The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual Costume Institute benefit gala is unofficially one of fashion’s biggest nights – Ralph Lauren declares it the “Super Bowl of fashion.” A-listers, armed with their $25,000 tickets, came together Monday night in their most adventurous outfits to make an impression and celebrate fashion as an art at the Vogue-sponsored event. And while some of the sartorial choices on Monday shone, many fell flat, and some were just perplexing. I present to you my picks for best, worst, and WTF-inducing – feel free to voice your opinions in the comments!
The Good
Rihanna in Tom Ford. RiRi stunned in a backless crocodile dress, managing to effortlessly look elegant and sexy as hell at the same time.
Rooney Mara in Givenchy Haute Couture by Ricardo Tisci. Rooney Mara is quickly becoming one of my red-carpet favorites, and she did not disappoint in this gorgeous goth-chic creation.
Scarlett Johansson in Dolce & Gabbana. Did the Avengers star make my best-dressed selection because of my unfailing crush on her? Possibly. But you can’t deny that she looked ravishing in her custom dress and tousled hair. Take a closer look at her adorbs, hippy-dippy arm tattoo here.
Jessica Alba in Michael Kors. This liquid-gold dress is on the simpler side, but the color looks sensational on her skin, and her asymmetical hair/dress combo is killer. She’s serving updated Hollywood glam, extremely hot.
Solange Knowles in Rachel Roy. I guess I’m so used to Solange Knowles’s red carpet, uh, “situations,” that I was blown away by this simply chic, architectural yellow dress. Also, love the natural hair.
Beyoncé in Givenchy. If it was anyone else, this peekaboo lacey contraption would have been listed under “bad.” But as it’s Beysus Christ, I’m on the fence…not sure if I love it or hate it.
Honorable mentions: January Jones in Versace, Jessica Stam in Dior Couture, Maya Haile in Ralph Lauren
The Bad
Kate Bosworth in Prada. The dark lippie is fab, and the topknot works, but the dress is extremely Muppety. And not in a good way.
Mary-Kate Olsen in her own design for The Row. For such a naturally pretty girl, Mary-Kate sure loves to make herself look older on the red carpet. It’s kind of a Morticia-meets-Golden-Girls getup, but we salute her for wearing something that doesn’t make her look totally nude.
Elizabeth Banks in Mary Katranzou. Even Effie Trinket would give a thumbs-down to this ill-fitting mishmash of craziness. The clashing patterns feel like an assault on my eyeballs.
Lily Collins in Valentino. Hey Lily, Miss Havisham called, she does not want that dress back.
M.I.A. in Stella McCartney. I love M.I.A. with all my heart, but she was unusually off her game in this blah skirtsuit and big hair.
Lena Dunham in Wes Gordon. Dunham’s probably too cool to care about this kind of frivolousness, but at the Met Gala, you should pull out the big guns. I was most confused by the neon pink shoes being paired with that dress. (Is it an abstract reference to watermelon Bubblicious?) Still, out of all the guests, she’s the girl we’d most like to sit next to, hands-down.
Jessica Chastain in Louis Vuitton. That dress is a debacle. It makes me feel like I’m trapped in a blue cage of emotion.
Honorable mentions: Sarah Jessica Parker in Valentino, Rachel Zoe in her own design, Alexa Chung in Marc Jacobs
The WTF
Lana Del Rey in Joseph Altazarra. The disco-ball dress isn’t that bad, and I dig the dark lipstick (that seems to be quite a trend). But the cape confuses me. It looks like it should be on a kid’s cheap Halloween costume, not on a red carpet for one of the biggest events of the year. On the plus side, this cape is gonna be spot-on when she’s greeting trick-or-treaters in a few months.
Diane Kruger in Prada. I wanted to love this, but the lack of any discernable waist and the apparent weight of the hem make Kruger look like she’s being swallowed by a rapidly encroaching fur monster.
Kirsten Dunst in Rodarte. I see, and appreciate, the Coco Chanel/Joan Crawford thing that Dunst was going for. But the orange makes her usually alabaster skin look a little “Tan Mom.” I’d give this outfit an A for idea, C for execution.
Florence Welch in Alexander McQueen. OK, I know that Florence Welch is known for her otherworldly style, but (no disrespect to Sarah Burton) this is just too much. Can you imagine sitting down in that thing? And are the little scaly skin flakes soft or scratchy? It raises a lot of uncomfortable questions.
Honorable mention: Bianca Brandolini in Dolce & Gabbana
(Images via Yahoo, Zimbio, Daily Mail)
