Swift was a Met Gala co-chair in 2016, so it's no surprise she embraced the "Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology" theme.
She walked the Met Gala red carpet in a metallic dress custom-designed by Louis Vuitton. It had a scaled pattern and daring cutouts along the stomach. Swift paired the dress with heels that wrapped to her knees.
Bleached hair and black lipstick completed the futuristic look, and the departure from Swift's typically softer looks made it a standout.
But the look became truly iconic because the 2016 Met Gala proved significant for Swift personally and in her music.
She was first romantically linked to Tom Hiddleston at the Gala, with a video of her dancing with him in the Louis Vuitton dress going viral.
And the 2016 Met Gala was also where fans speculate Swift met Joe Alwyn, who she dated for six years. Swift and Alywn split in February 2023, and she's been dating Travis Kelce since the summer of 2023.
Fans also suspect her interactions with both Hiddleston and Alwyn at the Gala served as inspiration for two songs on her album "Reputation" — "Dress" and "Getaway Car."
The silver-toned look she wore to the Gala also mimicked the coloring of her "Reputation" cover, again connecting the album to the event.