Met Gala 2012!

Karolina Kurkova in Rachel Zoe.

It’s that time again! Tonight, The Metropolitan Museum of Art hosted one of the most fun nights in fashion, the annual Met “Ball” Gala benefitting the Costume Institute! The event brings together some of the biggest names in the fashion industry from designers to models to editors of world-renowned publications. The gala also celebrates the opening of a new exhibit. This year’s exhibit Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations “explores the striking affinities between Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada, two Italian designers from different eras…focusing on how both women explore similar themes in their work through very different approaches.” It will be on view from May 10-August 19, 2012.

On the exhibit, the museum’s website adds:

The exhibition will showcase approximately ninety designs and thirty accessories by Schiaparelli (1890–1973) from the late 1920s to the early 1950s and by Prada from the late 1980s to the present. Drawn from The Costume Institute’s collection and the Prada Archive, as well as other institutions and private collections, signature objects by both designers will be arranged in seven themed galleries: “Waist Up/Waist Down,” “Ugly Chic,” “Hard Chic,” “Naïf Chic,” “The Classical Body,” “The Exotic Body,” and “The Surreal Body.”

The Met Ball, also known as “Fashion Prom,” encourages attendees to abandon their fashion inhibitions for the night, and many do just that. Check out my picks as well as pics from the red carpet below!

Beyonce in Givenchy.

Amy Adams in Giambattista Valli.

Paula Patton in Vera Wang.

 

Lala Anthony in Zac Posen.

Jessica Pare in L’wren Scott.

Sarah Jessica Parker in/with Valentino.

Solange Knowles in Rachel Roy.

Ginnifer Goodwin (with a different shoe).

Jessica Stam in Dior.

Kanye West in Givenchy.

Hamish Bowles (right) is fearless.

The Queen Anna Wintour in Prada.

 

And now, a few fashion fails:

Florence Welch…

Coco Rocha…

Mary-Kate Olsen. Maybe I just don’t get it…

Kirsten Dunst. Where did you think you were going???

Any thoughts on the night’s fashions?

Met Honors McQueen!

Little over  a year ago, the fashion world lost one of its most gifted designers. Alexander McQueen had conquered the fashion industry, designing for Givenchy and his namesake McQueen brand. To honor his indelible legacy, the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art has created a 100-piece exhibit.  Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty will include archived pieces dating back to McQueen’s inaugural show at Central Saint Martin.

Museum curator Andrew Bolton told WWD, “[McQueen] really was one of the most provocative voices of the past 30 years in fashion. His catwalk presentations were outstanding and straddle art and fashion. We wanted to get across two elements—the spectacle of the runway presentations and the beauty of his craftsmanship.“

The exhibit will also include pieces from his most recent, posthumously presented collection.

Jonathan Akeroyd-CEO of Alexander McQueen– stated:

“We felt it would be a great opportunity to show Lee’s work and his incredible contribution to the world of fashion and art. It felt like the right thing to do. Lee loved the museum. It will give us a great opportunity to show Lee’s work and the Alexander McQueen brand to a much broader community. It’s the greatest tribute and important for his legacy, but it’s also an exciting new chapter in the history of the brand.”

The exhibit will launch May 2nd in conjunction with the annual Met Costume Institute Gala and run through July 31st.  More pics below…

*Thanks to Jim Shi for the photos