A History of Real Housewives Attending the Met Gala

There's a longtime rumor that Real Housewives have been banned from the Met Gala. But as history has shown us, that's not entirely true: Cast members from New York City, Beverly Hills and other franchises have attended the most exclusive event in fashion over the years. (No, we're not talking about Mary Cosby's Met Gala-themed luncheon on season one of "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.")

So, is Anna Wintour secretly a Bravo fan? Not exactly: Admittedly, none of these 'wives actually attended while they were on their respective series — rather, they made the guest list either before or after their time on our TV screens. (Sutton Stracke's famously on the board of the American Ballet Theatre, but did you know the Beverly Hills Housewife has also been to the Met Gala?) Bravo's own Andy Cohen has attended several times, though, so we can't rule it out. What we will do instead is look back at every time the network's finest actually, really, truly attended the Met Gala.

Twelve years before she joined "The Real Housewives of New York," then-socialite Tinsley Mortimer made her Met Gala debut in this bow-topped, tiered confection of a gown to celebrate the "House of Chanel" exhibition in 2005.

The following year, Mortimer attended the "Anglomania"-themed event with Tommy Hilfiger, wearing a turquoise and tartan ball gown by the designer.

Before Barbiecore, there was Tinsleycore: For the "Poirot: King of Fashion" exhibit, Mortimer wore a high-slit empire-waist Versace gown in her signature shade, "Tinsley pink".

Kelly Bensimon — the former Housewife of New York, model and editor — also attended the 2005 Met Gala, walking the carpet with her ex-husband, photographer Gilles Bensimon, in a high-neck white dress with crochet detailing.

Bensimon wore a black ribbon-adorned dress when she attended the event two years later. She attended alongside designer Dennis Basso, a longtime friend who is, according to Page Six, "at the top of the list" to design her upcoming wedding dress.

From "RHONY" 1.0 to 2.0: Before she was blasting her costars' inability to understand that khaki is a color, not a fabric, Jenna Lyons was representing her employer J.Crew on the Met steps. She posed alongside jewelry designer Eddie Borgo, model Arizona Muse and designer Joseph Altuzarra to celebrate "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty" in a feather skirt styled with a V-neck cashmere sweater and bold, orangey lip. In a video for Vogue, she noted the skirt got a second, perhaps even more famous wearing at Solange's 2014 wedding.

Lyons's high-low 2012 look for the "Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations" exhibit showcased her signature style perfectly. Who else would think to wear a denim jacket with a Schiaparelli-pink duchess satin skirt — to the Met Gala, no less?

In 2013, the theme was "Punk: Chaos to Couture," but Lyons's look embodied comfort-meets-couture, layering a graphic crewneck sweatshirt reading "Sharif don't like it" (lyrics from the Clash's "Rock the Casbah," naturally) over a button-down, paired with a long black sequin skirt. To top it off? Thick-rimmed glasses and a statement necklace, the requisite Jenna Lyons accessories of the era.

Another Lyons go-to, the plunging neckline, made an appearance in 2014. In one of her iconic "Jenna's Picks" blogs, she called the look, for the "Charles James: Beyond Fashion" exhibit, her "version of [J.Crew's] men's Ludlow suit meets tassels and satin."

Rather than go on-theme for the "China: Through The Looking Glass" exhibit, Lyons brought her twist to the evening pajama look, wearing a loungey bedazzled matching set with heels and an oversized clutch to the 2015 Met Gala.

In what's arguably the fashion icon's most memorable Met Gala look, Lyons twinned — well, tripleted — with Lena Dunham and "Girls" showrunner Jenni Konner in matching slim-fitting tuxedos. In complete commitment to the bit, Dunham and Konner even wore matching glasses.

The theme in 2017 was "Commes Des Garcons: Art of the In-Between," but Lyons again stuck to her own high-low theme: She teamed a billowing coral tulle skirt with a crisp white shirt and tackle vest, which was covered in flair, including flowers and butterflies.

Though her four-season arc on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" is partially credited with kick-starting kids Gigi, Bella and Anwar's modeling careers, it wasn't until she departed the show that Yolanda made it to the Met Gala. Alongside Anwar, she wore a long-sleeve sheer black gown by Tommy Hilfiger.

She may not be a Housewife, but the matriarch of "Southern Charm" certainly deserves a mention for her 2005 Met appearance at the "House of Chanel" event. Patricia Altschul wore a vintage lace-adorned ball gown sourced from L.A. vintage emporium Lily et Cie, accented with a strand of pearls. Accompanying her for the evening was none other than the late André Leon Talley, with whom Altschul was close friends for many years.

"The night of the gala, André picked me up in a Maybach towncar and I could barely get the dress through the door," she wrote in her book, "The Art of Southern Charm." "The skirt was so voluminous that it filled the back seat and blocked the rear window!"

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