Filed under: art, beauty, best of, jewels, makeup, met gala, ornaments, party girls, statement dresses
Karen Elson. Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda.
2015 Met Gala: “China: Through The Looking Glass.”
Look, there’s only one right way to approach The Met Gala, OK?
Total Carpet Shut-Down. Behold, Karen Elson:
The Making Of.
The bodice adornments were applied on the body. Mindful of risking Karen’s fair complexion and red hair veering too far into Elizabethan territory, her glam squad avoided high hair, white-out paint and the centered cupid’s bow. They instead gave her a modern touch via sleek hair, a slightly-winged eye and full lip, rather than replicating Karen as Queen Elizabeth by Kevyn Aucoin, below right.
The Carry-Off.
This was a whole lot of look, that could have gone wrong in less capable hands. Karen carried it with a mix of regal air, humor, ease, and joy. And she Shut. It. Down.
Jackie in Valentino at the 1979 Met Gala. The theme was “The Imperial Style: Fashions of the Hapsburg Era.” 22 years later, the theme would be hers: “Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years.”
1979: Jackie’s off-shoulder tiers and ruffles echo the Hapsburg theme.
2001: Then-First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton admires Jackie’s tribute.
Princess Diana, 1996 Met Gala.
A slip dress, appropriately enough for the 90s.
Navy satin, black lace – – and you know that ain’t no costume jewelry.
This was John Galliano’s first-ever gown for Dior. Fashion history.
The dress.
The jewels, hair and makeup.
The back, the bag and the bubbly.
The Di shy-side-eye.
Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra twice every summer take over Governors Island, just off the Southern tip of Manhattan, for The Jazz Age Lawn Party. The ferry to the island turns the clock back nearly a century, as Jazz Age fashion, music, dancing, cocktails and cars await party-goers. Inspired by the era of Gatsby, dolls and dandies don their finest and come out to play. This year brought a scorching heat wave to the party and IT. WAS. HOT.
But that just meant more delicious cocktails by St. Germain for all!
“Queen Esther”
Fine and Dandy Shop
VIP Tent
Decades of Style
Michael Arenella, leading the orchestra
MET GALA 2015 ROUND-UP
“CHINA: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS”
1. Too much showgirl. I thought what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas??
2. Too much boring. Boring pisses me off at awards shows. Boring makes me *stabby* at the Met Gala.
Or…….. in the words of my sister: “Not enough crazy shit.” Truth.
Beyonce, Givenchy
Girl. Put some clothes on.
Zhang Ziyi, Carolina Herrera
Ahhhh, a palate cleanser of elegance.
Oh, good. More Pink Prada Problems.
Olivia Wilde. No.
Kerry Washington. No.
And did Lily Pulitzer have a hand in this?
Reese Witherspoon, Jason Wu
Look. Wear some trite to the Met Gala?
Like, oh say, a plain red strapless?
You’re banned. For life.
From *everything*.
Zendaya, Fausto Puglisi
My favorite.
Sienna Miller, Thakoon
Also my favorite.
SJP, H&M
Eh. I mean, ok, it’s bringing the crazy so there’s that. But, as much as I despise SJP, I give her due props for the way she usually brings it at the Met Gala. She goes for it. And she went for it here, but it’s not terribly attractive and reads as costume. Sure, the party is for the The Met’s Costume Institute, but that doesn’t make it a masquerade ball.
(P.s. Thanks to all outlets noting that this is actually *custom* H&M. Because, y’know, otherwise I was going to be confused and go look for it at the mall.)
Fan Bing Bing, Christopher Bu
And, finally…..the one that made me stare, slack-jawed.
It fits the theme while being artful and fabulous, but not costume-y. It’s %1,000 Met Gala-worthy. It’s elegant but full of BAM.
The cape evokes stained glass (“through the looking glass,” indeed!) and Fan’s carrying the look with the air of resplendence it calls for and the “I got this” ease that great style is made of.
Filed under: art
TRANSFORMATIONS BY
MAKEUP ARTIST KEVYN AUCOIN
Calista Flockhart…
As Audrey Hepburn
Martha Stewart…
As Veronica Lake
Amber Valletta…
As Both Clark Gable *AND* Carole Lombard
Drew Barrymore…
As Myrna Loy
Tina Turner…
As Cleopatra
Hilary Swank…
As Raquel Welch
Winona Ryder…
As Liz Taylor
Alexandra von Furstenberg…
As Cher
Kiara Kabakuru…
As Diana Ross
Christy Turlington…
As Marisa Berenson
Liza Minnelli…
As Marilyn Monroe
Julianne Moore…
As Twiggy
Gwyneth Paltrow…
As James Dean
Carolina Herrera
I especially love the bows where the straps meet the bodice.
Michael Kors
Hot pink, a great necklace and sleek hair.
J.Crew
Michelle loves her J.Crew – – and they love her for it!
And I love a FLOTUS who gets down with some high-low fashion.
You think Laura Bush has the modern sensibility to do H&M and J.Crew?
Yeah, no.
Peter Soronen
This is a woman who loves her statement necklaces —
And knows how to deploy them.
Calvin Klein
Because *chartreuse*, dahlings!
Halston
Bringing that signature Halston 70’s flavor.
The lookbook pic really highlihts how well Michelle
amped up the shape, color and styling of this dress.
Duro Olowu
A superfun vacation-ready dress, orange shoes…. and The White House emblem.
Because why not?
J’adore.
Naeem Khan
If I asked you 7 years ago if this look – – complete with metallic print, statement earrings and loads of bangles – – was for a Hollywood actress or the First Lady…
Would you have ever guessed First Lady?
GO AHEAD, MICHELLE.
L’Wren Scott
Adorbs. That is all.
Thom Browne
Thom Browne is mostly a meanswear designer.
This coat is based on the print used on one of Thom’s menswear ties.
Take a man’s tie, then envision it as a coat-dress with a jeweled belt,
suede-detailed boots and contrasting gloves? Skillz.
J.Crew
More high-low fabulosity.
Alexander McQueen
This. Gown. I cry hungry tears of want for this gown.
Michelle’s Best Ever. (So far…)
Filed under: art
Well, Valentino pretty much owns red and now it looks like he is making a run on blue as well. Super-sleek cobalt to riffs on Chinese Blue & White Porcelain. So beautiful.
1. Jennifer Aniston displayed why she is on the suckbag list. A poorly-hemmed dark plum (not much of a departure from black, really) borefest with ugly shoes for a movie premiere followed by – surprise! – a black cocktail dress and black sandals for Jimmy Fallon. And exactly the same damn hair and makeup. I’m not even going to bother posting pics. Total yawn.
2. This is someone called Crystal Reed wearing the shorter, strapped version of that Carolina Herrera that Lucy Liu wore to the Golden Globes. I loved it on Lucy, kinda bored with Crystal’s styling here, but mostly I wish someone would do this dress justice by pairing it with red. They really got it right in that lookbook pic, with the red lips and shoes.
3. Diane Kruger. Mary Katrantzou. LOVE.
4. The planet is being taken over by floral-on-black, non?
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