André Leon Talley on His Favorite Looks from the 2012 Met Gala

They say it’s the party of the year and, as far as fashion is concerned, they’ve got it right.

There was a new trend to be seen Monday night at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Gala: women in elegant trousers suits, as well as androgynous versions of tailcoats.  And while short is the new long, the traditionalists also turned out in spectacular evening wear—Annette de la Renta, in her husband’s white lace column and pale green taffeta coat looked the way people expect people to dress when they have style. So did Lauren Santo Domingo, whose own de la Renta, a white suit with romantic Edwardian sleeves, was embroidered all over with bows.

Everyone looked smashingly glamorous, from Isabel Lucas in Proenza Schouler (including the knee-high boots) to Beyoncé, who had been working all day in the recording studio, but decided at the last minute to come to the gala—just an hour before the evening began. Ask the new mom about her baby, Blue Ivy, and she lights up. “She’s four months old today, and she’s just got the most delicious little cheeks,” she said. Jay-Z stayed home, so mother came out solo wearing a Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci sizzler—comprised of feathers and exaggerated black embroidery—that took 350 hours to make.

Kirsten Dunst wore pumpkin, the most unexpected color of the night, in the form of Rodarte’s dressy dinner suit while Amber Heard, who came with Zac Posen, channeled a very sophisticated tone of clay in a form-fitting dress.

Fashion News: Beyonce baby Blue Ivy born

Beyonce and Jay-Z welcomed new baby Blue Ivy on Saturday night, and some folks are figuring that Beyonce will be back in good enough shape to perform at the Grammys (she is nominated for two) Feb 12.
Dear me. British TV drama "Downton Abbey" seems to be using used costumes. Or maybe we should say reycled costumes. For instance, a costume worn by Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary) in one scene was previously worn by Emma Thompson in the 1992 film "Howard's End."
The duchess of Cambridge wore a floor-length lacy black gown to the London premiere of "War Horse" over the weekend. The most notable accessory was a plastic umbrella wielded by her husband to keep his lady dry in the damp weather.
Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton will be the subjects of an exhibition opening in March at the Musée des Arts Decoratifs at the Louvre in Paris. The exhibit is to cover two floors of the museum, one dedicated to Vuitton, one to Jacobs, who is in creative director of the atelier Vuitton established.
Lady Gaga has been writing a column for V magazine, but in the latest issue she turned over her space for notes in which designers including Giorgio Armani and Karl Lagerfeld talk about her style.
Nicole Richie confesses that she doesn't know how to put on makeup. Why should she? She's one of the lucky ones who can have someone else do it whenever necessary.
Nicki Minaj reportedly is in talks with Vogue for a cover.

Hollywood Brows

Bold eyebrows are in! Here, we reveal Tinseltown’s best arches—and expert tips on how to claim them for yourself


Thick arches accessorized eyes on the fall and spring runways—models sported black Elizabeth Taylor-inspired brows at Altuzarra’s spring show—and they’re popular on the red carpet too. “I love the return to a strong brow,” says CoverGirl celebrity makeup artist Beau Nelson. “It’s classic and beautiful and makes the face look glamorous and powerful-looking.”
Groomed, filled-in brows can also enhance the eyes. “Think of your eyes as pictures; if you give them beautiful frames, they’ll make more of a statement,” says Hollywood brow-shaper Tonya Crooks. Other benefits of pronounced brows, according to Crooks and fellow star-groomer Anastasia Soare: larger-looking peepers and a more youthful appearance.
Click through for the hottest celebrity brows—and tips on how to be bold!

Julia Roitfeld’s Doing a Lingerie Line

Though Burberry‘s spring summer show was filled with a star-studded front row—Sienna Miller, Rosie Huntington Whitely, Gemma Arterton—it was Julia Restoin Roitfeld who’s earning headlines.
Last season, the graphic designer turned model mentioned she was working on her own perfume, though nothing’s yet come of the scent. In the meantime, Roitfeld’s popped up in her mom’s Barneys catalog and starred in Hanni Y’s fall campaign. Yesterday, she told WWD that she’s also working on a collection of lingerie. “I have a really great lingerie collection,” she said. “But it’s not for my boyfriend—he doesn’t care—it’s for myself. Next to shoes, it’s my favorite luxury.”
If Julia did make shoes—hell, if any Roitfeld started making shoes, we can’t imagine the stilettoed chaos that’d ensue, but we don’t imagine the girl who posed like this will have any trouble selling lacy intimates either.

Joan Didion Charms Her Crowd

It was standing-room-only last night, as devoted readers and writers packed the Paula Cooper gallery to hear Joan Didion read from her latest novel, Blue Nights. The book, which hit shelves on Tuesday, tells the story of losing her daughter, Quintana soon after the devastating loss of her husband (the subject of 2005′s Year of Magical Thinking).
Cooper’s husband, Jack Macrae, introduced Didion to the adoring crowd: “Few writers make the words matter more,” he said. “Her arrangement is distinctive.”
It’s also beloved, and when the tiny author walked up to the podium, the room was silent.  Didion wore a long black skirt and fitted black top, with red lipstick and a purple shawl drape artfully over her shoulders and started reading in her low, lolling voice.  “Memory adjusts to what we think we remember…As the blue nights draw to a close (and they can, and they will), you experience an actual chill, an apprehension of illness, at the moment you first notice: the blue light is going, the days are already shortening, the summer is gone,” she read.  “Children are hostages to fortune…What does it mean to let them go?”
When the spell broke, the audience peppered Didion with questions, like what nagged her while writing the book? “Can I finish it? I’m not being facetious. It was a new style I never used before,” she answered honestly.  What was hardest?  “It wasn’t really a narrative at all,” she said, noting that she had to remind herself that books should tell a story.  “It was like a reflection, a dream, more like going to sleep and dreaming.”
A final question, about her writing process, put a grimace on her face: “Rewriting is what I do, rather than write.”