Sarah Jessica Parker was one of the decked out guests at last night’s Met Costume Institute Gala, the theme of which was “Punk from chaos to couture.” It was all about how the punk movement had influenced fashion, and few designers really captured that, in my opinion. In the livestream from the red carpet on Vogue.com (which you can watch there, it’s still available, also the Fug Girls liveblogged it!), they interspersed the interviews with pre-taped segments with designers like Ricardo Tisci of Givenchy. The designers kept saying “pink is the color of punk,” which sounded ridiculous to me. Isn’t black the color of punk? It sounded like an excuse to create the same old gowns, although there were notable exceptions.
Out of all of last night’s ladies, I give Sarah Jessica Parker props for really trying to work it, for trying to capture both high fashion and punk in her look. She was in an abstract print Giles Deacon dress paired with custom-made Louboutin velvet plaid shoes and a custom Phillip Treacy headdress. Some may say she looked ridiculous, but given the theme of the night she nailed it. She also looked like she was having a lotof fun. Her date was Hamish Bowles, the International editor of Vogue.
In contrast, here’s Ashley Olsen looking like a yellow ghost in vintage Dior. This is not punk, this is just some bizarre fairy dream. How does this dress even translate to the theme? (We don’t have pics of Mary-Kate, you can see her equally baffling look here.)
Emmy Rossum was in Donna Karan Atelier. This is a lovely princess dress which would be stunning at a big red carpet event, but again it’s not “punk” per se. Maybe they tried to capture that with her updo and heavy makeup. It’s kind of a miss for this event, but for anything else it would be lovely.
Nina Dobrev wore this kind of amazing Monique Lhuillier black lace bustier pantsuit with a tulle skirt and leather underbra. The outfit was very spot-on for the event, and I would have liked to see her punk it up a little with some daring shoes and more risky hair and makeup. It’s a little too “pretty” but still one of my favorites.
Photo credit: WENN.com and FameFlynet
I loved SJP’s look. She was one of the few who got the theme.
+1
+1 here too. From looking at all the pics, the only ones who seem to have embraced the theme are SJP, Christina Ricci and (dare I say it) Miley Cyrus. Everyone else just looks like they were too afraid to have fun with it.
Completely agree with you. Those three really did understand the theme the best and went all out with it.
She’s full of win for the theme.
+1 SJP ftw, and Nina too! What fun outfits!
+2. I wish Nina had completed her look with hair and makeup but I love what she is wearing. I love SJPs look
yah she looks great – why didnt anyone else attempt to do the theme?
SJP killed it. awesome
She looks amazing and I love that dress.
Yup! Love the look!
SJP’s take on punk is my favorite look (along with Madonna). Funf*’gtastic! Standing next to Hamish Bowles as her date like that is icing on the cake! Wow.
Oh, and I want those boots!
I was wondering who the unusual man with eye makeup, lipstick and lacquered nails could be? Thanks for letting me know!
+1 And she was having fun, always a bonus.
Equestrian theme? Nailed it!
SJP was awesome:the one who understood “from Chaos to the Couture”
I agree she looks great and got the concept!
That look on that man’s face in the first pic with SJP says it all.
At least she got the theme right but still she’s a hot mess just like the rest of them.
I agree with hot mess.
You’ll see from the other pics that the guy was her date, and the International Editor of Vogue. I think it’s just a dodgy photo.
I LOVE SJP’s. That hairpiece is so, so gorgeous. It suited the occasion perfectly and she was working it.
The headdress made that outfit complete. Did you see the awesome picture of Jennifer Lawrence touching it? I would have to touch it, too.
Philip Treacy’s work is AMAZING. I’m wearing one of his designs for my wedding instead of a veil. Cost almost as much as my dress, but totally worth it!
Thought SJP looked ridiculous for “real life,” but perfect for the ball. She pulled off the theme. She could have left Hamish Bowles at home, though. Nasty, judgmental eejit.
Emmy was pretty, but not appropriate for the theme. Still like her dress, though. Nina was more on-point for the theme, but I just can’t get on board with that outfit.
I think I just have to face the fact that I am not, and never will be, cool. I would so much rather see pretty gowns and makeup then cool, punked-out clothes and hair.
I love beautiful clothes and hair too, but I think that for one night out of the year, it would be so much fun to just go all out and crazy with themed couture :D. Kind of like Halloween for fashionistas! Sigh. A girl can dream…
I can see how it would be fun. I just know that I’d never be able to pull it off. Then again, a lot of people there didn’t exactly do that either :).
SJP forever. Amazing.
Olsen twin amazing too!!!!!!
SJP really went for it and you could tell she was having fun so for that reason I love it 🙂
That Olsen twin just..I don’t even know, really ghostlike and otherworldly in the creepiest of ways.
Love Nina’s look, not so impressed with the hair and make up.
Emmy Rossum is a sweetheart but she is just so eternally boring.
I love SJP’s look.
I’d wear entire look to a party. Perhaps give the heels an additional inch.
SJP rocked it. She showed the pretty little amateurs how it’s done.
so true – and the “mohawk” headpiece is just so perfect!
Yep!
I would say “awesomely rididulous”, which fit the theme. At least Parker looks like she has fun. Most of the others looked somewhat tortured with “wish I was somewhere else” looks.
The mixture of heavy make-up and pretty dresses also seemed off, which gave the impression of being too scared to really punk out, but wanting to look like an effort was made. The effect of which was just odd.
I thought she was wearing Vivienne Westwood!
I like her, she has nailed the theme.
I love Nina. She always looks great on the red carpet.
I agree, she always looks gorgeous.
SJP was the best for me. A nod to punk, without being literal like Madonna… and high fashion to the extreme… Perfect.
And the winner is Sarah Jessica Parker! Yes she’s rocking this sh*t! She nailed punk + couture + something special for the Met Gala.
SJP got the theme and tried most just showed up to look pretty. Love the effort she made the outfit is ok but she had fun. Most seemed to think it was just a red carpet do but then most probably don’t understand punk which is so far from pink.
i can nvr make myself hate SJP,love her and love her entire attire ,that headpiece is plain epic
In one of the pics published, SJP was flashing her panties. The horror! other than that, spot on for the event.
Amazing! So nice to see real effort unlike the rest of the snooze fest at large
She is not my favorite, in general – but she won the night!
I loathed the girls who just put on an Oscar dress paired with Duchess eyeliner… um… what? The ones who really went for it, even if it didn’t work, get my votes for best dressed!
Does she still act or does she just show up at celebrity events?
SJP rules. Punk is about attitude and she has it in spades. Love everything about this, particularly her crowning glory mohawk.
As for the majority of the rest, meh, bland, clueless, focusless, attitudeless. They wouldn’t know punk from a hole in the wall.
It’s like when you go to a theme party and you’re the only one in an actual costume. the first reaction is: WTF are the other costumes? And all of a sudden you feel like a fool. Kudos to SJP for sticking to the theme and having the biggest smiley face i’ve seen around in ages. Love her.
You can ALWAYS count on Carrie.
SJP pulled the heck out her Punk look love the headress and those boots are freakin awesome ! I still love her!!!
The Olsen twins – good lord. They have so much money, they should get a stylist who doesn’t lie to them when they ask “should i go out like this?”
SJP nailed it in my opinion, alot of blogs were not saying that, they were saying the opposite.
she is one of the few folks that went w/the theme and added daring to her outfit.
I think Perez put her on his “worst outfit list”
he should have added himself at the top of it.
Nina’s dress was amazing, but she fell short. Long flowing hair, etc. She needed to bring a little punk edge somewhere in her look – maybe makeup or hair or shoes, etc.
SJP rocked it.
That Olsen dress, the orange one, did she think it was a fairy theme?
“Did she think it was a fairy theme?”
Hahahahahaha, omg.
Love it.
SJP always win.
The woman dated RDJ and JFK Jr FFS!!!!!!!!
SJP looks great! Dobrev also looks nice. Ashley.. Oh man.. I burst out laughing when I saw that.
Sorry thought she looked ridiculous.
SJP WAS AMAZING!!! My absolute favorite of the night!
This is why I adore SJP! She has never been afraid of being daring at the Met Gala. She really did understand the theme of blending couture and punk together. It’s crazy and over the top, but it’s awesome!
She won the prize – she put herself out there, but tastefully done…
SJP won best dressed for me. LOVE. You can tell she was having a great time.
I’m surprised noone wore Stephen Sprouse or Stephen Burrows…….. or did anyone wear Vivienne Westwood? Considering she was invited?
Seems like most people missed the boat on it. Though I thought Sienna Miller looked good.
And it would have been fantastic if SJP wore that dress with doc martens rather than those boots.
i love the olsens they are so weird. No one but them could pull off what they wear. If they wanted to accept me into their twinship i would willingly burn all tight fitted clothing and learn to duckface immediately
haha I love them too!
I LOVE SJP’s mohawk thing. Works 100% with the theme, still looks good.
Don’t like the boots though, ah well.
Okay, SJP’s dress is punky funky and I kind of like it, given the venue. But why – oh why – does she insist on the raccoon eyes all the time? Maybe it’s apropos for this occassion, but she does it all the time. Girlfriend is my age, which is to say she’s on the skinny side of 50 and when you’re almost 50 – even when you still feel 30 – the raccoon eyes are a major NO! and a quick way to age yourself. She could have done a funky cat eye instead of the Smoky Raccoon. Just sayin’.
SJP has certainly tried, and it’s kind of awesome… But I just don’t like it. I think it’s the print on the dress. The boots are amazing, the headpiece is amazing, the dress is… eh. And it detracts from those BOOTS! She should have worn Vivienne Westwood.
I hate Dobrev’s dress/pantsuit. I guess it is “punk” but I hate pant/dresses. I really do!
I actually love the look Emmy is rocking. See the thing is, if that dress was black, with the frayed edges, scrappy bits of fabric and the bits hanging off on her shoulders faintly reminiscent of chains, it could pass as couture punk, maybe with safety pins instead of jewels though. 😉 The white makes it innocent and pretty it’s true but I don’t know… I just like her look. It would have been so boring if everyone had shown up in black. Her hair and make up are perfect and I think the juxtaposition of those with the white dress is fantastic.
Now… I am still looking at all the photos but what is going on with the lack of Vivienne Westwood?? The woman is a genuine punk designer and all of her fashion is still influenced by punk. Why is no one wearing her?? Where the hell is Helena Bonham Carter when you need her? Brit leg flags and all?? McQueen and Jean Paul Gaultier also seem to be lacking and these are the designers that do punk influences best. I just don’t understand!
Horrendous. The outfit appears composed of Miss Havisham’s curtains (and iron poker). The headpiece must be heavy, as her neck looks compressed.
And between the sinews and raccoon eyes, it’s more Egyptian crypt than anything punk.
A little ridiculous, but that’s what fashion/dressing up is about. She pulls it off and looks like she’s having fun. LOVE those boots!
A little ridiculous, but that’s what fashion/dressing up is about. She pulls it off and looks like she’s having fun.
Where is the photo of SJP where she pulled up her dress and showed her underwear? that was much too much
SJP ‘s dress looked FUN
Poor Emmy. Always phoning it in and looks like she’s going to the ballet.
The theme was “Punk – from chaos to couture”. And yes, she nailed it.
emmys dress should have been black and it would have been more suited. That being said its a beautiful dress and she looks great. SJP looks great and fit the theme . The other dresses suck
SJP, Madonna and Paloma Faith were the only ones that nailed it for me. LOVED SJP’s high-fashion mohawk, and the perfect date too!