The celebs who were best dressed at the Met Gala

For months the fashion world has been holding its breath, wondering how the A-list would consider the theme of this year's Met Gala: "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination."

Would anyone stage a protest against paedophile priests? Who would ignore the code completely? And who would rip off one of Beyoncé's past looks?

Best on ground ... Blake Lively in Versace. Credit: AP

Mercifully, all these questions were answered with more or less a sigh of relief on Tuesday, Australian time, as several hundred celebrities – led by the event's long-time chair, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour – arrived at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, which the gala supports.

Every single detail was completely considered. The colour was amazing.

Stylist Elliot Garnaut on Blake Lively's Met Gala look

The strongest looks of the night were the stars – and the high-profile designers who dressed them – who favoured interpretation over imitation (everyone in a bishop's mitre, I am talking to you).

There was Gigi Hadid, resembling a stained-glass window in Versace. While Blake Lively's gown, also by Versace, was a lesson in how to "do" priestly robes, with an embroidered claret skirt that explained the 600-plus hours it took to make the dress.

Stylist Elliot Garnaut said he loved these looks for their creative – and respectful – interpretations of the theme.

"Other people were looking to the sky for biblical figures. I love [that Hadid] took inspiration from the architecture of the Church. With Blake, it was perfect from head to toe, every single detail was completely considered. The colour was amazing," he said.

Kendall Jenner and Virgil Abloh arrive at the Met Gala.Credit: AP

There were the stars who pushed the theme too far, including Sarah Jessica Parker, whose Dolce & Gabbana headpiece included a miniature nativity scene, and Taylor Hill, who more or less came as the pope.

Garnaut said Hill's look was "disrespectful" and used the office of the papacy as "as a dress-up doll, or a parody".

While Rihanna has largely ruled the Met Gala red carpet unopposed for the past two years she attended, 2015 and 2017, Garnaut thought she went too far this time.

"I was a little disappointed – as unbelievably respected as [Rihanna] is in the fashion industry, she interpreted the theme a little too literally," he said.

Other celebrities who shone included a bevy of gold icons, including Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Kim Kardashian West and Olivia Munn, one of seven guests who wore outfits by H&M.

Another H&M attendee, Bella Hadid, chanelled a look best described as "widow of slain gangland figure" – a stark contrast to the sheer catsuit she wore in 2017.

But for every star who mixed it up, there were those who seem to have their Met Gala outfits on repeat, including Madonna, in her best Sicilian widow mourning garb, and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who seem to wear the same thing wherever they go, and still look remarkably on theme.

The Met Gala is definitely more of a chance for Hollywood's women to shine, and often times the men can be left playing second fiddle, or accused of not trying very hard.

Sarah Jessica Parker's Dolce & Gabbana headpiece included a nativity scene.Credit: AP

Garnaut said he was most excited about seeing Virgil Abloh, the newly-minted menswear designer at Louis Vuitton, who wore a cream blazer with beaded panels depicting various biblical scenes.

But Abloh was also responsible for one of the clangers of the night in Kendall Jenner, whose outfit was labelled "bland" and compared to communion wafers on social media.

Naturally, some celebrities were chastised for not following the dress code at all, including Cindy Crawford, who wore a simple red column dress by Versace whose only obvious nod to the theme was its colour.

On the bright side, with Kanye West staying away this year, at least no-one turned up in jeans. As for Beyoncé, she was on a last-minute holiday but that didn't stop Twitter from including her in the line-up – as the Holy Ghost.