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.

i heard that you like the bad girls, honey is that true?

There's no surprise really, that on Monday, the one thing on my list of priorities (apart from prolonging my lie-in for as long as possible) was going onto itunes to download a copy of Lana Del Rey's eagerly anticipated debut album "Born To Die".  

From the second I discovered her, flicking through the music channels one rainy day, I became instantly transfixed by the haunting beauty of "Video Games" (below) as well as developing a penchant for the crazy Miss Paz De La Huerta after her cameo in the video.  For those who don't know who Paz De La Huerta is, youtube her.  She's a drunken hot mess and I love her. 

And so, like a junkie I've been fiending to get another fix of LDR.  Much safer than a fix of LSD, I'm sure you'll all agree. I am officially a Lana Del Rey enthusiast.  Read enthusiast as stalker.  And with 15 meaty tracks, "Born To Die" certainly does not disappoint.   

Lana Del Rey, real name Elizabeth Grant, is a 25 year old New Yorker who doesn't hide the fact she had an extremely privileged upbringing - she wouldn't be out of place amongst the Blair and Serena's of the world.  


She has been described as a "self-style gangster Nancy Sinatra" (and aside from the fact she's drop dead gorgeous and wouldn't look out of place on the cover of a 1960s Vogue, all dough-eyed and pouting in her sex-kitten fashion) Lana brings a well needed touch of old-school class and theatrics to an industry drowning in a sea of auto-tuned, carbon copy mannequins.  Imagine the best parts of Nancy Sinatra, Kate Bush, Paloma Faith and Lykke Li crammed into one perfectly presented package, and you have Lana Del Rey.

Opening the album is the title track, which does a pretty good job of showing how the album means to go on.  Bold orchestral soundtracks with melancholy harmonies strung over hip-hop influenced beats, peppered with bitter-sweet lyrics of love lost, ill-fated romances and times gone by, all whilst being sung alternating between a voice with the ability of being seductive husky in one breath and bone-chillingly sad in the next.  Not to mention the fact the whole album is so well produced, reminiscent of Kanye West's "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy", almost too well produced; it's rich in emotion, jam-packed with stringed instruments and brimming full of killer lyrics.  


LDR is guaranteed to strike a chord with the melodramatic and the souls amongst us who have experienced heartache and break.  I'm not ashamed to say I'm one of them.    Listen to  "Summertime Sadness", "Dark Paradise" and "Lucky Ones" at your own risk, you could end up in tears.  Especially you ladies...you know, when it's your time of the month and a clip of a hamster getting put down on Animal Hospital can leave you emotionally bereft.  Slow indie-pop ballads with a retro feel seems to be what Lana does best.  

"Off To The Races" is a slightly macabre number with obvious sexual undertones, which could well be the musical interpretation of Vladimir Nabokov's infamous Lolita, with the opening lines of the book being recycled as lyrics- "light of my fire, light of my loins".  LDR's own nymphoesque contribution of "I'm your little scarlet, starlet, singing in the garden" paints a rather seedy picture in your mind of a very young girl desperately lusting over an older (perhaps creepy) man.  Perhaps what is more disturbing is that LDR sings in a way which is unsettlingly child-like, something which is prominent throughout the album, most notably on "Lolita" (surprise, surprise) and the beloved "Video Games".  


The glamorous lifestyle Lana has always known has been a blatant inspiration.  In between the melancholy and despair, we're given lovely delicious little slices of the opulent and hedonistic lifestyles lead by the privileged upper-class, even if it does feel slightly arrogant.  The best examples of this are in "Radio" ("my life is sweet like cinnamon, like a fucking dream I'm living in") and "National Anthem" ("money is the reason we exist, everybody knows it, it's a fact").  All this is done whilst injecting a satisfying dose of wholesome Americana in the form Western style guitar and banjo, putting LDR in very good stead if there ever was another Bond Film; I can imagine her penning the soundtrack, or even starring as a Bond girl.  Imagine Shirley Bassey's "Diamonds Are Forever" and "Goldfinger" with even more attitude, an added hip-hop beat and a little brashness.  


For £9.99, the deluxe edition was well worth the money.  So, if you've read this and think you'd enjoy, get yourself on itunes.  If you don't want the whole album, the tracks are available for 99p each.  I've put together a mini-listing which I think best encapsulates "Born To Die."

Video Games

Born To Die

National Anthem

Blue Jeans

Off To The Races

Lucky Ones

Overall, the album will no doubt allow Lana to make significant impact on the mainstream music industry.  One criticism of the album is that there doesn't seem to be any tracks which feel genuinely positive or uplifting - however, all tracks are moving in a sad, brooding kind of way.  I would have loved to have heard more hip-hop rhythms and synths, but otherwise, a cracking debut which has already earnt it's place amongst my most played on itunes.

Rating: 4/5