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Showing posts with label met gala. Show all posts
Showing posts with label met gala. Show all posts
Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between
When this year's Met Costume Institute exhibition theme was announced, I was ecstatic. Rei Kawakubo, the iconic Comme des Garçons designer, is one of the most innovative minds in fashion, and her avant-garde styles rarely get the red carpet moments they deserve. To put it plainly, Comme des Garçons is not for the faint of heart, with wild shapes and dramatic silhouettes that few have the confidence to pull off. But surely the red carpet set at the Met Gala would be game?
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| Rihanna slaying on the 2015 Met Gala Red Carpet |
The Met Gala is referred to as the Oscars for the fashion crowd, and my, it didn't disappoint! This year's fashion exhibit theme was "China: Through the Looking Glass" and featured different fashions from and inspired by the country of China. Celebrities had a lot of fun with the theme and drew from Chinese art and culture for the designs of their seriously fabulous dresses. There was plenty of vibrant red, silk, and general extravagance to go around.
Here were my favorite red carpet moments from the evening:
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| Janelle Monae in H&M |
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| Rose Byrne in Calvin Klein Collection |
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| Lily Collins in Chanel Haute Couture |
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| Xiao Wen Ju in Marc Jacobs |
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| Lily Aldridge in Carolina Herrera |
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| Rihanna in Guo Pei |
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| Lizzy Caplan in Donna Karan Atelier |
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| Diane Kruger in Chanel |
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| Anne Hathaway in custom Ralph Lauren |
One sidenote: what's up with all the transparent dresses with strategically-placed jewels and embellishments? Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez, AND Beyonce all showed up to the Met in sheer gowns that left very little to the imagination. This spawned a dinner conversation about whether or not the women were wearing any underwear and how comfortable (or rather, uncomfortable) those dresses probably were. Gorgeous, yes, but I'm a bit tired of the trend.
To be fair, I probably liked J-Lo's the best. It featured a red dragon spiraling around her body and was therefore the most in-theme, but seriously, I'd love to see her try a fit-n-flare dress with a turtleneck and maxi skirt for once just to switch things up.
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| Kim Kardashian in Roberto Cavalli | Beyonce in Givenchy | Jennifer Lopez in Versace Atelier |
Also, is it just me, or did this year's theme lend itself to some awkward moments of cultural appropriation? I'm happy to see Asian fashion getting the recognition it deserves (often times much more innovative than what we see in New York, Paris, and Milan) but the Met Gala outfits usually try to play off the theme, and I couldn't help but notice there were some strange moments. Queen of Met Gala fashion Sarah Jessica Parker's crazy flame headdress, for example, seemed a bit much. I appreciated the more subtle nods to eastern influences, like the gorgeous silks and jewel tones of the evening to the loud, caricature-like costumes that some chose for the event.
Who were your picks for best-dressed at the 2015 Met Gala?
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| Arizona Muse in Ralph & Russo | Karolina Kurkova in Marchesa | Liu Wen in Zac Posen |
The biggest names in fashion came out for the annual Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art last night, this time to celebrate the opening of the exhibit on American couturier Charles James.
To celebrate the iconic eveningwear designer's penchant for the elegant and the dramatic, celebrities donned full skirts in rich fabrics, opulent jewels, and timeless silhouettes. There were plenty of hits and an astonishingly large amount of misses as well, but let's focus on the winning outfits of the evening, shall we?
Arizona Muse, Karolina Kurkova, and Liu Wen all rose to the occasion in dramatic full-skirted ballgowns, all looking lovely in their sophisticated ensembles. The three looked every bit the Charles James girl in such classic evening looks, and I'm sure the late designer would have loved to dress these stylish women.
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| Blake Lively in Gucci Premiere | Idina Menzel in Donna Karan | Allison Williams in Oscar de la Renta |
Other starlets like Blake Lively, Idina Menzel, and Allison Williams opted for form-fitting gowns with dramatic trains that made a bold statement. All three looked elegant, Old-Hollywood, and goddess-like in their custom gowns. I was especially delighted to see Blake back on the red carpet (with husband Ryan Reynolds looking extremely handsome by her side) after an absence at Hollywood events.
Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield were another well-dressed celebrity couple on the red carpet last night. Stone stunned in a pink Thankoon crop top and wrapped maxi skirt, and her perfectly messy braid was one of my favorite beauty looks of the evening. She looked absolutely gorgeous without looking stuffy.
And in one of the most unexpected looks of the evening, fashion darling Lupita Nyong'o dazzled in a custom Prada dress that seemed to have hopped out of the most recent Great Gatsby film. You know Lupita had fun with the dress and I think that is why it works so well on her - on most others it would have looked cheesy, but on Lupita it is fun and fresh.
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| Ming Xi in Michael Kors | Rosie Huntington-Whitely in Balmain | Emma Stone in Thankoon | Lupita Nyong'o in Prada |
Who were your favorite looks of the evening? Are you planning on visiting the Charles James exhibit this summer?
The theme of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's fashion exhibition for 2013 is "PUNK: Chaos to Couture" and the stars came out on Monday night for the Met Gala, dressed in studs, safety pins, and everything in between.
Some celebrities took great pleasure in the theme and used it as an excuse to wear fun, punk-inspired clothing and costume. Others still kept punk influences in their designer looks but went for couture more than chaos. And some stayed true to their personal styles and used the Met Gala - often called the Oscars of fashion - as simply another night to wear a fabulous outfit.
Sarah Jessica Parker in her usual over-the-top, whimsical style, went full-out for the night's theme in a mohawk-style hairpiece by Philip Treacy, Giles Deacon dress, and fabulous thigh-high plaid boots from Christian Louboutin. The reviews of her ensemble have been mixed, but I think it's a fun homage to the punk culture.
Teen fashion darling Elle Fanning took a daring turn in a red, white, and blue tie-dyed Rodarte gown and heavy blue winged eye makeup. The look is very edgy and all, but it's just not that pretty, so I'd call it a rare fashion misstep for Elle.
Kerry Washington wore a violet floral gown by Vera Wang but kept it edgy with a black taffeta train, black leather gloves, and purple streaks in her hair. A perfect combination of sophistication and punk, chaos and couture.
Rising star Aubrey Plaza absolutely blew me away in this Marios Schwab medieval-inspired cape dress. It was a great fashion statement that took influence from the gala's theme without going overboard.
And of course black was in high abundance. Channelling Debbie Harry was Anne Hathaway, who wore a stunning black gown from the Valentino archives and sported a blonde pixie cut. Anne herself was surprised that the Valentino - usually a dressmaker for prim and proper ladies - fit the theme so well.
Supermodel Miranda Kerr went a sexy, glam route in a cut-out Michael Kors. Her look was boundary-pushing while still sticking to her signature Victoria's Secret Angel style.
Elsewhere, Miley Cyrus went full-out goth-punk in a black mesh Marc Jacobs dress and spikey blonde hair. I would hate the look anywhere else, but I love her take on the theme on this occasion.
Gisele Bundchen rocked out in an Anthony Vaccarello mini with chainlink details holding it all together. I would never be bold enough to rock such a daring cut, but Gisele makes it look so effortless. Again, playing with the theme while sticking to her style.
Some celebrities took great pleasure in the theme and used it as an excuse to wear fun, punk-inspired clothing and costume. Others still kept punk influences in their designer looks but went for couture more than chaos. And some stayed true to their personal styles and used the Met Gala - often called the Oscars of fashion - as simply another night to wear a fabulous outfit.
Sarah Jessica Parker in her usual over-the-top, whimsical style, went full-out for the night's theme in a mohawk-style hairpiece by Philip Treacy, Giles Deacon dress, and fabulous thigh-high plaid boots from Christian Louboutin. The reviews of her ensemble have been mixed, but I think it's a fun homage to the punk culture.
Teen fashion darling Elle Fanning took a daring turn in a red, white, and blue tie-dyed Rodarte gown and heavy blue winged eye makeup. The look is very edgy and all, but it's just not that pretty, so I'd call it a rare fashion misstep for Elle.
Kerry Washington wore a violet floral gown by Vera Wang but kept it edgy with a black taffeta train, black leather gloves, and purple streaks in her hair. A perfect combination of sophistication and punk, chaos and couture.
Rising star Aubrey Plaza absolutely blew me away in this Marios Schwab medieval-inspired cape dress. It was a great fashion statement that took influence from the gala's theme without going overboard.
And of course black was in high abundance. Channelling Debbie Harry was Anne Hathaway, who wore a stunning black gown from the Valentino archives and sported a blonde pixie cut. Anne herself was surprised that the Valentino - usually a dressmaker for prim and proper ladies - fit the theme so well.
Supermodel Miranda Kerr went a sexy, glam route in a cut-out Michael Kors. Her look was boundary-pushing while still sticking to her signature Victoria's Secret Angel style.
Elsewhere, Miley Cyrus went full-out goth-punk in a black mesh Marc Jacobs dress and spikey blonde hair. I would hate the look anywhere else, but I love her take on the theme on this occasion.
Gisele Bundchen rocked out in an Anthony Vaccarello mini with chainlink details holding it all together. I would never be bold enough to rock such a daring cut, but Gisele makes it look so effortless. Again, playing with the theme while sticking to her style.
Who were your favorites at the Met Gala this year?
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