OH, the met!

KATIE

If there's anything I love as much as fall fashion week, it's the Costume Institute's Gala at the Met. I mean, does life get any better than seeing the best looking faces wearing the best designers' clothes styled by the best stylists? The answer (if you haven't figured it out yourself) is absolutely not. I feel like this year there were so many outfits that I absolutely fell in love with. I can't even begin to describe how much I love some of the gowns this time around. There were also, however, plenty of ensembles which were far less than thrilling (that is, unless, like me, you get a great thrill out of seeing a horrific outfit and being able to talk freely about how much you hate it). In order to better express how I feel about this year's Gala, I give you the good, the bad, and the ugly...

The Good:

Jessica Alba in Sophie Theallet for GAP(!)

If you've read our blog in the past, you know how I feel about Ms. Alba. While the hair could be considered granny-esque, i love it with the soft color and draping of the dress. Maybe I'm a little biased toward the girl, but I think she looks great. Plus, can we talk about this "for Gap" thing at the end of Sophie Theallet!?

Diane Kruger in Calvin Klein

Definitely one of my top picks, surprisingly enough. Generally my favorite gowns are the classically draped ones in rich colors that are usually found hugging the curves of Anne Hathaway and the like, but this simple, white, body-covering dress stole the show for me. Even the minimalist hair, makeup, jewelry, and accessories unexpectedly look great with this very plain gown. Diane always knows what's up.

Sienna Miller in Emilio Pucci

...Can we just take a moment to soak in all that is good about this picture? 1) THE DRESS!, 2) the shoes, 3) makeup and hair, 4) Jude Freaking Law. Okay, I'll take Jude Law out of the equation to make my judgement of Sienna's outfit a little less biased; but in all seriousness, Sienna did great. The dress goes so well with her hair and skin, and it's just beautifully made. I mean, just look at all that lace, and the train, and the subtle sequins, and Jude Law...

Camilla Belle in Jason Wu

It comes across as a little too simple in the style.com shot, so I posted another picture to give a better idea of what this dress looks like. Perfectly fitted to her body, beautiful color, wonderful jewelry and makeup. Simplicity at it's best really.

Jessica Biel in Ralph Lauren Collection

While I'm not particularly fond of her hair seeing as it looks like she might have one of those claw-clippy things just holding up the back of it, I can't see the back of her head and so I'll give that aspect of her ensemble the benefit of the doubt. The dress, however, is perfect. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about it. I mean, that draping? It's like silk is melting down her body.

Anne Hathaway in Valentino

I don't care if anyone deems her hair "lackluster," the dress makes up for any of that. It's such a beautiful champagne color, and all of those pearly sequins are just about enough to make me cry with happiness. And the way it fits her is unreal! Did anybody out there ever get those Barbie birthday cakes where the doll's skirt was the actual cake? Well, Anne is a beautiful, champagne Barbie in this dress.

Karlie Kloss in Donna Karan

I adore Karlie and think that everything she does is perfect, including her gown and Ivanka Trump jewelry. Enough said.

Jamie Bochert in Rodarte for GAP!

I don't really like this dress a lot per say (or jamie bochert) but it's another one of those "for Gap" things, and Rodarte for Gap for that matter! I can't wait to go Google-crazy on this subject.

Donna Karan in her own design

This dress does great things for Donna's body! I imagine that it's probably very difficult for a woman who is over 60 to look this great (and in white nonetheless), so way to go Donna.

Gwen Stefani in LAMB

There might be a seam or two that I don't fully approve of, but the color and fit of this dress are perfect! She really looks quite heavenly in this gown, not to mention that stunning rock of a bracelet on her arm.

Caroline Trentini in Stavropoulos

So what if you can totally see through the dress completely, it fits her so well. Plus, it has a built-in cape, and, in the words of my very funny friend Hayden, "mumus and capes will always be in style." While I'm not sure how I feel on the bit about mumus, the cape reference sits solidly with me, especially when Caroline Trentini is wearing it.

Jennifer Lopez in Zuhair Murad

Can you believe the embellishment on this one? I absolutely cannot. It's like Marchesa's beading on crack. And what the color does for her skin and hair are amazing. I love that people are doing so many champagne golds this year.

There was The Good. What do you think? Any of my "good" not so good after all? Did I miss anybody? I'll leave you to ponder those looks and my critiques for now, and start working on the other two categories for tomorrow. I think I'm also going to add another category: The Undecided. There are so many looks I see and initially love/hate and then end up feeling unsure about my decision. We'll see what I have time for.

How did everybody else feel about the Met Gala?

-Katie

PS

My apologies for the different sizes of the photos I posted. They aren't all from the same source, so I couldn't get them very streamlined in appearance, but you get the point, right? Sources (other than style.com) are omg! and People Style.