Costume Institute Gala at the Met

In some ways the Costume Institute Gala at the Met is like the Superbowl for the fashion world, even more so than the Oscars. Those that attend the Gala seems to let loose more than at the Oscars which equals some really good fashion and some really awful fashion.

First up, the awful stuff. On the left is a photo of talented designer Vera Wang and talented actress Rachel Weiss. I don't really have much to say about Wang's dress, it's sort of nice in a neutral way. Weiss's dress is good at the beginning but then it goes all wacky with the yellow underlayer. Next we have Stella McCartney who I am concerned has a jumpsuit addiction. It would have been really great as a dress with pockets, not as a jumpsuit with pockets.

The ensemble on the left reminded me of Demi Moore's biker short/bustier/train monstrosity worn to the Academy awards in the early 90's. The furry peacock cape is not a good look.

Speaking of capes, why has Andre Leon Talley (of Vogue Magazine, no less) chosen to shroud himself in this?:

I'm vaguely confused by the stripes down his arms. Was he wearing a tracksuit and though, "Oh crap! I have the Met gala tonight and I'm wearing a knock off Adidas track suit!" With that realization perhaps he wrapped himself in a tent and decided that no one would notice once he put on spangly pilgrim shoes and a huge necklace. Just wondering.

Next up we have Miranda Kerr in Jil Stuart. She's so cute but this dress is horrible. It looks uncomfortable. One false move and your'e exposed. It almost looks like she's holding her clutch there just incase something slips. Awkward.

Next up is Liz Goldwyn in Rodarte. I'm not sure who Liz Goldwyn is exactly but her dress reminds me of that licorice candy, Good 'n Plenty. Does anyone else see that? Maybe there was an accident.
Kerry Washington wearing Louis Vuttion. The skirt length combined with her ribbon shoes and stance make her look like a wind up doll. In my amature opinion, the dress could have worked if it was longer and NOT poofy. It could have been a really great dress, even with the sort of wacky pink accents.

This picture reminds me of the Flight of the Conchords episode. Trick photography anyone? Apparently Eva Herzigova had her make-up done by the same people who did Rachel Weiss.

My friend Emily and I tried to figure out what exactly Debbie Harry was wearing. Is it pajama pants? A business wear top from the eighties? A shawl? A cape? We gave up.

And now, the good stuff.

I really liked this dress by Marc Jacobs worn by Rose Byrne. I love the color, the fluidity, and the contrast of the metal belt. She's lucky she can pull off yellow. Yellow is like a bit of sunshine, or lemon meringue pie, or a marigold. It is fantastic when done right.

When I saw this picture my first thought was, "Who Elizabeth Hurley-ed Anne Hathaway?" Really, who did it? I do like the color of the dress, it is really flattering for her skin tone. It just doesn't look like her at all. Actually, this reminds of something she would more likely wear:
A beautiful Elie Saab couture gown worn by...
Whoa! Elizabeth Hurley! Who Anne Hathaway-ed Elizabeth Hurley? Maybe it's a freaky Friday-like switch that will magically be undone at the end of the night.

Or not.

I loved this Chanel Haute Couture dress worn by Edita Vilkevicitute. The combination of fabrics and textures is really great. I'm not as wild about the overflow of the overlay at the hem but it's not much to complain about.

My runner up for favorite dress is this Chanel dress worn by Diane Kruger. I love the texture of the dress even though it is a bit short. I also love the fact that she chose to pair it with black accessories which is kind of unexpected.

My favorite dress was this vintage Harvey Berin worn by Katie Lee Joel (yep, she's married to Billy Joel.) I just really love this dress. I also love the fact that her clutch, belt, and shoes compliment each other rather than match completely. I wonder what it would look like if the sheer overlay had an under layer on the shoulder area, and then the color could carry over into the belt and the band on the hem. Hmmmmm...