A newly redhead Blake Lively was, as usual, the belle of the ball: The Gossip Girl star, who is also the new face of Chanel, appeared in a design from the house—and on the arm of designer Karl Lagerfeld.
Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images
When it came to high-wattage glamour, there was J.Lo, loyal to Gucci, in a magenta dress with appliqué flowers from their Fall/Winter 2011 collection.
Evan Angostini / AP Photo
Madonna looked every bit the star in a blue-green Stella McCartney silk dress embroidered with silver stars, reportedly inspired by the Duchess of Windsor. She paired it with vintage Cartier jewels, Sergio Rossi heels, and a beaded Dior clutch.
Peter Kramer / AP Photo
Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour, the force behind the annual Costume Institute Gala, wore a colorful beaded dress by Chanel with dark sleeves and a high neck. She arrived with her 24-year-old daughter, Bee Shaffer, who wore a crimson Balenciaga dress with a train.
Kevin Mazur, WireImage / Getty Images
Gisele Bündchen went big on Monday night, in a voluminous red dress from McQueen's Fall/Winter 2005 runway show, which was titled "The Man Who Knew Too Much."
Evan Agostini / AP Photo
Donald Trump sure knows how to get around: after being roasted at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington, D.C., on Saturday night, Trump was back in New York on Monday—and was booed by crowds when he and his wife, Melania, appeared on the red carpet at the Met Gala.
Larry Busacca
Naomi Campbell, a close friend of McQueen's, has paid tribute to the late designer many times since his death. She attended his funeral service last February with his closest family, honored him onstage during her Fashion Show for Haiti Relief—and mourned her friend at his memorial service at St. Paul's Cathedral in September. And Campbell appeared to be carrying the torch on Monday night, in a white crystal embroidered Alexander McQueen dress.
Evan Agostini / AP Photo
Diane Kruger looked sultry in a beaded Jason Wu dress with a high slit from the Fall/Winter collection. She walked down the red carpet with the designer.
Sonia Moskowitz for Newsweek & The Daily Beast
Gwyneth Paltrow, who wore her hair in messy curls, sparkled in a nude crystal long-sleeve embroidered gown by Stella McCartney.
Sonia Moskowitz for Newsweek & The Daily Beast
Rihanna wore a black lace one-sleeve embroidered gown by Stella McCartney, which she dramatized with a waist-length braid and bright green Wilfredo Rosado emerald and black gold "Double Cog" earrings.
Sonia Moskowitz for Newsweek & The Daily Beast
A pregnant Kate Hudson looked radiant in a gold stretch silk and crystal embroidered strapless gown by Stella McCartney and a small glittering headpiece.
Sonia Moskowitz for Newsweek & The Daily Beast
Demi Moore certainly channeled Alexander McQueen, even though she didn't wear his designs. The actress appeared in a dramatic black dress with ostrich feathers and Swarovski crystals designed by fashion darling Prabal Gurung, which she paired with a fascinator hat by Philip Treacy.
Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images
Model Miranda Kerr, with her husband, Orlando Bloom, looked straight out of Black Swan in a tulle Marchesa dress and Nicholas Kirkwood heels.
Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images
Penelope Cruz, in a black Oscar de la Renta gown and Chopard jewels, walked the red carpet with the designer.
Sonia Moskowitz for Newsweek & The Daily Beast
Sarah Jessica Parker, who famously attended the gala in 2006 in tartan plaid with Alexander McQueen by her side, honored the late designer with a simpler dress, also a McQueen, which was embroidered with crystal beads.
Evan Agostini / AP Photo
Renee Zellweger looked sleek and simple in a nude beaded dress by Carolina Herrera.
Larry Busacca / Getty Images
Daphne Guinness, a close friend and muse to Alexander McQueen, honored his spirit in a massive feathered corset dress from the line's Fall/Winter 2011 collection. "He was not just a designer, he was an artist," Guinness wrote of McQueen for The Daily Beast last year. "He was just so incredibly chic."
Larry Busacca / Getty Images
This was strong evidence for summer's neon trend: Zoe Saldana's bright green dress by Calvin Klein lit up the red carpet.
Larry Busacca / Getty Images
The woman of the hour was Sarah Burton, the creative director at Alexander McQueen, who became a British national hero last week for designing Kate Middleton's wedding dress. As Burton said after the wedding: "It has been the experience of a lifetime to work with Catherine Middleton to create her wedding dress, and I have enjoyed every moment of it. It was such an incredible honour to be asked, and I am so proud of what we and the Alexander McQueen team have created…Alexander McQueen's designs are all about bringing contrasts together to create startling and beautiful clothes and I hope that by marrying traditional fabrics and lacework, with a modern structure and design we have created a beautiful dress for Catherine on her wedding day."
Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images
Liv Tyler, who was accompanied by Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci, wore a long tulle dress from the Spring Couture 2011 runway.
Larry Busacca / Getty Images
Last year it was Lady Gaga. This year, the entertainment for the evening was Florence and the Machine. And it made sense, as the band's front woman, Florence Welch, has become fashion royalty in the past year. She was the first to wear a dress from Givenchy's Spring 2011 couture collection earlier this year at the Grammy Awards—but at the Met Ball, she channeled old Hollywood glamour in a white dress by Yves Saint Laurent.
Kevin Mazur / Getty Images
Lady Gaga may have arrived at the Grammys in an egg—but Anna dello Russo's egg head at the Met Gala proved much more fashionable. Vogue Nippon's eccentric editor drew attention on the red carpet with her headpiece and brocade Alexander McQueen suit.
Larry Busacca / Getty Images
Beyonce Knowles wore a figure-hugging black-and-gold embroidered dress by Emilio Pucci and Lorraine Schwartz black diamond earrings, while her husband, Jay-Z, opted for a white dinner jacket.
Peter Kramer / AP Photo
Iman glittered brighter than any other star in a bronze-and-gold embroidered long-sleeved Stella McCartney jumpsuit and a Kotur clutch.
Sonia Moskowitz for Newsweek & The Daily Beast
Mick Jagger walked the red carpet with his longtime girlfriend, designer L'Wren Scott, who wore a midnight blue silk tulle dress of her own design, which was embroidered with golden clouds.
Sonia Moskowitz for Newsweek & The Daily Beast
Michelle Williams looked playful in a black long-sleeved dress by Miu Miu embroidered with gold swallows.
Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images
The 21-year-old country star looked older than her years in an embroidered J. Mendel one-shouldered dress. Fittingly, her date for the evening was the (much older) designer, Gilles Mendel. But that didn't stop Swift's rabid teenage audience from following her every move. When she encountered Twilight star Ashley Greene (who dated her ex-boyfriend, heartthrob Joe Jones), the two exchanged a warm hug. But as one fan tweeted: "Swift and Ashley Greene hugged at the MET Gala. WOAH! They both dated Joe. This is huge."
Sonia Moskowitz for Newsweek & The Daily Beast
In a sea of couture gowns, perhaps the most refreshing look came from Ginnifer Goodwin, who stood out in an emerald green dress from the affordable British fashion chain TopShop. But with Van Cleef & Arpels' "Art Deco Zip" necklace and Aperlai sandals, the dress could certainly have passed for Gucci.
Larry Busacca / Getty Images
Black Eyed Peas star Fergie, who kissed her husband, Josh Duhamel, on the red carpet, wore a platinum embroidered dress by Marchesa with a flared tulle skirt.
Larry Busacca / Getty Images
