Nina Dobrev in Donna Karen

Carey Mulligan in Prada

Amy Poehler in Fotini

Lena Dunham in Wes Gordan

Rooney Mara in Givenchy

Camilla Belle in Ralph Lauren

Lana del Rey in Alturzarra

Dianna Aragon in Carolina Herrera

Emma Stone in Lanvin

Kirsten Dunst in Rodarte

Sarah Jessica Parker in Valentino

Florence Welch in McQueen

Rihanna in Tom Ford

Beyonce in Givenchy

Starting at 6:30 we’ll be tweeting commentary from @FashionIndie and  live blogging the looks (in this post) as they show up. Make sure you tweet us @FashionIndie or leave comments below.

Until the show starts check out :10 Fashion Feats and Fails at the Met Costume Institute Gala

Banks previously tweeted that she would attend the annual ball on the birdlike arm of Alexander Wang: “I can’t wait for the MET ball! I’m going as Alexander Wang’s date. He custom made my outfit and shoes ! !!!! It’s soooo hot !”

Then yesterday she revealed, also via tweet, that Cinderella/Rapunxel was not only going to the ball but also werqing the ball: “I’ve Been invited to Perform for PRADA next week in NYC! Gonna b so lush !! Let’s see what new songs I debut there!#metball2012″

Both posts have since disappeared but a tweet’s not like a regrettable one-night stand you can pretend never happened. It’s more like the resulting venereal disease that will haunt you for the rest of your days.

Anyway, let’s all hope for pictures of Anna Wintour sweeping the floor with her ass as she, Grace Coddington and André Leon Talley shut down the dancefloor. [Styleite]

- In anticipation of The Costume Institute‘s upcoming “Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations” exhibit, Vogue threw some models in Prada collections from spring 1996 to fall 2011. [Vogue]

- Speaking of “Impossible Conversations,” Baz Luhrmann has made a conversation between the two iconoclasts quite possible with a film accompanying the exhibit in which acclaimed Actress with a capital “A” Judy Davis plays Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada as herself. [WSJ]

- Tough-talking TV titan Murphy Brown may make  a temporary comeback to the airwaves during this year’s elections. [TV Guide]

- An industrious 13-year-old is calling for Seventeen Magazine to step its game up and abstain from using Photoshop in at least one spread per month. [Huff Po]

- Beyoncé thought that rumors of her using a surrogate were “crazy,” as were rumors of her and huzz Jay-Z upsetting the hospital with their high list of demands. Apparently “crazy” now means incredibly accurate. [People]

- Yohji Yamamoto is getting his Tom Ford on by directing his “very secret” first feature film that may or may not see the light of day in two years. [WWD]

On May 7, Amazon.com/Fashion, Vogue.com and metmuseum.org/metgala will live stream the red carpet arrivals hosted by model Elettra Wiedemann and Vogue‘s William Norwich from 6:30 to 8:30 (EST).

Expect  interviews with the Gala’s co-chairs Carey Mulligan, Miuccia Prada and Anna Wintour as well as various celebrities as they saunter into the Museum’s newest exhibit, Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations.

You can even get in on the action by tweeting questions to Wiedemann and Norwich using #metquestions and you can even spy on the guests as they get ready for the Gala through Facebook.com/celebs.

Ah, one step closer. Next year hopefully we’ll all be donning our Marchesa gowns and stomping down that red carpet together. [Vogue]

Schiaparelli managed to turn fashion into an art form with innovative designs and concepts such as creating a jacket with plastic hands in place of buttons. Schiap’s forward-thinking approach to design caused her rival Gabrielle Chanel to deride her as “that Italian artist who makes clothes.” Sounds like someone was totes jealz.

Throughout the twenties and thirties, Schiap was friends with several Surrealist artists including Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp and Jean Cocteau, but it was Dalí who would have the greatest influence on her.

He would also have an influence on Coco Chanel as the two allegedly had an affair while Dalí  was still married. Yeah, someone was super jealz.

Elsa Schiaparelli’s career in and influence on fashion will be highlighted this summer when Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada: On Fashion debuts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. But until then, here’s how Schiap and Dalí changed the face of fashion.

In 1936, inspired by Dalí's painting Anthropomorphic Cabinet, the two created suits and jackets with bureau-drawers as pockets.

Then in 1937, their "Lobster dress," featuring -- you guessed it -- a giant red lobster painted onto a white silk gown was made famous when Cecil Beaton photographed noted homewrecker Wallis Simpson in it for Vogue.

Inspired by a photo of Dalí balancing his wife's slipper on his head, that same year saw the debut of the infamous "Shoe Hat," a black felt number in the shape of a woman's pump with a heel in Shocking Pink -- another Schiaparelli innovation.

Dalí designed a trompe l'oeil print for an evening gown that simulated torn flesh in 1938. The "Tears Dress" also had actual tears strategically cut out to reveal an illusion of fur on the reverse side.

Utilizing trapunto quilting -- a puffy, decorative form of embroidery -- to create padded ribs, spine and leg bones, Schiap and Dalí struck again with the "Skeleton Dress," a highlight of her 1938 circus-themed collection.

Shoe Hats off to ya!

“Miuccia Prada is honoured and proud to take part in this exhibition which is ‘an impossible’ conversation between Miuccia Prada and Elsa Schiaparelli,” a brand spokesperson said. ”The comments printed are taken out of context and therefore misconstrued. Mrs. Prada confirmed that she admires the total curatorial independence of the museum to the extent that they almost did not take into consideration her vision.”

Yeah, it’s totally plausible that “I told them, but they don’t care” was a funny aside said with a self-deprecating chuckle and a playful roll of the eyes. And it’s totally plausible that after making these “out of context” statements, Miuccia went around slapping every underling that dared to even breathe in her general direction, which — when taken out of context — seems like a violent outburst but is really just a little thing the house of Prada does for kicks. [Vogue UK]

On New York:

“I love London and Paris; they’re very sophisticated, but not like New York. If you can’t find it in New York, it doesn’t exist.”

On New York in the 50s:

“It was fabulous then, everyone looked beautiful.”

On New York today:

“Now when I walk down Fifth Avenue in the summertime I just want to throw up. It seems that the fatter and uglier people are, the fewer clothes they wear. The shorts and flip-flops and tight jeans on butts that go from here to Poughkeepsie. I always say they should put people in jail for wearing clothes like that. Especially stretch jeans over size 10 — they should be outlawed. Ten years ago people were starting to look like slobs in New York, now it’s an epidemic.”

On London style:

“I haven’t been in London for some years but the last time I was there they looked fuddy-duddy and school-marmish, yes, but not slobby. And then there are the wonderful eccentrics like the kids on Carnaby Street or the punks or whatever the heck they are.”

On meeting Duke Ellington:

“The Duke couldn’t have been nicer and said he’d introduce me to all the greats in Chicago. My mother was very dubious, so I told her, ‘He’s the most elegant gentleman.’ She said, ‘I don’t give a damn how elegant he is, you’re not going to Chicago.’ But I did.”

On dieting:

“I used to smoke like a fiend. I smoked four packs a day. I never do anything half-arsed, shall we say, but I stopped because I felt I was getting to be an addict. I’ve got very good willpower.”

On being asked to be Lindsay’s style guru:

“I can’t tell people how to have style. No amount of money can buy you style. It’s just instinctive.”

On her 2005 exhibit at The Met:

‘It didn’t start out as a fashion show, but he [Harold Koda, curator of the Costume Institute] decided that to show accessories out of context didn’t make much sense so he asked if I could spare maybe five outfits… I said yes, so they went through all my closets, all the drawers, all the boxes, all the armoires, under the bed, everywhere and they go woowoowoooo [she flaps her arms up and down]. Finally they ended up with 82 outfits. It was insanity but the show was such a big smash.”

On her signature glasses:

“When I needed to wear glasses, I decided I’d wear glasses. All the better to see you with.’”

On kids these days:

“Most of the young people today look dreadful.”

On stars these days:

“And celebrities look even worse. They don’t know what to do with themselves. At the Golden Globes and Oscars they all look alike – it seems like they’re all wearing the same nightgown and this year nobody had any jewellery at all. Only Helen Mirren was wearing a beautiful necklace, but even she got it wrong because the necklace just ruined the dress. I think the designer must have wanted to kill himself when he saw her.”

On throwing shade:

“It’s a free country — if you want to look like a freak, that’s your problem.”

By juxtaposing Schiaparelli’s and Prada’s viewpoints on these topics, museum curators Andrew Bolton and Harold Koda hope to create a dialogue between the designers:

“If we can play with that idea of what Schiap would say, with her real words, and what Miuccia would say, in her real words, on a variety of issues,” Koda explained, “we could end up with something that was a mind-teaser for the audience, and would allow people to see Schiap with increased relevance and Miuccia with a different kind of understanding than they perhaps already have. We want it to be serious in content but playful in its approach.”

This approach will certainly be playful considering who the Met has in charge of the production and design: no other than that master of the spectacular spectacle, Baz Luhrmann. According to Koda, the exhibit will have “a very high-tech aspect” so as to bring the past to life.

On Fashion will run from May 10th to Aug, 19th and will include some 80 designs by Schiaparelli from the late Twenties through the early Fifties and by Prada from the late Eighties through today. The annual Gala — my ticket to which is clearly already be in the mail — will be chaired by Anna Wintour, Miuccia herself and Carey Mulligan — a Prada and Vogue fave as well as the star of Luhrmann’s upcoming adaptation of The Great Gatsby. Hello, multi-brand tie-in.

Amazon.com, who along with Condé Nast is underwriting the exhibit, will serve as the Gala’s honorary chair. [WWD, sub req'd]

Photos: WWD

Elsa Schiaparelli

Miuccia Prada

A Schiaparalli gown

Prada Fall 2007

A Schiaparelli dress from 1937

Prada Spring 2008

Miuccia Prada and Elsa Schiaparelli are reportedly the focus of the Costume Institute’s next exhibit in the spring. Schiaparelli, who is as important to Italian fashion as Gabrielle Chanel is to French fashion, had a groundbreaking and innovative line between the two world wars but was unable to adapt in the wake of Christian Dior’s New Look.

While Prada is obviously one of the most successful and influential women working in fashion today and is also of Italian descent. No doubt the Institute’s curator, Andrew Bolton, will draw some parallels between the two women’s lives and careers. But for now, the Met is remaining mum on the matter. [WWD]

Lisa Immordino Vreeland, Diana’s granddaughter-in-law, directed the film Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel, debuting at the Venice Film Festival September 3rd, as well as wrote the similarly-titled coffee-table book, which hits bookstores October 1st.

Featuring contributions from everyone and their mother, including Calvin Klein, Oscar de la Renta, Hubert de Givenchy, Diane von Furstenberg, Richard Avedon, Anjelica Huston and Ali McGraw*, the film is Immordino Vreeland’s first:”As soon as I started research for the book, I said to myself, ‘I should be working on a documentary.’”

Hailee Steinfeld

- Three of young Hollywood’s best, brightest and fiercest get LOVE‘d by Mert and Marcus: Hailee Steinfeld, Elle Fanning and Chloe Moretz grace the mag’s Issue No. 6. [Models.com]

Sophia Coppola, Kanye West and Donatella Versace – who, it seems, invited herself – were among those lucky and not-Anna-Wintour enough to reside front row during Alaïa’s show. They got to see, up close and personal, the wool — being couture it was no less than Mongolian lamb —  the knitwear —  a “miracle” according to Style.com‘s Tim Blanks —  the cinched waists and full skirts — an ode to the designer’s trademark body-consciousness — and my favorite ladies wear staple — the coat-dresses — that made up the collection’s 25 looks.

Whatever caused the riff between Azzedine and Anna — there was a snub at the Met Gala a few years back causing longtime muse Naomi Campbell and her super friends to boycott, but methinks it goes back even further than that — readers of Vogue are the ones truly suffering. They’ll never see these gorgeous creations within those hallowed pages as long as one of them lives. And I think we all know, as per an agreement signed in blood eons ago, Anna’s not going anywhere for the next few hundred years.

But feel free to peruse some of the best looks from Alaïa Fall 2011 couture and take comfort in imagining what magic Grace Coddington could conjure up if she were given the chance.

Since its record-breaking opening day, over 150,000 people have seen Savage Beauty, resulting in lines, crowds and kilt-tearing. But starting Monday, June 6th, it will be even easier to go on McQueen’s Magical Mystery Tour.

“Met Mondays with McQueen” will allow visitors –  for $50 — access to the exhibit between 9:30 am and 2:30 pm when the rest of the museum is closed. It would kind of be like Night at the Museum but if Ben Stiller was played by Daphne Guinness and instead of dinosaurs, the mannequins came to life and started catwalking.

Meanwhile, I smell a sequel…. [WWD]

1. Booze. Let’s be real, if shit’s going down tomorrow, I’m going out in a vodka-soaked blaze of glory.

2. At least one piece of McQueen’s Savage Beauty. Yes I am breaking into The Met and yes I am wearing this gold duck feather coat out.

3. Egoïste. Because I need to see a Louis Vuitton-attired polar bear taking in an Al Gore lecture on global warming before I die. That happened.

4. These post-Apocalyptic video looks from Beyoncé’s “Run the World (Girls)”:

Photo: NY Mag

And Lady Gaga‘s “Judas”:

Photo: Nicola Formichetti's Blog!!

5. Oprah. I know this is short notice with the world ending tomorrow and all, but I really think Oprah and I should be together since I’ve recently adopted her as my mother. She’s not really aware of it.

6. Violent Lips. Sometimes a girl needs to look fierce and really this isn’t the time to slack off with boring old jungle red or whatever signature color you use. Give me a hot pink leopard lip and call it a day/year/life.

7. Made in Brazil #3.

Boom:

Photo: Models.com

Nuff said.

8. Angelina Jolie’s Atelier Versace gown from Cannes. I love a good statement-making gown when the skies open up; and this gown will say, “Excuse me, stop what you’re doing. I get it…but I’m in the room.”

9. A pair of Louboutins I lifted from FI‘s Editor-in-Chief Sam Lim. Barring the fact that I’m about six shoe sizes bigger than she is, Sam’s long hours in the line at the Christian Louboutin sample sale should be celebrated. Celebrated with a unbearably painful walk-off.

10. Fashion Indie’s Mixtape Vol. 3. If we’re all still here next week you can get a listen for yourself, but I’ve already got my copy and will be dancing till the world ends.

Speaking of Britney, I forgot to include drugs — last minute shopping …literally!

Photo: Nicola Formichetti's Blog!!

The masks, crafted from leather, jewels, burlap, lace, felt, fur and feathers, were meant to compliment the extraordinary pieces without overpowering them — if that’s even at all possible.

Palau wanted to do right by the late designer for whose shows hair was “always an important part.” Finally, a Guido you can be proud of. [NYT]

Wintour has been an honorary trustee of the Met since 1999 and has co-chaired 13 benefits since 1995. In those 16 years, she has raised approximately $85 million for the Costume Institute with last week’s Met Gala pulling in $10.4 million.

In addition, the Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibit has proven wildly popular so it was inevitable that the Met would eventually have to sell its soul give credit where credit is due. [WWD]

Referring to her decision to snatch up Blow’s wardrobe as “probably the maddest…ever,” she explains that she did so not out of label lust but out of a desire to preserve Isabella Blow’s unique aesthetic:

“I thought what’s going to happen is [the pieces are] going to be lost. She had an incredible eye and she truly loved her pieces, they’re like a diary. I didn’t want to buy them and wear them, I wanted to buy them and keep them because I think it’s very interesting for students and people who are interested in fashion to see.”

Blow had introduced McQueen to Guinness while he was working for Givenchy, just as she had introduced him to Hamish Bowles years before. And though Daphne initially didn’t want to meet him, they became fast friends and as the lone survivor she certainly feels an obligation to keep both McQueen’s and Blow’s legacies alive:

“[The exhibition is] a very bittersweet thing, because you want to celebrate your friends but then it’s like where are they and why aren’t they here?” [The Cut]

With 5,100 visitors on May 4th, Savage Beauty is the second biggest opening day in the Metropolitan Museum of Art‘s history. But what’s number one? That earless showboat, Vincent Van Gogh, whose Vincent Van Gogh: The Drawings drew in 5,400 people in 2005.

Nevertheless, the McQueen exhibit proved so popular the Met had to suspend its guided tours. The museum also sold 600 catalogs and at $45 a pop, Vincent Can Gogh suck on that. [NYT]

“I was terrified,” Bowles tells New York Mag, “There were very few teeth, I remember, and quite a significant beer belly. [The teeth] bespoke street fights.”

I never thought it would take much to terrify the diminutive Bowles, who went to meet McQueen at the behest of the late Isabella Blow while he was still a student at Central Saint Martins:

“So I went to south, south, south London, it took hours to get there, and it was his auntie’s welfare apartment. And he had some mannequins in the front room, and this really terrifying creature greeted me, and he was inarticulate and abrasive and just absolutely brilliant. You could just see there was just a raw talent. And you could tell he was frustrated because he felt that he wasn’t ready to be showing me things.”

When Harried Met Dandy. [The Cut]

- André Leon Talley ranks Beyoncé in Emilio Pucci as his best dressed from the Met Gala last night, though he modestly put himself at the lowly position at #12 when in reality he was the only lady to really turn it out on that carpet. [Vogue]

- Livia Firth, wife of this year’s Best Actor Oscar winner Colin Firth, had a meeting in the ladies room at the Met Ball with Stella McCartney, Lauren Hutton, Yoko Ono, Salma Hayek, Rihanna and Hilary Alexander and was gracious enough to tweet pics of it. [Refinery29]

- Mert & Marcus by Mert & Marcus. [Fashion Gone Rogue]

- John Galliano fired his lawyer, Stephane Zerbib over “apparent irregularities in respect of his firms administration of Galliano’s financial affairs over a number of years.” Sounds like someone had their hand in the couture cookie jar. [Vogue UK]

- Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge, also known to commoners as Kate Middleton, wore White Gardenia Petals by Illuminum on her special day, thus ensuring that White Gardenia Petals by Illumnum will sell-out in a matter of minutes. [Grazia]

- With the Met Gala, the Fashion World’s Oscars only a few hours away, what better way to celebrate (especially if your invitation was lost in the mail like mine, I’m assuming, was), then to take a stroll down memory lane of the Costume Institute‘s patron saint, Anna Wintour‘s ball looks over the years. Time had the unmitigated gaul to name Vogue‘s editrix the worst-dressed of the year for her Chanel Couture from 2008′s Superheroes exhibit, but hopefully whoever had the cheek to write that is hanging by his/her nipples in a dungeon in France somewhere. Where they belong. [Fashionologie]

- J. Crew‘s new catalog features employees modeling their clothes, including openly gay designer “Somsack” and his boyfriend “Micah,” that for some reason is deemed “explicit.” Dear “Straight” World, the gays date and wear clothes. That is when we’re not secretly plotting against the moral fiber of America and recruiting your children to our degenerate way of life. Actually, you know what, we can do both since our people are natural multi-taskers. — Love, The Gays [Refinery29]

- New W Fashion and Style Director, Edward Enninful describes his vision for the mag as thus: “I want editorial to be filled with ideas. It’s very important to capture the mood of the collections and bring narrative onto the pages. It’s also very important to be forward-thinking but remain wearable. We should project what’s going to come, take from the past and bring something new, and document what’s around now.” That means practically nothing to me, but I’m hoping it will translate into tons of black models and couture out the wazoo. [Style File]

- Professional jailbird Lindsay Lohan still somehow manages to find work, this time giving face on the cover of Blank, photographed by Steven Gomillion and Dennis Leupold. I’m holding out hope for a jailhouse photoshoot during the four months she’ll be locked up. [DesignScene]

- Cool-kids-about-town and adorable design duo, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler are starting their own costume jewelry line, set to launch during the pre-collection season. I’m assuming this won’t be Claire’s-level bobbles but I wouldn’t mind a PS tribal beaded necklace bunch. [WWD]

In the book’s introduction, Sally Singer, editor of T Magazine, is quick to point out that this is not your typical behind the curtains tome. That’s owed primarily to the fact that Julien Claessens is not a fashion photographer. In fact he admits that he doesn’t really understand fashion, but he understands his friend Olivier’s work.

So it’s no surprise that his photos aren’t perfectly-posed, editorial-ready snapshots, but abstract portraits that offer a glimpse into a world of extremes: extreme beauty, extreme bodies and an almost otherworldly charm. The star of these portraits, however, are still Theyskens minutely-crafted work.

Like malleable sculptures, Theyskens clothes wrap and drape themselves over the skeletal  frames of Lily Donaldson, Hilary Rhoda, Gemma Ward, Olga Sherer, Lara Stone, Tanya Dziahileva, Catherine McNeil and Sasha Pivovarova, lending a strength, elegance and sophistication otherwise at odds with their prepubescent fragility.

The Other Side of the Picture chronicles Theyskens career chronologically, ending before he began his newest phase at Theory, but Nina Ricci’s Fall/Winter ’09 collection is a fitting denouement, both for the book and for Theyskens time at the brand. That particular collection is the peak of Theyskens craft and a comforting reminder that talent like his shall and will not be wasted. Also, I’m still not over these tranny heels:

Julien Claessens, without understanding fashion, is able to completely grasp the work of Olivier Theyskens. As Claessens says about his friend’s work, “There’s something here that is part of my universe.” His clothes speak, live and breathe through Claessens’ photos because Theyskens intended them to speak, live and breathe on the women he dresses. Claessens and Theyskens simply speak the same language.

What owning this book says about you: You’re a serious-minded fashionista who admires Olivier’s dark aesthetic and/or his dark hotness.

What your dinner guests will say upon seeing this book on your coffee table: “Oh, wow, someone’s pretentious. And fabulous.”

How this book will make your fashion brain grow: Though you’re not likely to gain much in the way of knowledge from The Other Side of the Picture, you’re heart will swell at its beauty.

If you like this, you’ll love: Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty. The book to the Met exhibit is on sale — having had a quick look at it this morning we can definitely say it is worth the 30 bucks (plus free shipping, y’all!)

Photos: Styleite

- But what does this mean for Burton and the McQueen brand? A series of industry insiders, retail experts and just plain know-it-alls agree that landing the royal wedding dress was a large coup for the Alexander McQueen label, particularly with the Met Costume Institute Gala and Savage Beauty exhibit opening this week. McQueen will become a household name — though it was already that in my household — and will now have a “guaranteed legacy” while “taming” the house’s trademark “edginess.” Sales are expected to go through the roof due to a new, heretofore unseen level of awareness for the McQueen brand and as for Burton; rumors are reaching a fever pitch over her possibly serving as a replacement for John Galliano at Dior. But with the spectacular success of the new Duchess’s wedding gown, PPR (McQueen’s parent company) would likely do everything in its power to keep her on…at least if they were smart they would. [WWD]

- Model Agency Wars! After Next Model Management sued Ford Models for allegedly poaching a trio of models — Karmen Pedaru, Anna Aleksandra Cywinska, and Anna J. — DNA has gotten litigious over Maryna Linchuk, whom they claim Ford “solicited and induced” to break contract. DNA’s result? They’re suing Ford for $2 million. Big game hunting in the wilds of the modeling world can get very expensive. [Fashionista]

LONDON - APRIL 29: In this handout photo, issued by Clarence House, the bride and groom Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge pose for an official photo with left to right): Miss Grace van Cutsem, Miss Eliza Lopes, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, HM The Queen, The Hon. Margarita Armstrong-Jones, Lady Louise Windsor, Master William Lowther-Pinkerton. Back Row (left to right): Master Tom Pettifer, HRH Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, HRH Prince Harry of Wales, Mr Michael Middleton, Mrs Michael Middleton, Mr James Middleton, Miss Philippa Middleton, in the throne room at Buckingham Palace on April 29, 2011in London, England. The marriage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton was led by the Archbishop of Canterbury and was attended by 1900 guests, including foreign Royal family members and heads of state. Thousands of well-wishers from around the world have also flocked to London to witness the spectacle and pageantry of the Royal Wedding.(Photo by Hugo Burnand/Clarence House - WPA Pool/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Philippa Middleton;James Middleton;Michael Middleton;Prince Harry;Prince Charles, Prince of Wales;Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall;Margarita Armstrong-Jones;Eliza Lopes;Grace van Cutsem;Lady Louise Windsor;Tom Pettifer;William Lowther-Pinkerton;Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge;Prince William, Duke of Cambridge;

LONDON - APRIL 29: In this handout photo, issued by Clarence House, the bride and groom Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge pose for an official photo with (clockwise from bottom right) The Hon. Margarita Armstrong-Jones, Miss Eliza Lopes, Miss Grace van Cutsem, Lady Louise Windsor, Master Tom Pettifer, Master William Lowther-Pinkerton, in the throne room at Buckingham Palace on April 29, 2011in London, England. The marriage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton was led by the Archbishop of Canterbury and was attended by 1900 guests, including foreign Royal family members and heads of state. Thousands of well-wishers from around the world have also flocked to London to witness the spectacle and pageantry of the Royal Wedding.(Photo by Hugo Burnand/Clarence House - WPA Pool/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Margarita Armstrong-Jones;Eliza Lopes;Grace van Cutsem;Lady Louise Windsor;Tom Pettifer;William Lowther-Pinkerton;Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge;Prince William, Duke of Cambridge;

LONDON - APRIL 29: In this handout photo, issued by Clarence House, the bride and groom Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge pose for an official photo in the throne room at Buckingham Palace on April 29, 2011in London, England. The marriage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton was led by the Archbishop of Canterbury and was attended by 1900 guests, including foreign Royal family members and heads of state. Thousands of well-wishers from around the world have also flocked to London to witness the spectacle and pageantry of the Royal Wedding.(Photo by Hugo Burnand/Clarence House - WPA Pool/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge;Prince William, Duke of Cambridge;

- Daphne Guinness insists that she’s not Dita von Teese, referencing her upcoming stunt dressing for the Met Ball in Barney’s store window on May 2nd. She insists on modesty, saying that she’ll be “getting dressed behind something.” Guinness will of course be wearing Alexander McQueen to honor the late designer’s Savage Beauty.  [NYT]

- When you make Time‘s 100 Most Influential People list, dying your hair red is apparently front page news, especially if you’re a renowned purse ambassador for Chanel like Blake Lively. [Refinery29]

- Speaking of Chanel, PoshGlam takes a look inside of celebrity stylist Anya Sarre‘s quilted Chanel bag, which is decidedly more posh and glam than the insides of our bags. [PoshGlam]

- If like me you’re wondering what kind of rug Prince Charles will cut at the Royal Wedding, wonder no further: it’ll be a funky rug. [Styleite]

- America’s Next Top Model is returning for its 145th cycle and Tyra‘s bringing back “models who became breakout characters and who had the most memorable stories from past seasons,” i.e. the top models who have nothing better to do. Which is pretty much all of them. [USA Today]

-

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Rex USA ( 762774c ) Blake Lively Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World Gala, New York, America - 26 Apr 2011 762774c

- Joining La Jolie on the Do-Good Express is great-caped crusader André Leon Talley who describes his efforts thusly: “I do make trips to the Dumpster. And I am proud of that because it’s far from my house. But I make a special effort to go to the Dumpster and put the cardboard with the cardboard, and plastic with the plastics.” Mother Teresa who? [The Cut]

- Supermodels just can’t keep it in their pants these days. And by it I mean their nuptials. Anja Rubik will be the next catwalker to jump the broom and, in typical model fashion, will wear Pucci when she marries longtime boyfriend Sasha Knezevic in July. [Fashionologie]

- The Black Eyed Peas have finally realized what I’ve been saying for years: “My Humps” is a god awful song. [The Boombox]

- Libyan president and noted fashion plate Muammar Gadaffi apparently wants his own exhibit at the Met’s Costume Institute. Muammar Gaddafi: Savage Beauty? [Styleite]

- Dior will debut a few dresses from its upcoming couture and/or Spring 2012 collections at the Cannes Film Festival when French actress Melanie Laurent wears the iconic label to the fest’s opening and closing ceremonies. [Elle]

- Also on said list is Glee‘s Chris Colfer, who just sold a pilot to the Disney Channel and is also writing and starring in the indie film, Struck By Lightning, directed by the guy who did Saved! – it’s Kurt’s turn! [The Daily Beast]

- You can get even closer to the Met’s Costume Institute Gala thanks to Vogue‘s new iPad app, which has 5 years of behind the scenes footage, a preview of Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty and even a tribute to McQueen by the bobbed one herself, Anna Wintour. [Fashionologie]

- Supermodel icon and MILF extraordinaire, Cindy Crawford says she feels like an outsider now: I just saw the CoverGirl commercial with Taylor Swift and I thought, ‘Wow, it is so hard for models to get a job these days.” Well, I hope you’re happy now, Taylor Swift — you’ve alienated one of the greatest supermodels of all time. Thanks again, Swift. [Fashionologie]

- Crawford went on to say: “And I also think when I was modeling, size 6 was a normal size and now it’s like 2 or 0.” Well, according to a new study from the University of Bologna, Italy, allowing larger models onto the runway will promote obesity since skinny models provide an incentive for weight control. And that incentive is called cocaine. [Daily Mail]

- The Center for Disease Control estimates that by 2020 every state will have a ban on indoor smoking. I personally don’t smoke, unless I’m 5 Long Island Iced Teas into the night, but there’s just something comforting about a seedy, smokey bar — something that just says ‘Welcome home, homo.’ [Gawker]

Link Love: The Cut, The Daily Telegraph

The pieces were photographed for the exhibit catalogue by Sølve Sundsbø using live models who were digitally altered to look like mannequins, thus giving the clothing movement. It looks absolutely incredible and I can’t wait to basically live in the Met for the entire month of May.

Link Love: Vogue UK / NY Mag

All right, who else can’t fucking wait for this? I have to start digging through my closet to find the perfect McQueen ensemble to wear to next year’s gala…that I’m not invited to.

Cough.

Eyebrow raise.

…

Okay, subtlety’s not working, who do  have to kill to get ticket to next year’s Costume Institute Gala?

Please say a Kardashian….

After much controversy on this years Costume Institute Gala (designers were not willing to pay typical table prices), here’s a list of who is attending.

* Alexander Wang: Lara Stone
* Allure: Leslie Mann, Anna Friel
* Badgley Mischka: Tyra Banks
* Bally: Rachel Bilson
* Brian Reyes: Ivanka Trump
* Burberry: Twiggy, Agyness Deyn
* Calvin Klein: Brooke Shields, Eva Mendes, Halle Berry
* Chanel: Edita Vilkeviciute, Diane Kruger, Kirsten Dunst
* Christian Dior: Gisele Bundchen, Marion Cotillard
* Derek Lam: Liya Kebede, Brooklyn Decker
* Diane von Furstenberg: Rosario Dawson
* Dolce & Gabbana: Eva Herzigova
* DSquared2: Carol Alt
* Emilio Pucci: Ciara
* Estee Lauder: Hilary Rhoda (rumored to be wearing Thakoon), Elizabeth Hurley
* Givenchy: Mariacarla Boscono, Adriana Lima (but may not be able to attend)
* Isaac Mizrahi: Coco Rocha
* Jason Wu: Jessica Alba
* J.Mendel: Heidi Klum
* Lancome: Arlenis Sosa Pena, Daria Werbowy
* Louis Vuitton: Madonna, Kerry Washington
* Marc Jacobs: Kate Moss, Anne Hathaway
* Michael Kors: Lauren Hutton
* Narciso Rodriguez: Lily Donaldson
* Peter Som: Anne Vyalitsyna
* Rachel Roy: Lakshmi Menon, Joy Bryant
* Richard Chai: Karolina Kurkova
* Rodarte: Jessica Stam
* Stella McCartney: Liv Tyler, Kate Bosworth
* Versace: Cindy Crawford
* William Rast: Jessica Biel
* Zac Posen: Helena Christensen

Also attending: Natalia Vodianova, Claudia Schiffer, Isabeli Fontana, Chanel Iman, Natasha Poly, Raquel Zimmermann, Sasha Pivovarova, Jourdan Dunn, Caroline Trentini, Carolyn Murphy, Hana Soukupova, Anja Rubik, Anna Maria Jagodzinska, Magdalena Frackowiak, Iman, Karlie Kloss, Kate Beckinsale, Marisa Tomei, Paulina Porizkova, Molly Sims, Amanda Peet, Bar Refaeli.

LINKAGE: fashionologie

Over the past several decades, fashion has certainly evolved, and with it, the trendy model look has morphed. From elegant to youthful and grungy to natural, models are just as much a work of art as the clothes on their bodies. Starting May 6th, the Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art will kick off it’s newest exhibit, Model As Muse: Embodying Fashion. Featuring peak models from 1947-1997, I’m really curious to see this timeline of faces and make my prediction as to which look the fashion industry will harness next. Hey, you never know, following the 80′s fashion revival, maybe models will start looking like this again! 

GALLERY: FIRST LOOK: The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Model As Muse Exhibition

Thanks NY Mag!

Sarah Jessica Parker can be referred to as the voice of fashion. Now, she will be the voice for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new audio guide tour on “Costume: The Art of Dress.”

In the first audio guide by the Costume Institute, and available at the museum from Nov. 25, Parker will guide visitors through approximately 20 pieces of art from the permanent collection, including historical garments, as well as costumes depicted in paintings and sculptures. Parker taped the audio tour in a recording studio in the summer.

“Looking beyond our encyclopedic collection of costume to the museum’s other treasures puts clothing into a historical context,” Costume Institute curator-in-charge Harold Koda said. “Walking through the galleries listening to Sarah Jessica Parker’s narration will bring a sense of discovery and delight to the experience.”

Thanks WWD

For the first time, nearly all of the Costume Institute’s large collection of clothing has been translated into an online database. View original works from Ungaro, Schiaparelli, Givenchy,  and many more.

The project was started in 2000, and since then the department of the Metropolitan Museum of Art has worked on formatting and digitizing information on 29,432 objects from the 31,000-piece collection. It is available to view through the museum’s Web site under Collection Database. The move is part of the museum’s initiative to showcase its entire holdings online.