A glowing fibre optic dress is everything fashion lovers needed from the 2016 Met Gala

Based on what we've come to expect from celebrity culture in recent years, it seemed almost certain ahead of the 2016 Met Gala in New York City that someone like Beyoncé, or Kim Kardashian, or even Kanye West would generate the most buzz with what they wore to Monday night's event.

This was not the case – and it wasn't because Madonna outshone them all by exposing her butt.

The starlet in this year's most-coveted gown didn't show much skin, in fact, especially compared to all the peek-a-booty "naked dresses" on the Met Gala red carpet in 2015.

The belle of the ball was Homeland actress Claire Danes.

Danes looked breathtaking, wearing a princess-blue Zac Posen gown befitting Cinderella herself.

Beautiful? Of course – but so were almost all the gowns on the red carpet Monday evening for the annual fundraising gala to benefit the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute.

What makes this particular dress more interesting than, say, Kanye's equally blue (and mildly robotic-looking) contact lenses?

About 30 mini-battery packs sewn into layers upon layers of fibre optic woven organza, apparently. As the teens would say, this dress is lit:

The hype actually started building for Posen's unique, glow-in-the-dark gown before anyone even knew Danes would be wearing it.

The celebrated American fashion designer shared a cryptic snap of a mysterious blond celebrity being fitted ahead of the gala, prompting his fans to wonder, "Who's that girl?"

Then, he shared what the dress looks like when the lights go out.

This drove the masses crazy. Several names were floated amongst Twitterati as to who the lucky woman wearing the dress might be – Rachel McAdams, Heidi Klum, and Lady Gaga among them. But when Danes showed up to the ball with Posen on her arm, the secret was out.

Lucky for the well-liked actress, fashion lovers seemed more congratulatory than jealous. Overall, Danes wore what turned out to the most widely praised of anything on the Met red carpet this year.

While the positive reception might appear to be a good thing for Posen, it's actually kind of bittersweet – unless, of course, he has thousands of these dresses ready to sell immediately. 

Check out more photos from the 2016 Met Gala below, or replay our live blog of the red carpet arrivals here.