We've all been there. You get the invitation to a party and the dress code is "party" or "dress to impress". Impossible.
So imagine being a Hollywood starlet and finding out the dress code for this year's Met Gala is Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between.
As the New York Times' Vanessa Friedman put it when describing Kawakubo, the Japanese designer is among modern fashion's most influential and yet somehow anti-fashion designers.
"She refuses to accept any of the rules that govern normal clothing design: that clothes need to be flattering, for example, or that they need to have armholes ... She goes where most other designers fear to tread, which is to say, into the realm of clothes that look really, really weird."
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If you're anything like Riri or Rita Ora or even Katy Perry (though the comparisons to Lady Gaga are probably deserved), you take the Met Gala's mission statement - that it's the time and place to take real fashion risks - and you run with it.
You can do "weird" and still look a million bucks. Blake Lively's bird-like Versace gown, Gigi Hadid's structural nude meringue, Cara Delevingne's spangled suit (with bonus silver-sprayed scalp) and Ashley Graham's red velvet cheesecake corseted ensemble were just some of the highlights.
Other celebrities just played it too safe, and didn't nod to theme. Jessica Chastain, Diane Kruger, Katie Holmes, Emma Roberts, Kylie Jenner, Gisele Bundchen, Alexa Chung – you're all on notice for next year.
The winners on the day were the celebrities who weren't afraid to play with proportion and leave their safe space, if only for one night.
Girls creator Lena Dunham, sporting a Planned Parenthood pin on her voluminous Elizabeth Kennedy gown, showcased one of the few political statements on the red carpet. Her burgundy gingham gown ticked plenty of boxes.
And thank god for Rihanna. In 2015, she was called a "fried egg" and this year she's won the acclaim of the internet for her high concept look. And no-one will accuse her of being boring, which at the Met Gala, is the ultimate insult.
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