Why, yes, Elle Fanning does place some sentimental value on her first Met Gala appearance. 

"I was 13, and it was the Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibition," the Oscar-nominated actress recounted to Vogue of her 2011 debut alongside Dakota Fanning. "I went with Valentino and I went with my sister and, my god, it was just an incredible experience. I was freaking out that I was so young and that they invited me to go."

In her feminine, color-blocked Valentino 'fit, "I looked like a little Oreo, in the best way—navy and white lace little short skirt."

As for Met Gala regular Sarah Jessica Parker, she couldn't help but wonder the label she wore for her first outing in 1995. 

"This dress is a little bit mysterious," the Sex and the City alum noted to Vogue in 2022 of her pick for the Haute Couture theme. "My guess is that this was a dress from a thrift store, which then I had tailored, and clearly did my own hair and makeup."

Going a similar vintage route for her first Met last year, Chappell Roan tapped Wicked costume designer Paul Tazewell to source a patchwork suit and complementary feathered cape from eBay that had her looking very much like a pink pony girl. 

But having told Vogue that "beauty isn't everything—it's the only thing," she asked makeup pro Pat McGrath to ensure she was hot to go.

To channel "the glamour and freedom of the disco era," McGrath explained, "We layered shimmering metallics with illustrated wings, chrome lashes, and rhinestone accents. It’s maximalist, metallic, and made to move."

While stars' Met Gala debuts run the gamut, there's one throughline: Scoring an invite to the first Monday in May's legendary fundraiser is a big frickin' deal. 

She might be a veteran at the Metropolitan Museum of Art now, but in 2015, a Fausto Puglisi-clad Zendaya—styled by Law Roach—was "very nervous," she admitted to Vogue of having no place to put her cell phone, "being like, 'How am I going to call Law or call my dad or call someone to pick me up when I'm done? How am I going to get out of here?'" 

Fortunately, it turns out there was, in fact, a way home for the Spider-Man star. As for her journey to those famed steps, we're looking back at her and other stars' first times.