MET BALL-NYC, 2012

I remember, as a much younger man, attending the Metropolitan Fashion/Costume Ball yearly--what a high for my fashion conscious group to mingle with celebrities outdoing each other. It was at the MET (forget the baseball team) BALL that made us conjure up the best designer threads we could afford and soak in the glamour of the "Oscars East". It was there I first saw" The Donald" (tall I remember)-still married to Ivana (before her surgeries in a tacky green gown not worthy of the more elegant ones); literally rubbing elbows with Bernadette Peters (whose skin was pure porcelain) and seeing my pal & designer extraordinaire , Isabel Toledo, telling me how thrilled she was working in the museum fashion restoration department.

For one night we all felt like celebrities--silly & wonderful all at the same time.

Last Monday the tradition continued and this much older man never attends anymore, my priorities have shifted and I am in a less shallow place; but hey, if I ever receive an invitation, I would dust off my tux and go!

I gotta say though most of this year's gowns looked expensive and obviously couture, overall they were ugly, ill-fitted and making "more" appear just that, more than certainly needed. Rhianna- who is becoming the trendsetter to watch these days was not bad, but my favorite from head to toe was
Camilla Belle in Ralph Lauren--WOW! The Jonas brothers looked amazingly dapper as well.

This is pure fun, not a world changer. However, if you ever get a chance to attend, it's quite fun. Just the mere fact that fashion meets high art in one of the most famous museums in the world tickles one's many senses.

 I would first recommend you attend my favorite night in NYC nightlife: the gala for "BAILEY HOUSE", in it's 24th year, every February. It's not only celebrity filled but the silent auctions are great (no such thing at the Met Ball). It's a more interactive event as well.  And there is a great reason to participate in this event :


"The Annual Auction & Party of Bailey House is where New York’s compassionate trendsetters raise money to house homeless people with AIDS/HIV through a magical evening of cocktails, mingling, and bidding wars..."