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NEW YORK, May 6 (UPI) -- A-listers hit the red carpet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on Monday for one of fashion's biggest nights, the annual Met Gala, organized by Vogue editor Anna Wintour and the Met Costume Institute. This year's event honored Charles James, a British-born designer thought to be America's first couturier. He championed luxurious ball gowns, structured silhouettes and classic elegance.
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“Fashion has always been about looking to the future, so if you don’t have a living brand or a trademark that is still around, everyone forgets,” Harold Koda, curator for the Met's Costume Institute, told the New York Post. “But Charles James was so consequential while he was alive and producing that [Cristóbal] Balenciaga actually gave him one of his greatest accolades, saying, ‘He’s not simply the greatest American couturier, he’s the greatest in the world.’”
In keeping with James' aesthetic, Wintour chose the theme of "White Tie and Decorations," which means men were asked to wear white ties and tails, while women could wear the most glamorous ball gowns, trains and cloves.
It's a big departure from last year's theme, which was based on the museums "Punk: From Chaos to Couture."
