The Met Gala may be a fundraiser for the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but it's so much more than a sit-down dinner.  

It's arguably the biggest fashion event of the year, bringing together big names, bright stars and some bold designs. 

And this year was no exception.

What was the Met Gala dress code?

The official dress code for the Met Gala was The Garden of Time.

Vogue magazine says the dress code was inspired by a short story by J G Ballard — The Garden of Time. 

It's about a count and countess who live in a grand villa that is being threatened by an encroaching mob.  

Here's how the story was summarised in a BBC article from 2012:

"The garden contains crystalline flowers at the tops of whose stems are goblet-shaped blossoms, which when snapped from the stem, drain the garden of time and motion.

"Each evening the count snaps off one of the time flowers.

"As he carries the crystal blossom onto the terrace, the menacing rabble retreats and he and his wife are safe for another day.

"But the stems no longer bear fruit, the flowers are being used up, and the count realises that time could not be stopped forever."

Above | Left : It may be spring in the US but here in Australia it's getting colder, and Baz Luhrmann appears to be paying homage to our looming frosty mornings | Right : Zendaya giving a real Goth wedding kind of energy in her second outfit. 

Original Story By | Dannielle Maguire