The Bad:
M.I.A. in Alexander Wang for Gap, Anna Wintour in Chanel: I love Alexander Wang. I hate this dress. It looks like spiderwebs over a catsuit, and it has a turtleneck. No. Just no. Anna Wintour has definitely succeeded in looking the part of the Dragon Lady that she is, but this is just...too much. The stiff, Chinese-inspired jacket is a lot of look, and when put over that dress that really, really reminds me of window treatments, and all in that frosty silver hue...too much.
Abbie Cornish in Louis Vuitton, Jessica Szohr in Versace: I'll admit, I'm a little biased against Abbie Cornish (team Witherspoon!), but I blame this entirely on the dress. It looks like someone gave Maria from the Sound of Music a bunch of brothel curtains and asked her to make a tasteful red carpet gown. It looks heavy and old and a little sad. I don't really understand Jessica Szohr's dress (I struggle so much with that last name). There's so much going on, and so little of it makes sense. The nude fabric isn't the right color, the cut is awkward, and it just looks off. Girl does have a great pair of shoulders, though.
Rosario Dawson in Giambattista Valli, Blake Lively in Marchesa: There's really nothing right with this Giambattista Valli dress. The bodice is awkward, twee, and unflattering all at the same time, and the skirt looks like a rococo bedspread. The only upside here is that we all know now that Rosario Dawson has nice abs. Unless that's what she was going for all along, in which case, success! There's nothing necessary wrong with Blake Lively's Marchesa, but I think it's wrong for her. It's too short. Wayyyyy too short. And the ridiculous amount of skin she's exposing isn't being helped by the fact that she is orange and shiny. Like Hulk Hogan.
January Jones in YSL, Elizabeth Banks in Gucci: I think it's very clear that January Jones is gorgeous. What I don't understand is why she insists on trying not to look pretty. For instance, this YSL dress is a lot, with the fuchsia and the Gothic tracery, and I don't think adding the Cat Woman gloves, the pompadour, or the green-blue eyeshadow that goes all the way back to her temples was necessary AT ALL. Take away all of that, put her hair in a loose, slightly messy updo, and then picture it. I had a similar reaction to Elizabeth Banks. The dress by itself is a statement (I mean, it's Gucci). And there are like 500 feathers on it, and black sheer lace. Deciding to wear lace tights and stripper heels, as well as stripper makeup just pushes it way too far over the edge. WAY too far. I'd expect this on Miley Cyrus, not Elizabeth Banks.
Chloe Sevigny in Pucci: Hm. Hmmmmm. I feel like I understand where this dress was going, but it got lost somewhere along the way. If it had been an off-the-shoulder neckline instead of that turtleneck, I think it would have worked a lot better. There's just too much skin covered on top combined with too much volume in the skirt, and when you add in that busy little pattern, it's overwhelming. Love her, though.
The Good:
Kerry Washington in Thakoon for Gap, Kirsten Dunst in Rodarte for Gap: So Gap partnered with a few designers to make dresses for the Met Gala, that they're then going to auction off for charity. I'm not sure if Gap had any role in the design process, but these dresses are lovely. They're both so characteristic of their two designers. The micro-pleating detailing on the Thakoon dress is so interesting, but the limited color palette keeps all that detail from being too over the top, and the cut is so flattering, sexy without being too revealing. This Rodarte dress really reminds me of the bridal gowns from the last collection, and it's simply lovely. It's softly sculptural, offbeat but not too out there, and the mixture of fabrics adds so much life to all that white. Now if only she had worn different shoes...le sigh.
Rachel Bilson in Louis Vuitton, Amber Valletta: I think Rachel Bilson is wearing that Louis Vuitton more successfully than anyone that I've seen (the man candy helps). I seriously love that dress--so '50s in Paris, so flattering--and I think that her soft, bed-heady waves and smokey eye makeup bring the retro dress into the moment nicely. And again, the man candy. I think Amber could really wear anything and look amazing, but this blue dress...severe jealousy. She just looks so sleek and sexy and almost Angelia Jolie-esque.
Taylor Swift in Ralph Lauren, Emma Watson in Burberry: These two do sort of look like child brides, don't they? But very lovely child brides. Taylor is very Hollywood screen siren, and I think that the red lipstick, drop sleeves and texture on the skirt keep it from being a little too plain. Emma Watson is essentially in an edgier version of Taylor's dress, and I really love it. It's architectural, but the soft ruffles keep it from being too minimalist or stark, and that thigh-high slit mediates the bridal vibe of all that white. And who wouldn't want to skip out on college early to go to the Met Gala? Lucky, lucky girl.
Mila Kunis in Vera Wang, Doutzen Kroes in Zac Posen: These two dresses go so well together. Mila Kunis has the deconstructed, bad ass version of Doutzen's dress, but they're both rocking their dresses. The Vera Wang works because Mila's styling is so minimalist, and the ridiculousness of Doutzen's Gone with the Wing gown is countered by her unabashed sex appeal. What I love the most is that both of these girls are wearing yards and yards of tulle, but their dresses aren't wearing them.
Anne Hathaway in Valentino, Nicole Richie in Marc Jacobs: Anne Hathaway looks like Glinda the Good Witch in the best possible way. Props to Rachel Zoe. I think the nude hue keeps it from being too sweet, as does the bustier vibe of the bodice, and who wouldn't want to spend an entire night floating around in that skirt? Usually I find Nicole Richie's kaftan's a little too '60s Palm Beach grand dame, but this Marc Jacobs version is so glam. The sequins balance out the informal cut, and I'm really, really loving her hair here.
Sienna Miller in Pucci, Eva Mendes in Dolce & Gabbana: This look on Sienna Miller might be one of my favorites of the night. It's fashion forward, but not so edgy that she looks ridiculous, it's sexy, but doesn't cross any lines, and the simple hair and restraint with the accessories keeps all that texture from being overwhelming. Normally I hate florals on black because they look cheesy and just odd, but somehow, this look on Eva Mendes really works. The mermaid cut adds a lot of retro sex appeal to the kitschy-ness of the floral, and again, the restraint with the accessories and makeup really lets the dress shine.
Image Sources:
Sienna Miller, Eva Mendes, M.I.A.: glamour.com, all other images: jezebel.com.
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