MET Gala “China: Through the Looking Glass” Red Carpet

Anna Wintour in Chanel Couture

Rating the annual MET Gala attendees on a usual Red Carpet scale never really works. The best dress at this fashion holy grail event would most likely end up being the worst dress at pretty much any other red carpet affair. The gowns we usually melt over in Hollywood land, don’t do much in fashion land. For example, the sea of “ice-skating” sheer and appliqué numbers (Beyoncé, J.Lo, and Kim Kardashian) look too generic starlet to compete against elaborate costumes worthy of the MET. On the other hand, going too costume-y (Sarah Jessica Parker’s China-Girl-goes-to-Las Vegas headdress or Lady Gaga’s horrific ensemble) gives off a trying-too-hard vibe (and you know Anna doesn’t approve).

I always respect the celebs that stick to the annual theme, whether it a literal (Fang Bingbing’s China Doll cape, Georgia May Jagger’s kimono number, or Chloë Sevigny’s strapless chinoiserie wonder) or loose (Sienna Miller’s Chinese-inspired matador suit, writer Amy Fine Collins’s houndstooth-meets-tropical suit, or Lily Collins’s Audrey Hepburn-esque ensemble) interpretation. The theme worked for a couple of classic babe dresses (Amal Clooney’s red stunner and Jennifer Connelly’s white curtain frock), proving that not everyone needs to be a risk-taker to wow the fashion crowd. My favourite look, however, is, hands down, the brilliant Christopher Kane on FKA Twigs, who is definitely the one to watch — she’ll never bore, that’s for sure.

China: Through the Looking Glass exhibition runs until August 16th.