Kelly Saiz

It was a gala to open the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s China: Through the Looking Glass, and there was naturally a great showing for it. Any reason I might have had to forget to make my way to the Met this summer was certainly tossed out the window when I saw this image:

A Guo Pei evening gown from the Chinese designer’s Spring/Summer 2007 Haute Couture collection. Come on.

Now, I’m not huge on red carpet dressing, but the Met Gala is an exceptional case. It is the only event of the year of its genre and on its scale where fashion is the beginning, middle and end. I think it is much more entertaining than its peers.

My favorites:

I love this shot by the Met of Amal Clooney in this red Maison Margiela Haute Couture gown – it shows off the proportions perfectly. It’s not so much the dress itself, but rather the way she wears it. She absolutely owns it – it is made for her, I don’t think anyone else could have pulled it off so well. George Clooney looks well, too.

Here we have Anna Wintour in Chanel Haute Couture, also through the Met’s lens. There is something substantial yet ever-so-youthful about this that I find enchanting.

Lady Gaga, dressed in Balenciaga, with the house’s CD Alexander Wang. I’ve included this because I like the outer layer of the look. The styling isn’t my favorite, but I’m enamored of the cloak.

THIS was the most talked about look of the evening – Rihanna in Guo Pei Couture. It took the designer a reported two years to make this gown. I love the color, the styling and the fact that this dress will still be looked at in a hundred years. So many clothes become obsolete and forgotten, but a masterpiece like that, worn by a character like this, simply doesn’t disappear. This image and the next are by style.com.

Last but not least, Sienna Miller in Thakoon, with the designer himself. I love the color, the black details, the way she wears this outfit. Exceptional.