Why SJP didn't attend the Met Ball (for the first time since 2010)

She usually takes it very seriously

Words by Colleen Kratofil

She's always been on the best Met Ball dresses of all time lists so when we didn't spot her on this year's Met Gala best dresses on the red carpet, everyone asked where on earth SJP was. Because, if you can count on one person to take the Met Gala dress code seriously, it’s Sarah Jessica Parker.

Every year she wears something that perfectly honours the exhibit (usually accented with a towering headpiece) because, as she puts, she’s a 'stickler for the theme.' So with something as avant-garde as 'Rei Kawakubo / Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between,' we had no doubt she’d respect the theme in her own creative way.

The actress usually arrives alongside her Met Gala buddy, Bravo’s Andy Cohen, but both were unusually absent from the notoriously long staircase. They both made no mention to the annual event on either of their social media pages all day, and according to a source, the actress decided to 'skip to stay and work on her HBO series Divorce.'

While we respect the star for putting work first, we couldn’t help but wonder (in a Carrie Bradshaw voice) how amazing it would have been to see her honour the theme of Comme des Garçons. So because we didn’t get our fix of Parker’s magic tonight, we’re reliving her most memorable Met moments, below.

Last year she attended the Manus x Machina-themed gala wearing a Hamilton-inspired suit, that upon first glance may not have appeared to coincide with the 'techy' theme. But there was a twist.

When one blogger said Parker 'didn’t get the memo' about the theme of the gala, she fiercely defended herself. 'Always welcome thoughts but I’m a stickler for the theme and pay close attention to what it means. Every year with great consideration, research and conviction,' she explained. 'The understanding of man and machine, how they intersect, when and why is what we considered. Perhaps you weren’t aware of the technology used in the details and embellishments of the design. Or perhaps you simply didn’t like what I wore which is completely fine but you can’t accuse me of not paying close attention and adhering to the theme. With respect and warmest regards, sj.'

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While we now know better than to ever doubt her commitment level, her Hamilton-inspired look was dramatically less literal than other outfits worn in the past. For the 2013 punk-theme gala, she chose an actual mohawk headpiece to go with her ball gown, which featured a spray-painted pattern.

Then in 2015, she made the biggest fashion risk yet — wearing a Philip Treacy headpiece adorned with tassels, ribbony flames and red pom-poms … which inevitably sent the Internet into a meme-making frenzy.

And one of her most unforgettable over-the-top moments came in 2014 at the Charles James: Beyond Fashion exhibition, when she wore a vintage-inspired Oscar de la Renta ball gown with elegant white gloves.

And, SJP wasn't the only star to not attend the ball this year, Taylor Swift was also missing from the event and kept pretty quiet on social media, too. The singer is usually the first to arrive, and often pairs up with BFF Selena Gomez and obviously, we all remember her dance battle with Tom Hiddleston last year... Bring back SJP and T Swift to the Met Ball, we say.

From the Editors of People