UPPER EAST SIDE — The A-list was out in force, and plenty of Prada, for The Metropolitan Museum of Art's annual Costume Institute Gala last night in Manhattan.
Celebrities donned their best Prada gowns in honor of the Costume Institute's new exhibit, "Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations," as others grabbed the closest haute couture they could find.
Sarah Jessica Parker went one better and hit the red carpet with legendary fashion designer Valentino Garavani himself — wearing a silk taffeta floral printed gown, designed by her evening's escort.
Gwyneth Paltrow (in a Prada halterneck dress), Carey Mulligan (also in Prada) and Jessica Biel (in mid-calf length Prada and escorted by beau Justin Timberlake) were among the few who decided to forgo the floor-length trend and wear knee-and-calf length gowns.
Beyoncé Knowles, who gave birth to her daughter Blue Ivy Carter in January, turned heads in a sheer, full-length Givenchy gown with a purple feather train over a corseted bodysuit.
The singer's sister Solange Knowles wore a peplum-waisted canary yellow dress designed by Rachel Roy, while "Mad Men" star January Jones also opted for yellow, and a peplum, designed by Versace.
Rihanna wore Tom Ford, Jessica Alba wore a Michael Kors gold-lame, one-shoulder-goddess gown and Claire Danes, from TV's "Homeland," wore a white silk J. Mendel gown and Louboutin shoes. Danes was there with her husband Hugh Dancy.
Anna Wintour, and other Vogue editors in attendance, all wore pink, a signature Schiaparelli color.
Photos provided by PatrickMcMullan.com.
