Met Costume Gala Attire

[mjphillips]

Tonight is the annual Met Gala and the opportunity to laugh at how famous people dress is on par with the Oscars. First a couple good ones: Jay-Z in ivory (though not really warm enough yet and not a fan of the wing collar).

Caleb Followill in a DB

Firth looking a bit sloppier than usual. No idea what this fabric is on the dinner jacket. Any ideas?

Notch. Is that a safety pin instead of a button?

Atrocious.

Well at least Hamish owns the look. I'm actually a fan of the loafers.

Much better.

More here and at www.vogue.com

 

[musicguy]

Originally Posted by mjphillips

Firth looking a bit sloppier than usual. No idea what this fabric is on the dinner jacket. Any ideas?

I'm pretty sure that's Tom Ford. Not sure about the fabric though. The lapel buttonhole is odd.

 

[pvrhye]

For entertainers, it's a fairly tasteful assortment. Firth is a disaster here though. I don't wanna bust out the shoelace arguments again, but are those big ole sneaker laces?

Is Kanye in spats?

 

[VelvetGreen]

Notch. Is that a safety pin instead of a button?

This kind of trouser is a real peeve of mine. THEY DON'T FIT. Modern, 'fashionable', looks crap.

 

[mjphillips]

Kanye is wearing a Tory Burch tuxedo, according to Esquire. Is she starting a men's line?

http://www.esquire.com/the-side/styl...s-2011-5677104

Another, much better picture of Colin. Great lapels and nice work on the pocket square.

And Tom Ford - he always looks great, but the collar gap kills me.

 

[Mr. Sartorial]

Note: Colin Firth only wears Tom Ford. They're best buddies since filming A Single Man.

Also note: Colin Firth has no idea how to dress himself. I love the guy, but he doesn't. Seen this on multiple occasions. Fabric is likely a very complex wool/silk satin weave although I suppose it could be a velvet weave. Dolce and Gabbana has done similar to this in previous seasons.

Last Note: I think Kanye completely failed here. I have respect that he pushes things, but he has to accept the risks that go along with that, as he does here. He looks like a clueless highschool kid who got too fat for his tux on prom night and safety-pinned it because the buttons wouldn't close.

EDIT: One last thing: Tom Ford looks like he's maybe put on a few pounds since he had the tux made, that's why there are a few fit issues. (See: Break at lapel and pulling at button). The only other possibility being that he's turned at an odd angle in the photo (note his posture), creating some fit mayhem.

 

[Eustace Tilley]

Hate Ford's lapels. And I wish he'd use grosgrain instead of satin.

 

[Manton]

Which met is this?

 

[mjphillips]

Originally Posted by Manton

Which met is this?
Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC. Annual Costume Institute Ball put on by Vogue. This exhibit this year is on Alexander McQueen, so is getting a little more attention that usual. I agree, re: Kanye. Looks like a rumpled black suit.

 

[Master Squirrel]

Originally Posted by mjphillips

Well at least Hamish owns the look. I'm actually a fan of the loafers.

IMHO, I'd respect it more if he ditched the the DJ trappings and went full transvestite.

 

[Testudo_Aubreii]

I agree that the crimson jacket looks atrocious. Yet if you took away the black braiding, I think it would look okay. In a darker shade like maroon and with less sheen, it would look pretty good. Etutee's superb post at the London Lounge has an illustration of a maroon/wine one, towards the bottom. It looks great. The black braiding ruins this crimson number because it fragments the contrast between the jacket color and the shirt color. It draws the eye away from the triangle formed by shirt surrounded by jacket lapels and bow tie, and towards the braiding. What it ends up looking like is the chain of office of an English mayor. The eye doesn't know whether it should be looking at the shirt triangle, or at the chain.

By contrast, black braiding on a black DJ works pretty well, as on Hugh Laurie here. Like black facings, it suggests the periphery of the triangle, although the suggestion isn't as strong. This is why Kanye's black jacket, though it lacks facings or braiding, still looks okay. It does a decent job of suggesting the triangle, though less so than Hugh Laurie's black braiding and far less than Firth's black facings. This is why I think Firth looks good; his suit respects all the formal principles of black tie while throwing in a slightly feminine twist with the scaley fabric. It's a nod to the age's discomfort with hypermasculinity in dress. Firth's ensemble shows that there's flexibility and life in the dinner suit.

 

[mjphillips]

^^nice post. I agree re: Hilfiger, would have been much more acceptable in a darker color.

Tom Ford divides opinion in general but if there is a resurgence of the dinner suit he will be partially responsible.

 

[Harold falcon]

Originally Posted by pvrhye

For entertainers, it's a fairly tasteful assortment. Firth is a disaster here though. I don't wanna bust out the shoelace arguments again, but are those big ole sneaker laces?

Probably silk ribbon laces, which are acceptable.

 

[Bounder]

Originally Posted by mjphillips

Notch. Is that a safety pin instead of a button?

This is like one of those how-many-things-can-you-find-wrong-with-this-picture things.

Well at least Hamish owns the look. I'm actually a fan of the loafers.

Black Don't-Watch?

 

[Manton]

Anyone recognize the venue?