tonight is the costume institute gala at the met, in honor of their “model as muse” exhibit. after seeing preview images from the gala, reading through may’s vogue (with their models of the moment cover) and fashionweekdaily’s runthrough of what everyone is wearing, i couldn’t have been more excited. tonight should be a fashion lover’s dream…instead it’s more like a nightmare.
too much fake tan. too much cleavage and leg all together. too much 80s hair. too many people pretending to be someone else. overall, too much fug. i’m not even going to bother with that list…let’s just say it’s long.
let’s focus on the positive. since the night is all about models, it’s only appropriate to start there. jessica stam glowed in a short rodarte that she delicately accessorized with small earrings and a bolder coral cuff. gisele and diane kruger brought out the big guns (and hot legs) in the form of versace and chanel respectively, and their hunky better halves (tom and joshua).
a few models did go long…like chanel iman (in zac posen), claudia schiffer (atelier versace), and iman (donna karan). the three, from three different modeling generations, all showing how to make a long gown feel young and fresh or modern and sophisticated.
after hearing that many models were boycotting the red carpet because of azzedine alaia’s omission from the exhibit, i wondered if we would get a true model moment on the red carpet. and then i saw shalom harlow. she was a vision in a black ruffled taffeta coat, slicked back hair and kohl rimmed eyes. on this evening, she was truly the model as muse.
celeb-wise, there were few highlights. my picks were kate bosworth (stella mccartney) and ashley olsen (the row), mainly because they looked appropriate based on the theme and let their own personal style shine through. i also like that both took a bit of a risk compared to past met gala ensembles.
fashionologie and the cut have more met coverage (and images), and of course style.com will have their slideshow up soon.
pics from celebutopia, daylife and wireimage