The Costume Institute Gala took place at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday night in New York City. The gala, also know as the Met Ball, is an annual event held in May. The event has long been dubbed the “Oscar’s of Fashion” and marks the opening of the Costume Institute’s fashion exhibit. It draws this name because of the star-studded red carpet and more importantly the fashion designs that don the steps of the Met. While I find award season exciting, the Met Ball is by far my favorite fashion red carpet. What I love most is that guests go all out to get the “Best Dressed” headline the next morning. The fashions include more haute couture and vintage pieces than the average red carpet; an ode to the history of fashion instead of the trendiness of fashion. Like years past, the 2012 Costume Institute Gala was filled with style and panache. Here are my favorites.

Beyonce wearing a Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci embellished gown with feather train:

Photo Credits: http://pinterest.com/pin/62135669829162369/ and  http://pinterest.com/pin/62135669829162358/

Katharine McPhee in a fully embroidered gown by Elie Saab and Solange Knowles wearing a Rachel Roy gown in marigold yellow:

Photo Credits: http://pinterest.com/pin/62135669829164356/ and http://pinterest.com/pin/62135669829162394/

Rhianna in a black crocodile Tom Ford dress and Louboutin heels; Paula Patton in a custom Vera Wang rose quartz strapless gown:

Photo Credits: http://pinterest.com/pin/62135669829162566/and http://pinterest.com/pin/62135669829162568/

Coca Rocha is inherently stylish in a vintage Givenchy yellow jumpsuit and Gweneth Paltrow in a Prada ice blue satin gown:

Photo Credits: http://pinterest.com/pin/62135669829162536/ and http://pinterest.com/pin/62135669829162490/

Karolina Kurkova in a Rachel Zoe sequin gown and Gisele Bundchen in a Givenchy Haute Couture gown by Riccardo Tisci:

Photo Credits: http://pinterest.com/pin/62135669829162532/ and http://pinterest.com/pin/62135669829164343/

Fashionably Yours,

Last night I attended the 10th anniversary of The Heart Truth Red Dress fashion show at the Hammerstein Ballroom. The goal of The Heart Truth campaign is to shine a spotlight on women and heart disease awareness. Introduced in 2002, the celebrity laced Red Dress Fashion show reminds women to take active steps in staying healthy and prevent heart disease. Some of the notable celebrities that walked the runway in designer gowns were: LaLa Anthony, Patti Stanger, Gloria Estefan, Aisha Taylor, Christie Brinkley, Linda Evans, Minka Kelly and my favorite, the fabulous Chaka Khan.

Here is a video of the finale walk!

Fashionably Yours,

Nobody can make a gown like Kati Stern. This is always my absolute must-see show during every fashion week. Once again, Stern did not disappoint with her S/S12 VENEXIANA Collection. Here are some of my favorite designs. The strapless, emerald green gown with a front bow, is to die for!

From Lincoln Center,

This season the L.A.M.B. show was a presentation instead of a runway show. The great thing about presentations is that you have the opportunity to really get a good look at the clothes instead of them flying by you on the runway. Designer Gwen Stefani always includes here personal style in her designs and the L.A.M.B. S/S12 Collection was no different. The designs can be described as edgy-chic. The ready to wear collection included skirt separates, baby doll dresses,  jumpsuits and menswear inspired pant suits.

Fashionably Yours,

Design duo Mark Badgley and James Mischka presented gorgeous, structured silhouettes in this RTW collection.

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The highly coveted Hervé Léger bandage dress has been kicked up a notch and taken to the next level. I would describe the collection as bad-girl chic. Strategically placed cut out elements make these designs the sexiest yet.  All I can say is, LOVE!

Fashionably Yours,

Can you say color, color, color? Nanette Lapore’s Spring/Summer collection was full of whimsical yet sophisticated hues. If this is a snapshot of what we’ll be wearing in about 9 months — then I can’t wait!

xoxo,

I first fell in love with Ralph Rucci three years ago at Bryant Park. I was excited to see his couture designs again this season. Here are some of my favorite looks from the collection:

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Vera Wangs S/S12 collection was airy, light and fairytale like. I was struck by the bold, cobalt blue hues and stark, sunshine yellow shades.

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Layers, layers, layers! That is the best way to describe the Nicholas K. show. I have come to love the collections of the brother/sister design team behind this collection, after seeing the show for the first time a year ago. This men’s and women’s collection can best be described as wearable, airy, and comfortable. The inspiration seemed to be a cross between military elements and chic, desert nomad.

The colors ranged from pure, angelic white to charcoal black, with the spectrum in between ranging from light gray, army-green, nudes and desert-tan, steel-gray and blue-gray. As far as accessories go, many of the models donned sheer/metallic scarves in white, silver and gold either wrapped around their head or around the neck. There were a set of models wearing tan open-toe ankle boots that were beyond hot.

Overall, I really loved the collection the designs on both the men and women. They looked so comfortable and effortless, yet were very chic. There were a lot of sheer and see through fabrics in this collection. With the exception of some of the jackets, all of the textiles were airy and definitely gave off the vibe of Spring and Summer. The show closed with a long, sheer, blue maxi dress.

Fashionably Yours,