Usually, the Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is always surrounded by a lot of ‘buzz’, but this year’s Gala which took place on Monday, celebrating “Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations”, a fictitious meeting between the two fashion design icons was definitely not any different. With the exhibit dealing with Miuccia Prada, considered an intellectual designer and Elsa Schiaparelli, a Surrealist’s darling, that mere might have given some of the attendees a false sense of artistic license in confusing ugly with that which is eclectic, eccentric and fun. Here are my ‘Hits + Misses’ found on the red carpet.

‘Miss’

Coco Rocha in her Givenchy cropped pant suit looks awful – Best suited for a junior high graduation celebration – with pink hair ends along with the excess of embellishments on top, it’s just way too busy.  Fashion designer Thom Browne on the other hand, looks btter in his slim fit cropped pants, yet it’s the bit of white that peers from his black shoes that drives me crazy – white socks with black shoes look best on security guards. I would’ve forgiven him had he put a pom pom or bow tie on the back of those socks or paired his black shoes with slightly sheer striped men’s socks, scrunched just enough to show some skin.

Tory Burch, as cheery as she looks in this pic + as much as I appreciate the turquoise dangling earrings with the coral on her dress, frankly, it looks like the white of the dress is a net + all the red are just birds that got caught in it. Now, Diane Kruger, to your right, although very beautiful + often does very well on the red carpet, this time, I think it’s a miss. The dress’s cut does not flatter + as much as I love feathers, the bottom looks like Grover was skinned.

Now here we have two examples of when proportion goes wrong.  To the left, is Lauren Santo Domingo wear Oscar de la Renta. Now I love me some Oscar and huge sleeves but in this case, the dress is wearing Lauren.  To the right, we have Christina Ricci in Thakoon wearing a won ton wrapped in a black doily of sorts.

So which is better, simplicity or drama?  In this case, you have a snoozer worn by Bee Schaffer because there’s nothing really to say about it – very forgettable – while, to your right, you have Elizabeth Banks in a dress that has way too much going on causing ‘drama’. I’m a fan of mixing patterns, but this dress seems to have a lot of trends all in one (platypus anyone?) You have a peplum, mixed patterns and what appears to be a caplet which looks attached nonetheless.

‘Hit’

I simply adored Anna Wintour’s all white dress with gold embellishments but mostly her crazy cut arms. Then we move to performance artist extraordinaire, Marina Abramovic, hearing what appears to be a black tux – timeless.

Finally, we come to two other ‘hits’ that live up to what one would expect on this kind of red carpet. To the left, is Dolce & Gabanna worn by Giovanna Battaglia is in yummy Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld.  Love the high drama created by a look that could be considered a costume in many ways but still wearable. Banca Brandolini D’Adda in Dolce & Gabanna (right), might be considered a bit much in head-to-toe gold sequins yet for this occasion the more the better, when done right – love the Egyptian necklace.

(via + photos by WWD)