At this time yesterday, no one knew for sure if George and Amal Clooney were going to attend the Met Gala. They weren’t on any of the leaked guest lists. Then, suddenly, Anna Wintour confirmed that George Clooney was seated beside her, at her table. And then we knew. George Clooney was attending his first-ever Met Gala with his wife.

So how did it play out? I think they were a hit. George wore Armani, which is pretty much a given at this point. Clooney is synonymous with Armani, and I like that he went with a white tie and tails. Amal wore this red, tiered, ruffled Maison Margiela Couture gown. Maison Margiela is designed by John Galliano, who is now officially back in the high-fashion fold. It always surprises me how many people were like “forgiven and forgotten” with Galliano’s anti-Semitic rants and hate speech charges. It seems oddly political for Amal Clooney to associate herself with Galliano too, right?

Anyway, I’m glad they came out for the Met Gala. George looks tired but I think he’s pleased to walk the carpet with his wife and his “equal.” I’m assuming that Amal didn’t want to dissect the China theme too hard, and simply went with a pretty red dress (red is an important color in China). I guess I’m fine with this dress…you know me, I don’t like so many tiers and ruffles, but it’s fine. The top of the dress fits beautifully, although whenever she wears sleeveless, I’m reminded again of her terrible posture. STAND UP STRAIGHT, AMAL. And hey, at least she didn’t screw up her entire look with a pair of ill-advised gloves.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Jessica Chastain wore gold Givenchy at the MET Gala. She also wore Givenchy at the Oscars. I don’t ever want to see that dress again but if you do, or if you can’t recall it, click here for a refresher. As I said at the time, I love her. And I still do. And I also said I don’t understand how that…      

I like Carey Mulligan from afar better than I like it up close. One of the best things about her is that she always kind of seems amused in pictures – I think it’s just the way she places her mouth – but this utterly matte lip works for that. She looks amused.

But I feel like there was a wh…      

Sarah Jessica Parker is ALWAYS a big deal at the Met Gala. She goes almost every year, and she always pays close attention to the theme, to the point where she sometimes looks like she’s wearing a straight-up costume. Which is what happened this year. SJP wore this Chinese-themed custom H&M gown in what looks like black silk, and Refinery29 notes that the gown had a sewn-in sash made from embroidered Chinese silks. There were also red poppies on her gown – poppies with a major trend on the Met Gala red carpet, even though poppies have a complicated history in China.

But the star of SJP’s look – and yes, it’s already a meme – was her Philip Treacy “Flame” headpiece. It’s a reference to the Phoenix headpieces traditionally worn by Chinese brides, plus it may be a larger reference to some Buddhist iconography. Refinery29 says the reaction in China to SJP’s total look has been positive.

Personally, I think she would have looked better without the headpiece, or with a smaller headpiece. I like that SJP goes bold at the Met Gala, and I suspect she does her research and properly explores the theme, but this Treacy headpiece does overwhelm the look.

Oh, and her date was Andy Cohen. Matthew Broderick never comes to these events! She just goes with one of her gay-guy friends for the most part.

Photos courtesy of Getty, WENN.

This J Mendel on Olivia Munn is a shrug for me…at the MET Gala. At the Golden Globes? All over it. The falling sleeves really flatter the shoulders. And it’s still sexy without being tight and clingy.

What do you think of her nails though? The matching ombre. Too much?

…      

Karen Elson looks awesome, but her night was ruined as soon as SJP hit the carpet, because she became the ‘other’ one in a headpiece. Every dramatic move that Elson made – big red skirt, big gold necklace, who are we kidding, that tiara, which under any other circumstances would have been a shows…      

The 2015 Met Gala was held last night. The theme – as we discussed yesterday – was “China: Through the Looking Glass.” Thankfully, a lot of celebrities just sort of ignored the theme, which meant far fewer racist disasters than I was expecting. Last night was also a big night for one couple… FKA Twigs and Robert Pattinson. They are engaged, but probably not expecting (she doesn’t look bumpy to me in these photos). They made their HUGE red carpet debut on the Met Gala carpet and they looked… stunning.

Twigs wore Christopher Kane, after being confirmed for Alexander McQueen earlier in the day. My theory is that Twigs possibly tried on a McQueen archive piece and it either did not fit or she was uncomfortable wearing something so delicate or special from the archives. So she wore this Christopher Kane dress, which is pretty enough. It doesn’t really look Chinese or Chinese-influenced, nor is it really a “pretty dress.” But Twigs’ whole vibe is sort of anime/art-pop/cool girl, so it works. Sparkles wore Dior Homme – he has a big Dior contract, so that was a no-brainer.

Incidentally, Sparkles and Twigs were able to make their red carpet debut in peace because Kristen Stewart decided to forgo the Met Gala to fulfill her contract with Chanel… in Seoul, South Korea.

View image | gettyimages.com

View image | gettyimages.com

Photos courtesy of Getty, WENN.

Before we get to the epic Met Gala coverage – which will start momentarily – I just wanted to cover these photos from the Chanel 2015/16 Cruise collection. There was a minor scandal when Chanel released the date for this big PR/fashion event – the Met Gala had been on the books for months before Karl Lagerfeld decided to show the Cruise collection the very same day… in Seoul, South Korea. Do you think it was shade aimed at Anna Wintour? Do you think this is Karl’s way of hating on the Met Gala?

Anyway, Kristen Stewart, one of the faces of Chanel these days, was one of the big celebrity guests. Which meant that she couldn’t attend the Met Gala, as she has in years past (usually to terrible results). Was that a good choice? Honoring her contract with Chanel instead of coming out to the biggest fashion event of the year? It’s a tough call. Made easier by the fact that her ex, Robert Pattinson, came to the Met Gala with his fiancée, FKA Twigs. Hm. As for Kristen’s look here… she looks great. The dress works on her, I don’t mind the hair at all and her makeup is on point. She even made an effort to look less sulky than usual. Huzzah!

More photos… Gisele Bundchen going solo at the Cruise collection. She didn’t walk the runway (she’s retired!), but she came out for Karl and Chanel.

And obviously the most important person there was Tilda Swinton and her lover Sandro Kopp. I’m shocked by how “normal” Tilda looks here. Where is the Alien Goddess Realness?

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

Was it a last minute decision? Like, she wasn’t intending to go but decided to go anyway and just yanked something serviceable out of the closet that didn’t need to be pressed?

Then again, it’s Chanel. I’ve no doubt Rachel Weisz has some Chanel lying around but this is couture so… it probably…      

Allison Williams doesn’t usually do it for me on a red carpet. And I don’t often enjoy a red dress on a red carpet either. Especially this shade of red, where you can’t tell the difference between the dress and the carpet. Also, tulle. Don’t have much time for it.

But I quite like this choice…