The Unexpected Color that Dominated the 2024 Met Gala

Jennifer Lopez; Mindy Kaling; Zoe Saldana; Tyla Credit - Getty Images (4)

There's a reason why the Met Gala is often referred to as fashion's biggest night. The event has become synonymous with sartorial showboating, a red carpet where anything and everything can take place. In recent years, it's become an opportunity for celebrities, designers, and fashion's most influential figures to try out their most outrageous and daring style whims—which is why the biggest trend of the 2024 Met Gala may have been the most unexpected.

Read more: The Best and Most Outrageous Fashion Moments of the 2024 Met Gala

On Monday night, as stars and art enthusiasts gathered on the steps of the Met, it was clear that there was a common theme in many of the looks of the night: an affinity for the color beige. The neutral color showed up at many points on the red carpet: on singer Tyla, who wore a sheath dress made with sand designed by Balmain, on Mindy Kaling, who arrived at the Met Gala in a sculptural pleated tan Gaurav Gupta Couture gown, and on co-chair Jennifer Lopez, who sported a sparkling but skin-toned Schiaparelli gown, as well as her fellow co-host Chris Hemsworth and his wife Elsa Pataky, who donned coordinating beige Tom Ford looks for the night.

If beige seems like a bland or vanilla choice for a night ostensibly highlighting the creativity of the fashion industry, consider this—after years of over-the-top looks and noisy, costume-esque dressing for the event, there may be nothing more subversive or even edgy than wearing a subtle shade in a tastefully considered silhouette. That or the many guests who opted to wear beige tonight may have been giving their interpretations of the night's theme, "Garden of Time," going for a natural, earthy, and essentially nude (very Garden of Eden) aesthetic.

With that in mind, here's a look at the beige and the beautiful from the 2024 Met Gala red carpet.

Tyla in Balmain

Tyla<span class="copyright">Theo Wargo—GA/The Hollywood Reporter/Getty Images</span>
TylaTheo Wargo—GA/The Hollywood Reporter/Getty Images

Mindy Kaling in Gaurav Gupta Couture

Mindy Kaling<span class="copyright">Jamie McCarthy—Getty Images</span>
Mindy KalingJamie McCarthy—Getty Images

Pamela Anderson in Oscar de la Renta

Pamela Anderson<span class="copyright">Gilbert Flores—Variety/Getty Images</span>
Pamela AndersonGilbert Flores—Variety/Getty Images

Jennifer Lopez in Schiaparelli

Jennifer Lopez<span class="copyright">Jeff Kravitz—FilmMagic/Getty Images</span>
Jennifer LopezJeff Kravitz—FilmMagic/Getty Images

Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky in Tom Ford

Elsa Pataky and Chris Hemsworth<span class="copyright">John Shearer—WireImage/Getty Images</span>
Elsa Pataky and Chris HemsworthJohn Shearer—WireImage/Getty Images

Lana del Rey in Alexander McQueen

Lana Del Rey<span class="copyright">Marleen Moise—Getty Images</span>
Lana Del ReyMarleen Moise—Getty Images

Zoe Saldana in Chloé

Zoe Saldana<span class="copyright">Theo Wargo—GA/The Hollywood Reporter/Getty Images</span>
Zoe SaldanaTheo Wargo—GA/The Hollywood Reporter/Getty Images

Write to Cady Lang at cady.lang@timemagazine.com.