Charles James ( British born American based couturier)
The Metropolitan Museum annual gala theme
Hello, Should be a beautiful evening at the Metropolitan Museum of Art! Weather is sunny with perfect temperatures. Will be interesting to see who is attending and what they will be wearing..
It is widely judged to be the fashion world's most extravagant night out, wielding huge influence over trends on the high street. This year's red carpet will be graced by a host of celebrities including Lupita Nyong'o, Sarah Jessica Parker, Taylor Swift and Kim Kardashian as well as industry VIPs and some of the wealthiest people in the world, each splashing out $25,000 (£15,000) on a ticket.
The influence of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art's annual gala opening for its annual fashion exhibition has spread far beyond upper echelons of the industry as fashion retailers watch for a new trend that they can cash in on.
"It's probably the most looked at event in the fashion calender, even more so than the Oscars," says Gemma Hayward, senior fashion editor at Grazia magazine.
Last year's exhibition, Punk: Chaos to Couture, which examined the influence of punk on high fashion since the early 1970s, led to retailers, including Zara and asos.com, doing a roaring trade in studded sandals, while the Superheroes theme of 2008 meant that cartoon-printed superhero T-shirts littered the high street.
More recent, playful themes have been interpreted by celebrities looking to score red carpet publicity points – with mixed success. Beyoncé's take on punk in 2013 suffered charges of resembling a dictator's interior decor, and worse, of being unflattering.
However, the focus of this year's exhibition "Charles James: Beyond Fashion" – a retrospective of the 20th-century British-born, American-based couturier – may pose a problem for high-street brands looking to turn the look of the Met ball into sales. Guests are expected to embrace the high society theme with extravagant ballgowns and elbow-length gloves likely to take top billing. It is a look which, unlike last year's punk theme isn't so easy to reinterpret on the high street.
