Every year Vogue hosts an event at Metropolitan Museum celebrating the annual opening of the Costume Institute’s fashion exhibit. This year the theme is Savage Beauty, dedicated to the late, great Alexander McQueen and his cultural revolutions of fashion. The Met Gala begins with a red carpet, but it’s not the typical boring sashaying of the tabloids’ finest, this carpet is studded with designers, editors, models, and celebrity muses. We’re covering the most and least savagely beautiful of The Costume Institute Met Gala: Savage Beauty.
ON THE COVER
→ Daphne Guinness, a dear friend of Alexander “Lee” McQueen, wears Sarah Burton’s Spring 2011 finale feathered finale gown. She looked gorgeous walking the carpet with Hamish Bowles and Nick Knight.
SAVAGES & BEAUTIES
Our favorite of the celebrity set was Alexa Chung’s outing in British designer, Christopher Kane. Differing from her gorgeous menswear-look from last year’s Costume Institute Gala, this fashion forward 60s shape is refined and futuristic in the best ways. We loved when she used her see-through plastic pocket!
→ GOLDEN GODDESSES
Both Mary J Blige and model, Coco Rocha, walked the red carpet in minimal column dresses accented by golden embellishments along the neckline and waist. We thought their relaxed elegance and opulent touches put them on the best dressed list.
→ DARK FLOWER
Kirsten Dunst and Rihanna both showed up in gorgeous black dresses covered in bright florals and lace appliqués, respectively. Kirsten’s Chanel look was relaxed, modern, and cool in a slightly demure-grandma way, which we loved. On the other hand, Rihanna’s was all about sensuality. We loved her bold, red braid and lengthening gown but the other side’s nude-illusion seemed a bit out of place and unnecessary.
→ COLOR STORY
Jennifer Lopez went out on the red carpet wearing a bold magenta color. While she is definitely the one celebrity who embodies Gucci, she looked a bit awkward in the look. The flowered shoulders engulfed her, and with the high neck making her head look like it was floating.
Brooklyn Decker’s bold bright pink was definitely a different story. We loved her long-sleeved minimalist fluoro-pink dress and the thigh-high slit provided just enough skin to balance out the retina burning color. The look was futuristic, modern, and fun.
→ WHITE WEDDING
Naomi Campbell and Serena Williams both arrived at The Met Gala in white gowns but we think the former succeeded in wearing their dress better than the latter, but that’s probably already obvious. Naomi, a dear friend of McQueen, naturally supported the House at this retrospective exhibit. We loved the dress but her hair was a bit pageant-y for our taste.
Serena Williams’ dress looked like furry Christmas-mess, and the fascinator doesn’t do her much justice. While we applaud her venture out of the fashion norm but she didn’t seem to be as successful as Campbell in wearing white.
FASHION INSIDERS
These authorities of fashion have style oozing out of their pores, and are the tastemakers of the world. We loved their ability to give glamorous avant garde looks in a classic and chic way.
→ THE EDITOR-AT-LARGE
Hamish Bowles’ tribute to Alexander McQueen in a Scottish-plaid tuxedo and cape combination was admirable and inspirational. The look was daring, dynamic, and incredibly appropriate for the occasion.
→ QUEEN OF VOGUE
Anna Wintour’s annual outing in Chanel was definitely a favorite of the night. The chevron patterned dress from Chanel Haute Couture with matching sequined bolero was a refreshingly modern twist on the Vogue editor-in-chief’s long dress and jacket combo.
→ AMERICA’S NEXT TOP EDITOR
Andre Leon Talley was definitely not in the realm of dreckitude at The Met Gala. We loved his cerulean blue version of his usual caped look. The cape provided drama, contrasting with the bold red carpet.
→ TOTALLY GAGA
Anna Dello Russo is revered for his unconventional takes on style, and we loved her choice of masculine-meets-feminine Alexander McQueen suit. While Lady Gaga was unable to make it, we deduced that she probably was sitting in Anna’s egg hat, which we weren’t a huge fan of. We love avant garde headwear but the stark white egg and floral wreath underneath seemed to look odd against the military-esque suit. Furthermore, the veil isn’t really helping the headpiece.
DESIGNER DUDS
Our favorite part about reviewing the Met Gala red carpet is definitely seeing all of the designers we love walking with the muses that inspire them. Sarah Burton’s takeover of the McQueen design house after the great designer’s passing, has definitely brought her to the forefront of fashion. Her Grecian grace definitely put her on the best dressed list.
Marc Jacobs and Diane Von Furstenberg definitely wowed in their bold prints; Jacobs in a Scottish plaid kilt and Von Furstenberg in a Wonderland-esque repeated card’s spade print.
Giambattista Valli arrived with and dressed Doutzen Kroes in a gigantic red ball gown which was minimal and dynamic but did have odd proportions.
Jason Wu’s gown for Diane Kruger was covered in metallic floral appliqués on a nude top paired with a long flowing skirt with the oh-so-trendy thigh high slit. We loved both of their understated and super-chic glamour.
Stefano Pilati and Florence Welch (performer of the night) were 70s glamour ready in all white. We loved the diaphanous fabrication of her Yves Saint Laurent gown, especially paired with her fiery red waves which gave an effortlessness to her entire look.
Tom Ford dressed both Carolyn Muphy and fellow designer Karl Lagerfeld. We much preferred the graphic black and white floral blazer of the Kaiser, especially in comparisson to the seemingly lingerie inspired purple mess-of-a-dress. Speaking of Karl, Blake Lively walked the carpet with him in Chanel Haute Couture. We’re never really big fans of the Gossip Girl’s looks and her shoes and jewelry definitely weren’t saving her look. We did enjoy the gilded bronze filigree on the under-sheath though.
Phillip Lim dressed Oh Land in a gorgeously minimal dress with emphasis on the yellow textured sleeves. It was simplicity with couture details which won us over and she was definitely one of our best dressed.
CATWALK (Mc)QUEENS
Models are always gorgeous and probably pull off high fashion better than everyone else, so it’s refreshing to see them on the red carpet showing off their style and getting recognition from the presses.
Lara Stone looked surprisingly unlike herself and while we love a minimal bright dress, we thought the neckline of this Calvin Klein gown, while showing off undoubtedly her most famous asset, looked a bit low and too similar to minimalist gowns of actresses during past award shows.
Karolina Kurkova wore Gaultier Paris and the silhouette, leggings (?), and mullet hemline left us confused. The extra lace straps on the top added to the confusion and excess of unneeded elements.
Karlie Kloss is boss. The young model wore Dior, naturally, and the glitzy gown was definitely glamorous in a way that mixed 90s relaxed youth and 50s Hollywood elegance. Her smile, confident pose, and sleek short hair definitely kept it klossy.
Jessica Stam is always ferocious, but her overly-pretty look for The Met was a bit too “prom” for the high fashion venue that is the Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute Gala. The Tommy Hilfiger dress was definitely pretty but the hair was old fashioned and the styling gave the look a connotation that was not modern or unique.
Natalia Vodianova was the standout of the model muses. In a black Valentino that played with feathers, beading, and architectural fabric, Natalia’s dress gave simple black some excitement and depth. We thought she was glamorous and appropriate for the event, taking ventures into the avant garde but still keeping everything polished and chic. Her dark black-rimmed eyes definitely topped off a high fashion look perfectly.
__________________________
Who were your personal best and worst dressed of the Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute Gala? Check out a full gallery of all the attendees on Style.com
__________________________
Everybody Is Ugly By Iris & Daniel
Don’t forget to follow EIU on twitter for more news updates on fashion! @everybodyisugly on Twitter for more EIU updates and the latest in fashion news + trends!
__________________________
Daphne Guinness Image via The Chic Buzz
Red Carpet Images via Style.com
Additional Red Carpet Images via JustJared
