Forget restraint and playing it safe. Celebrities and designers descended en masse, and looked uniformly dramatic and amazing, at New York’s premier fashion event, the Costume Institute Benefit Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday night. The theme was “China: Through the Looking Glass,” and while that kind of mattered, it also kind of didn’t. The celebs clearly read the invitation as “We are going all out, bitches. ALL OUT.”
Sarah Jessica Parker wore a headdress, J.Lo came in a bit of material that covered things—ish—and while Rihanna looked like she had won the evening outright in an amazing yellow gown, Beyoncé had not yet arrived. Then Beyoncé arrived. Oh my goodness, then Beyoncé arrived. Her Givenchy gown featured embroidery that barely covered what it needed to cover, but it did—just about. And it is probably one of the most stunning red carpet looks of recent times: daring, glamorous, beautiful, audacious, show-stopping. We are still breathless.
Larry Busacca/Getty Images
Rihanna took over the whole red carpet with an amazing yellow gown by Guo Pei that also made her look like one giant omelet. A very glamorous omelet. Rihanna almost won the night, and she’ll be jolly tasty for breakfast, too.
Larry Busacca/Getty Images
Anna Wintour surprises those expecting something more austere as she breaks out the spring blossoms in Chanel. Ruffle shoulders, everyone. Make a note: RUFFLE SHOULDERS!
Andrew Kelly/Reuters
Actor John Boyega, who plays Finn in Star Wars: Episode VII—The Force Awakens and is about to become very famous.
Lucas Jackson/Reuters
Everyone else can go home, because giant omelet or no, scraps of material or no, supermodels or no...there is only one Grace Coddington. Here the creative director of Vogue outclasses all comers in printed silk pajamas. Say, “We love you, Grace,” pay homage, then go home. Your evening is done.
Lucas Jackson/Reuters
Sarah Jessica Parker in inferno-tastic Philip Treacy headdress, which almost makes you want to ring 9-1-1, and custom H&M gown, which ruches and ruffles until there is nothing left to ruche and ruffle. The truly admirable thing is, she’ll go home and insist on cleaning the bathroom wearing this—she loves fashion that much.
Lucas Jackson/Reuters
Jennifer Lawrence plays it oddly demure in Dior Haute Couture, on a night of sartorial excess all around her. Who has stolen the real Jennifer Lawrence?
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Rarely has gold ever been so wanly, so undramatically, so totally drearily worn as here by Anne Hathaway. People made Star Wars jokes all night. Meh. This Ralph Lauren hooded nightmare makes her look like a glass of extremely flat Champagne.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Olivia Munn wins color combination of the night.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Many gorgeously dressed men peacocked on to the red carpet, and none better than Michael B. Jordan.
Andrew Toth/Getty Images for The Mark Hotel
Solange Knowles, in a brilliant Giles Deacon optical mind-fuck dress, which some meanies compared to a jellyfish. To us, it looks like it would still be very practical if she felt like accosting anyone later in an elevator. Just. If. She. Felt. Like. It.
Jamie McCarthy/FilmMagic
Kendall Jenner in a green Calvin Klein dress, so shimmeringly beautiful it will still probably reflect daylight in the dead of night.
Andrew Toth/Getty Images for The Mark Hotel
Kris Jenner, in a lot of red material done up like haute couture bandages, and with ear-rings that Vogue officially approved of later.
Larry Busacca/Getty Images
Lady Gaga looks more and more like an aging, severe ballet teacher, which is a favorite look and tricky to pull off. Here she is, knowing that the Met Gala evening means devil-may-care daring, and so a gown and evening coat by Balenciaga means she can swirl dramatically all evening. Excellent.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
It’s Cher in Marc Jacobs! Cher! Is! There! launches into verse of “Strong Enough”
Jamie McCarthy/FilmMagic
It’s the amazing international lawyer Amal Clooney, in Maison Margiela (which means disgraced designer John Galliano), and ooo-gawd, name escapes me, some guy, her husband, does, y’know, something, uses his silver hair a lot, name’s escaped me. But anyway, look him up. It’s very decent of her to take him on.
Jamie McCarthy/FilmMagic
The evening will probably end with Anna Wintour conspiring to leave him in a Temple of Dendur tomb or something. But this was the Biebs at the start of the night in a nifty gold dragon-embroidered jacket by Olivier Rousteing of Balmain.
Larry Busacca/Getty Images
In the battle of the deliberately underdressed, J.Lo totally beat Kim Kardashian West with this Versace dress that had photographers spying holes, and everyone else saying: Forget the side-boob, behold the side-ass. We say: Just behold J.Lo, and if you cannot do that and whoop, then really leave the rest of us alone, and dwell over a cheese sandwich, which you probably will find more interesting until we shallow bitches have stopped gawking. Because this is amazing.
Jamie McCarthy/FilmMagic
All evening we have worried about people tripping and breaking arms on these massive trains. Here, Kim Kardashian West and her immensely polite and not at all annoying husband, Kanye West, prepare to do some serious damage to people simply looking for a glass of wine. She is wearing Peter Dundas’s first gown for Italian luxury house Roberto Cavalli. But really, how many train-related injuries were there at the Met on Monday night? What happened when Kim’s train met Rihanna’s train? Very Fried Egg Chic.
Larry Busacca/Getty Images
Katy Perry in a loud, fabulous gown by Moschino’s Jeremy Scott and hair that totally reminds me of Jennifer Jason Leigh in Single White Female. Good for you, Katy!
Larry Busacca/Getty Images
More Jeremy Scott/Moschino for Madonna—and her album is spelled out on it in big letters. DID YOU KNOW THAT MADONNA HAS A NEW ALBUM OUT? GOOD, BECAUSE MADONNA HAS A NEW ALBUM OUT. REALLY, A NEW ALBUM, YOU SAY? YES, MADONNA. NEW ALBUM. Good, glad we’ve got that clear.
Jamie McCarthy/FilmMagic
Dear Helen Mirren, will you marry me? Signed: The World. One of the dresses of the evening, worn so beautifully.
Larry Busacca/Getty Images
Zendaya, in a beautiful sun-printed Fausto Puglisi gown, which looks like it may include its own side table for drinks.
Jamie McCarthy/FilmMagic
Our new favorite couple, Robert Pattinson and FKA twigs. She’s wearing an Alexander McQueen gown with a body painted on it, including a penis-looking shape if you look, err, hard enough. We hope they get sozzled with Helen Mirren at the after parties.
Jamie McCarthy/FilmMagic
Cara Delevingne in Stella McCartney jumpsuit and lots of tattoos, and looking, it seems, absolutely overjoyed to be there. Cheer up, dear, there’s free Champagne somewhere ’round the corner!
Larry Busacca/Getty Images
