MET Fashion I- Poiret: King of Fashion

It was the annual Costume Institute Benefit gala at the Met again this monday. This year, the theme is in honor of Paul Poiret and his designs as the "King of Fashion," which focused on draping rather than tailoring a dress. As usual, everyone dressed to impress and indeed, in most cases, we were impressed.

I'm usually all for classic elegance, but surprisingly in this event, it was the vibrant, adventurous and unique looks that caught my attention. My three favourites, were Cameron Diaz, Kirsten Dunst and Lucy Liu. This fuschia Dior by John Galliano dress Cameron Diaz is wearing is just so vibrant, young and striking. The simple top strikes the perfect balance with her flowing tiered skirts. And the blue contrasting necklace with the simple strapless neckline showed off by her simple upswept hair is just genius!

Slightly more sophisticated in a dark purple dress by Zac Posen, Lucy Liu looks equally as gorgeous. I love how the deep color compliments her complexion and how the dress is simple yet complex at the same time, with its simple cutting and exquisite details on the neckline, waist and of course, the flowing train like purple waves flowing around her. And as usual, Zac looks fab too.

This dress on Kirsten Dunst was quite adventurous for the red carpet and in my opinion, definitely paid off. She looks refreshing and cute in this gracefully flowing deep blue YSL dress. Finally, something besides the usual form fitted red carpet dresses on everyone else. And the black rosette on her head that matches the rosette on her shoe is just sooo adorable!

Another cute and unique dress is this gold number on Kate Bosworth by Prada. The loose cutting, the incredible folding of the skirt and the shiny material makes it both fun yet formal.

Another cute short dress, this one on Eva Mendes is by Michael Kors. In a more classic cut and style, this dress is fun yet ladylike with its fitted cutting, belt and brocade like material.

This dress on Winona Ryder by Marc Jacobs is not exactly one of my favourite dresses, as it doesn't look very flattering and in fact looks kind of heavy. But I thought the contrasting velvet and silk material and the silk neckline draping puts a very interesting twist to the usual black dress.

Feather seems to be everywhere these days- and I'm not very fond of that fact. But I thought Peter Som did the feather thing rather well here with this dress on Joely Richardson. The feathers are subtle and anchored with a strong black bow, so it doesn't look like its spurting out of nowhere.

Can Mischa do no wrong when it comes to fashion? As usual, she looks elegant and pretty in this by Giambattista Valli. The pattern on the bodice and the subtly unique draping of the skirts is beautiful. Although is less more or would she benefit more with a pair of simple diamond earrings with this dress?

This flowing dress on model, Molly Sims, is another one of my favourites. The flowing drapes and details is just soo feminine and pretty and yet the cutting and style of the dress still shines through.

Zhang Ziyi looks striking and cute in this black and white poofy dress. I don't know who its by, but I'll venture to guess that its by Armani. I think the fitted bodice and the strongly contrasting colors balances and gives sophistication to this dress and prevents it from looking completely like a cute candy wrap.

And speaking of striking, Jennifer Garner's red hot Valentino dress is definitely that. The simple but intriguing cut of the bodice and the expert draping of the skirts makes it especially so.

Claudia Schiffer's shiny silver dress also caught my eye with its reflecting material and the intriguing texture of teh skirts.

Moving onto the more classic and elegant dresses of the evening, we have this sequins dress on Alicia Keyes. I'm not sure, but I am guessing that this is from the Armani Prive collection. It looks gorgeous and typically red carpet. Although the loose curly hair here is definitely a not a good match. Upswept hair and drop earrings seems more appropriate.
Ellen Pompei in a simple elegant sparkly dress. Although is she too skinny or something? The proportions seems a bit off in this picture.

And really, one can't go wrong with a pretty black dress. Especially when they're from Ralph Lauren (as I'm assuming that is indeed what Lauren Bush is wearing here....especially since she's here with David Lauren).

Another one of my favourite dresses is this black dress on Kate Moss, especially since I know I actually have a chance of being able to afford it since its from the Top Shop Kate Moss collection. Brilliant marketing skills here Kate! And as usual she looks gorgeous, matching the dress perfectly with upswept hair and dangly earrings.