. Ultimately they spent 23 years as husband and wife before his death in 2016.
When You Know...
Peter Sarsgaard and Maggie Gyllenhaal had only been together for about a year when they attended their first Met Gala together. Twenty years and two kids later... they've put on quite a bit of red carpet mileage.
All Too Well
Aughts-favorite duo Jake Gyllenhaal and Kirsten Dunst were in their early twenties but looked like a couple of kids in their salad days. And yet, the real question: Is there a baby-blue cap in a drawer somewhere at Maggie Gyllenhaal's house?
That '00s Conversation
Gisele Bündchen's then-boyfriend Leonardo DiCaprio wasn't in attendance, so a relatively dressed-down Ashton Kutcher took the opportunity to stand in the supermodel's orbit for a bit.
Bada Bing
In 2003, Edie Falco only had eyes for Stanley Tucci and what we now know is his killer Negroni.
Angel Weisz
Rachel Weisz was with Darren Aronofsky at the time and still years away from setting up a Dream House with Daniel Craig—but in any case, the Mummy star and future Oscar winner intrepidly traversed this Met Gala on her own.
Easy to Read
The muses were with Sofia Coppola in her simple black slip dress, the writer-director still months away from the premiere of her critically acclaimed Lost in Translation, for which she'd win an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay in 2004.
Reigning Supreme
Diana Ross was the marquee performer inside the exclusive event.
Pop of Pink
Among the many monochromatic ensembles, it was easy to keep track of Molly Sims and her then-boyfriend, Without a Trace star Enrique Murciano.
Party of 3
It's only fitting that at least one of Donna Karan's grandchildren attended the Met Gala before even being born. Imminent labor wasn't going to stop Gabby Karan de Felice from enjoying date night with husband Gianpaolo de Felice, with whom she shares daughter Stefania and son Sebastian.
Mama, She's at the Met Gala Now
You couldn't stop Hairspray star Marissa Jaret Winokur from going full goddess and wearing a tiara.
First Impression
Jimmy Fallon was still anchoring "Weekend Update" on Saturday Night Live when he got all dressed up on a Monday and went to the Met Gala.
Blushing Brody
Reigning Best Actor Oscar winner Adrien Brody looked like he was still thinking about that kiss he planted on Halle Berry a month earlier.
Project Red Carpet
Zac Posen made sure Eva Amurri's ruffles remained just so.
A Night About Something
What's the deal with comedians at the Met Gala? Well, if it's Jerry Seinfeld and wife Jessica, it may have been their first splashy night out since welcoming their second child, son Julian, on March 1, 2003.
She's Got Legs
One day you're in and the next day...you're still in, if you're Heidi Klum, here smiling alongside designer Valentino.
The Grandfather
A rare Robert DeNiro Met Gala sighting occurred when he escorted his actress daughter Drena De Niro to the event. The two-time Oscar winner adopted Drea in 1976 when he married her mom, Diahnne Abbott—and though the couple divorced in 1988, Drena and her dad remained close.
Seen in the City
Kim Cattrall was forty-f--king-six and fabulous a couple of months before the first half of Sex and the City's sixth and final season premiered.
Her So-Called Met Gala
Claire Danes made a night of it in her homeland of New York.
Pretty as a Picture
Still dear friends 20 years later, Selma Blair and Jaime King complemented each other perfectly even then.
Rehearsal Run
The Sopranos star Jamie-Lynn Sigler walked the carpet with fiancé A.J. Discala a few months before they walked down the aisle. (The pair divorced in 2006 and she now has two children with second husband Cutter Dykstra.)