Old-style glamour - especially in black and white - ruled the night air as stars of Hollywood and the fashion world converged on the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday evening for the annual Costume Institute gala, the biggest event on the New York fashion calendar.
This year, the glamour quotient was raised a notch: Whereas last year's theme was punk, this time women were focusing on flowing gowns, and men were asked to dress in white tie.
That's full evening dress, including tails, in other words. A few men brought along their top hats.
The white-tie request was in keeping with the theme of this year's Costume Institute exhibit, which opens to the public on Thursday: "Charles James: Beyond Fashion."
James, who died in 1978, was a mid-20th century designer who specialised in spectacular, sculptured gowns made with intricate draping techniques. It's the inaugural exhibit of the new, $US40 million Anna Wintour Costume Center, named for the Vogue editor.
Wintour herself, overseeing the evening's festivities, wore multi-coloured Chanel couture. Among the early arrivals, actress Sarah Jessica Parker seemed to be zeroing right in on the theme of James-like glamour, wearing a sumptuous Oscar de la Renta ball gown with a black bodice and flowing white skirt, with a gridlike pattern on the back; the dress was also emblazoned with de la Renta's name.
Other guests going for gowns in black and white included actress Hailee Steinfeld in Prabal Gurung, who seemed to be evoking James' classic 1953 Clover dress, a study in black-and-white colour-blocking. Anna Kendrick also chose black and white, from J Mendel.
Parker's outfit, especially, seemed to be a sure-fire hit with fashionistas. Another fashion star, Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o, seemed to divide fans: She wore a short shift covered by a beaded and feathered overlay in bright green, with a matching headband and a bright green clutch, too. It looked vaguely flapper-inspired, perhaps a tribute to James' early years.
Echoing an entirely different vibe was comedian Sarah Silverman in a deep red Zac Posen, evoking a famous Cecil Beaton photo of James outfits.
Posen told The Associated Press earlier in the day that he'd been influenced by James throughout his career - the couturier's gowns, he said, exude "a deep love and passion for the sculpture of the human body."
Supermodel Karolina Kurkova was a hit in Marchesa: She wore a tiered, midnight blue dress in satin organza, covered with white flower details. Less well-received: Katie Holmes, in a bright yellow off-the-shoulder Marchesa number.
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