Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Metropolitan Museum of...Fashion
By
Jen Carlson
Published May 8, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published May 8, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Anna Wintour, Balenciaga's Nicolas Ghesquière, and Cate Blanchett hosted last night's annual Costume Institute gala, which was a celebration of Paul Poiret, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Poirot was the pioneer in modern fashion, and freed women from petticoats and corsets - though many, even those in attendance last night, aren't familiar with him. Everyone did their best to dress "in the spirit of" the King of Fashion however, including: Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kirsten Dunst, Renée Zellweger and many other bold-faced names (photos here).
AMNY has a rundown on the style, the Met exhibit and the man behind it:
Harold Koda, curator at The Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute stated: "His fame came before World War II so only historians and other fashion designers really knew of him." But in 2005 the Met purchased at auction almost two dozen of the outfits Poiret created for his wife-muse Denise in the early 1900s, and Koda was reminded of his influence on what we wear today. When describing the Poiret pieces, including cloak-style coats, drop-waist chemises and empire-waist gowns, Koda repeatedly uses the word "modern." The Costume Institute opens "Poiret: King of Fashion" on Wednesday. Visitors will recognize the shapes, if not the names of the designer and his style posse.
that many of the celebs and socialites skipped the exhibit all together and spent their time at the bar. Wonder what the now defunct Socialite Rank would have to say about this. Luckily, there's Park Avenue Peerage.
The Poiret exhibit opens tomorrow and runs through August 5th. On a sad note, this all happened just after news that fashion stylist Isabella Blow died at age 48. She started out as an assistant to Wintour in 1981 (after moving to New York in 1979 to study at Columbia) and went on to make a name for herself in the world of fashion.
Lots o' pictures of celebrities at the Costume Institute at Just Jared, such as Jennifer Garner, Claire Danes, Zhang Ziyi, Kirsten Dunst, Jennifer Connelly, Scarlett Johanssen and Jennifer Lopez.
Photographs of Taye Diggs and Idina Menzel (left), Lindsay Lohan (center) and Winona Ryder and Marc Jacobs (right) by Stuart Ransom/AP
Tagged
anna wintour
art
bar
cate blanchett
celebrities
celebs
claire danes
costume institute
david
david bowie
entertainment
event
fashion
idina menzel
Jennifer Connelly
Jennifer Garner
jennifer lopez
Julia Louis
Just Jared
kirsten dunst
Lindsay Lohan
marc jacobs
metropolitan museum
mick jagger
museum
museums
new york
ny times
Park avenue
people
photos
pictures
Scarlett Johanssen
style
Taye Diggs
The Metropolitan Museum
The NY
the ny times
war
Wednesday
winona ryder
World War
world war II
Zhang Ziyi
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
"Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger," says the co-owner of Art of Play.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 13, 2026
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
Thanks to Dua Lipa, Kim Kardashian, Timothée Chalamet and more, the rideshare program is having a moment.
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Arts & Entertainment
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
Thanks to Dua Lipa, Kim Kardashian, Timothée Chalamet and more, the rideshare program is having a moment.
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
By
James Ramsay
What happens when NYC kids take lessons in rock music? Really good bands.
By
Jayson Greene
Inside a photographer's journey to visit every neighborhood in New York City
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .