The Met Gala is the (Mc)Queen of Red Carpets

by The Fashion Cult

Few things have the power to pull me out of style slumber like the Costume Institute’s annual gala. Especially so, when there’s McQueen in the air. This year the ball-goers event toasted the opening of “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty” – and exhibition of the late designers work, which opens at NYC’s Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 4. I’m hoping to be as riveted by the exhibit as I was by the fashion history show at the V&A c. 2004 – the same year I began to realize that fashion might be more than just a passing fancy for me. I’ll be stopping through New York on my way to Paris this month & though I may take care of a touch of business while I’m there, a visit to the Met was a big motivator for my intentional 2-day layover.

The red carpet for the annual gala is truly the best of all the red carpets around the year. After all, at events like the Academy Awards, for example, stars are doing their best to be beautiful and often play it safe. At the Costume Institute, however, the avante garde is embraced (even if still rare) and drama is applied with a heavy hand. I love seeing designers arrive with stars and starlets draped in their creations. Just look at them beaming like proud mommies presenting their bouncing babies. More highlights from the arrivals in the gallery following.

Below, Clockwise from top left: Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel with Blake Lively; Jennifer Hudson with Vera Wang; Diane Kruger with Jason Wu; Franciso Costa for Calvin Klein with Zoe Saldana; Tory Burch with Kanye West; & Zac Posen with Christina Ricci.