The Met Costume Institute Gala 2012

Forget London fashion week.  In fact, forget New York fashion week, Paris fashion week and Milan fashion week.  Forget all four put together.

The annual Met Costume Institute Gala is the one event on the fash calendar that I absolutely cannot wait for.  Toted as one of the most anticipated, glamorous and exclusive events in the world by the who's-who in fashion, the event which has been running since 1948 never fails to wow us mere-mortals who can only dream of wearing gowns so expensive, it would be cheaper to buy a penthouse in London, deck it out wall-to-wall in solid gold furniture, all whilst living on a diet of caviar and truffle oil for a year.

However, save up your pocket money, and for the lip-quivering sum of *£3,000, you could be rubbing shoulders with the stars.  (*Please note, this is the price of the CHEAPEST ticket available, so will probably be comparable to buying the cheapest ticket to Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat at the theatre.  But hey, you'll be rubbing shoulders with the perfectly preened and immaculately dressed.  Well, perhaps not rubbing shoulders.  At least you'll be in the same room as them.)

There's something so tantalisingly exciting about seeing the most beautiful people in the world looking, well - even more immaculate and beautiful than usual, if that's even possible.  

The first thing I done when I got up this morning was to frantically scour the pages of The Fashion Spot for the deets and the all-important visuals from the event which took place in NYC last night.  Cue endless amount of admiring/envious sighs as I fawned over the beautiful creations the A-list flaunted on the red carpet.

And so, I've compiled a list of the best dressed (in my opinion).  Perhaps 'best' is an understatement, because today I am seriously questioning my sexuality after seeing how jaw-droppingly beautiful some of the women looked last night.  Who knew that an exquisitely crafted garment had the ability to alter someone's sexual orientation?  So, sit back, and prepare to be wowed.  You'll probably have a new girl crush by the time you've finished reading!

WINNER: "THE RISK-TAKER" AWARD

Lana Del Rey

"Chain-mail" and "long, black goth cape" conjur rather unsettling images as two separate concepts, but together?  Surely a recipe for a fashion disaster - or not, as our favourite songstress Lana Del Rey proved as she stepped out in custom Joseph Altuzarra.  Teamed with freshly dyed chocolate brown locks and a matte aubergine lip, Lana smouldered in her simple yet stunning ensemble, with the balance of timeless elegance and femme-fetale being just right.

WINNER: "THE BELLE OF THE BALL" AWARD

Lily Collins

Who knew Phil Collins could spawn something so beautiful?!  Lily looked dainty as a doll in Valentino - I really love how she complimented her youthful appearance with floaty chiffon in virginal cream and white, whilst keeping her make-up natural looking with coral blush and a rosy lip.  Lace, bows and shamelessly feminine - what's not to love?  The one to watch in 2012, prepare to see her as a regular fixture on the style pages of Grazia and Vogue. 

WINNER: "THE QUEEN OF COOL" AWARD

Dree Hemingway

Wearing a customised creation from the Topshop Unique A/W '12 collection, Ms. Hemingway proved just how she earned her achingly cool style credentials.  Cheeky panels of peek-a-boo chiffon provided enough naughtiness to give a real wow-factor to an otherwise plain dress, whilst the shin length was refreshing amongst a sea of floor-sweeping gowns.  A slick of orange red lipstick and mussed up bed-hair was the perfect finishing touch to Dree's Met look which oozed effortless style.

WINNER: "THE GLAMAZON" AWARD

Beyonce

Pick your jaws up off the floor, ladies and gentleman.  After last night, Beyonce can officially add "yummy mummy" to her already enviable CV.  Bey looked radiant in an exquisite couture Givenchy creation, with purple ostrich feathers at the hem providing an edgy kick of colour to take the gown from being exquisite to out of this world.  I love her hair a slightly bit darker- the warm honey hue really compliments her glowing peaches 'n' cream complexion.

WINNER: "THE ENGLISH ROSE" AWARD

Michelle Dockery

Out of the few Brit girls at the Met last night, Downtown Abbey's Michelle Dockery certainly did us proud.  In a simple black Ralph Lauren gown emphasised with metallic detailing on the bust, Michelle is officially our poster girl for the anti-TOWIE movement, where simplicity, elegance and natural beauty comes up trumps against the scantily clad oompa-loompa look which so many girls of our generation buy into (why is a mystery!).  And teamed with the addition of black silky gloves, I'm sure this ensemble would have had Audrey Hepburn's stamp of approval.

WINNER: "THE STYLE CHAMELEON" AWARD

Rihanna

Ahhh, the ever-changing style of Rihanna.  Fashion icon, or the manufactured product of a hard-working team of stylists and publicity machine?  Probably the latter, however nobody can deny the fact that RiRi looked drop-dead gorgeous last night.  In a black croc-print Tom Ford dress, black stilettos and pared down make-up, Rihanna ticked all the right boxes when it came down to perfecting a look fit for the Met  red carpet.    And I am loving her new black weave, the blonde was nasty and cheap-looking on her.  Please drop the faux-gangster persona Ri, you look phenomenal without the gimmicky clothes!

WINNER: "THE RED HOT" AWARD

Eva Mendes

With metallic being the biggest story on the red carpet of the Met Gala 2012, Eva stood out for all of the right reasons and opted for a spicy orange silk gown by Prada.  The high-waisted skirt with an additional on-trend peplum emphasised Eva's enviable hourglass figure, whilst the black and white embellishment on the bust broke up the bold colour.  A perfect example of how to compliment your summer sun-kissed complexion with rich jewel colour and neutral makeup.