After a box office bonanza and with the fashion world watching, the stars of the Devil Wears Prada 2 floated down the Met Gala red carpet last night triumphantly. 

That is, all but one. 

For despite Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt gracing the famous Met steps, Meryl Streep - the star of the film and most legendary of them all - was nowhere to be seen. 

The 76-year-old's appearance was expected by many. 

After all, Miranda Priestley - her iconic character in the films - is based on Met Gala matriarch Anna Wintour. 

But Streep skipped the Jeff Bezos-funded event. 

In a statement to The Daily Mail, her rep explained that it's 'never quite been her scene'. 

'Meryl has been invited to the Met Gala for many years but has never attended,' Streep's representative added. 

Other stars who skipped the event were Zendaya, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, and Justin Bieber. 

This year's dress code was 'fashion is art,' which served as a more specific baseline for guests against the gala's overall theme of 'costume art.'

The New York City museum paired historical and contemporary garments from the Costume Institute for the exhibition, which was loosely divided into three categories: the classical body and the nude body, aging bodies and pregnant bodies, and the anatomical body.

Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos, worth an estimated $224.2 billion, and his wife, Lauren Sanchez, footed most of the bill for the event. 

Despite the clear dress code, many stars missed the mark in outfits that strayed from the theme, while others, such as Sarah Paulson, tried to make their looks a statement in social commentary.

Billionaires such as Michael Bloomberg, Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, and Isha Ambani, also walked the red carpet at the big event. 

Actress Blake Lively, who settled her bombshell lawsuit against It Ends With Us costar Justin Baldoni on May 4, arrived on the red carpet in a surprise appearance wearing archival Versace.

Kylie Jenner sported a nearly nude look by Schiaparelli, while Katy Perry looked like an AI-bride in an alien-inspired mask and silky white gown.

Kim Kardashian arrived in a metallic orange, sculptural Allen Jones and Whitaker Malem ensemble, and Lena Dunham, who is fresh off her new memoir Famesick, wore a bright red, custom, feathered Valentino gown with a high slit in the leg.

This year's gala marked the first in Anna Wintour's new role as Vogue's global creative director and chief content officer for Conde Nast, as Chloe Malle took over as head of editorial content for US Vogue.

However, the two were barely seen together during the red carpet portion of Monday night's event, as Malle didn't pose for a snap with Wintour.

Malle arrived solo on the red carpet early in the night wearing a marigold-orange chiffon gown by New York designer Colleen Allen, which she paired with Old-Hollywood style curls and a silver charm necklace by Fred Leighton jewelry.

The dress was inspired by Flaming June, a classical painting by Sir Frederic Leighton.

For her part, Wintour looked like her typical glamorous self, sporting a dramatic, turquoise and black feathered jacket by Chanel, paired with her signature black sunglasses and styled bob.

The two Vogue stars were not seen interacting much on the red carpet, while fans on social media were left underwhelmed by Malle's sartorial choice.