“My evening began in line for the red carpet,” said NJ Goldston from her post covering the The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute gala held in New York on Monday, May 5, for her blog, The Blonde & The Brunette. “It’s so jam packed that it gets backed up like the 405,” she added. Goldston and her husband Mark stood alongside Carmelo Anthony, who arrived bedecked in a top hat. “I mentioned that Anthony looked really sharp, and he remarked, ‘It was like anything else, if you’re going to do it, do it right. Do it all the way.’ Tom Ford overhead us and couldn’t resist adding, ‘There’s nothing as elegant as a white tie and tails.’ I was about to agree when Zac Posen suddenly whizzed by to arrange the trains on models Liu Wen and Arizona Muse—who both wore his pastel gowns—so they’d be perfect for the press gauntlet. The two, or rather threesome, were almost inseparable throughout the night,” Goldston added.

“It was obvious from the moment my husband and I arrived that rumors of a whittled back guest list were absolutely true,” said Goldston who wore a vintage Valentino demi couture gown from Lily et Cie in Los Angeles paired with a David Yurman necklace. “There were fewer limos, less jostling, lots more celebrities, and a fairly strict adherence to the ‘white tie and decorations’ dress code requested for the evening that benefited the Met Museum in New York, and marked the opening of the Charles James: Beyond Fashion exhibition,” she noted. Though Goldston observed that Anna Wintour did not wear long gloves.

While still in line on the carpet, Goldston and Nicole Richie compared dresses. “Richie looked stunning in a deep backless Donna Karan Atelier gown, and we talked about the many layers of tulle in my Valentino demi-couture confection. Then it was on to the receiving line where Anna Wintour, Aerin Lauder, Bradley Cooper, an Oscar de la Renta-clad Sarah Jessica Parker and Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch warmly greeted guests,” Goldston said. “It was obvious everyone was in a fantastic mood, especially Anna, after the official ribbon cutting of the Anna Wintour Costume Center with First Lady Michelle Obama that took place earlier in the day.”

“We then made our way through the exhibit where Carolina Herrera greeted me and Colin Firth and his stunning wife Livia Giugiolli,” said Goldston. “The new costume gallery had them, along with everyone else, talking about the stunning Charles James gowns showcased in an almost space-aged way. We exchanged pleasantries with David Beckham who happily insisted on showing my husband Mark how to properly take a selfie. Beckham said, ‘Mate, let me show you how to do this!’”

“During the cocktail hour I ran into lots of old friends including Joy Bryant in a dramatic, one shoulder Marchesa gown. She tried to help me with my camera while bringing me up to speed on her new clothing line, Basic Terrain. In the midst of I all, I bumped into Jason Wu, escorting a very somber Dakota Johnson, asking me why I wasn’t wearing Jason Wu again this year. ‘We need to fix that!’ he said.” Goldston soon spotted Jessica Paré and the two women shared a laugh about Wu’s quip. “We both met last year wearing one of his designs. This year, Paré wore Michael Kors. I also compared notes with Michelle Williams, who was beautifully dressed in a sequined sheath from the latest Louis Vuitton by Nicholas Gherisqué collection. We talked about the recent showing in Paris of the new fall collection. While surveying the crowd, I bumped into the Mullevay sisters, Kirsten Dunst, and Rashida Jones. Each of them noted how much easier it was to get to the new space without the long staircase to climb to the exhibit.”

“About the same time, I spotted Alber Elbaz and Vogue’s Lisa Love,” said Goldston. Elbaz thought the evening was charming. “He told me, ‘What a fantastic evening. It felt like less of a fashion event and more of a family reunion! It was uplifting seeing everyone looking so beautiful. The exhibition is really beautiful; it is not just an exhibition of dresses but of women, and femininity,'” said Goldston. “Then Valentino Garavani spotted me in his dress and suddenly we were deep in conversation about the many layers of tulle required to create it. Soon, as the evening progressed, Frank Ocean performed a two-song set that had members of the crowd on their feet. As it all wound down, I spotted everyone from Kate Upton, Ashley Olsen, Hallie Steinfeld, Karolina Kurkova, Emmy Rossum, Amy Adams, Karlie Kloss and Charlize Theron taking photo breaks before the final press gauntlet back down the Met staircase. After all, it’s not always easy working a room in a ball gown.”

Pictured: Kirsten Dunst at the Met Gala
Photo by: John Lamparski/Getty Images

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