Live from New York, it’s “the Oscars of the East Coast.” Held at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Gala was founded in 1948 by publicist Eleanor Lambert and has since evolved into a night attended by some of the biggest names in fashion and show business.

Each year, the Gala is themed based on the new exhibition at the Met’s Costume Institute. This year’s theme, Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination, has been met with controversy but the curator of the Costume Institute Andrew Bolton said “dress is fundamental to any discussion about religion”.

According to the New York Post, the exhibition will feature “Catholic-inspired couture alongside actual religious garb from the Vatican and Sistine Chapel Sacristy”.

Met Gala dresses are known for being outlandish and unique creations by renowned designers, with the red carpet being one of the most watched events of the year.

Rihanna, one of the evening’s co-hosts, took style cues from the head of the Catholic Church.