Best & Worst of the Met Gala

The Costume Institute Gala always means that some interesting and over-the-top fashions will be on display.  They usually seem like more fun than they did this year, with most of the celebrities looking just so-so.  I wonder if the proliferation of red carpet attention is to blame, since the same old strapless gown still seems to be a go-to, even for a relatively high-fashion event such as this.

Here are my picks for worst dressed:

source

Beyonce Knowles in Emilio Pucci

This is just terrible from top to bottom.  What is the dress trying to be?  Victorian collar, saloon girl cleavage, mermaid hem.  Besides which, doesn't her cleavage just look uncomfortable?  The embellishment looks a little cheap for a couture dress, and that center-part updo does nothing for her.  

source

Saoirse Ronan in Rodarte

This probably wouldn't be that bad if you didn't see it alongside the model version, which really emphasizes how short Ronan is.  The skirt should have been hemmed to a more flattering length.  The jacket has lost all of the life it has on the runway, looking ever-so-slightly like a robe she threw on over her dress.  And man, those shoes are awful.  Perhaps they aren't awful in themselves, but what stylist on earth selected them to go with this dress? But, ah, she's still young.

And my picks for best dressed:

  

Dianna Agron in Michael Kors

It doesn't hurt that she is one gorgeous girl who went simple and elegant on the makeup side.  The red works here much better than it did above, and she really pulls off what could be a horribly awkward neckline.  The addition of the gold cuff really adds to the severity of the look.  I love it.

Michelle Williams in Miu Miu

This dress was definitely my favorite of the night.  I'm still not completely sold on the Rosemary's Baby pixie cut (at least it's not as platinum as it was), but she always picks interesting and unusual gowns.  Sometimes that means she stumbles (such as at the 2011 Golden Globes), but it also means that she can hit it out of the park while looking unlike anyone else on the red carpet (in the best way).  Williams, too, went with simple makeup that hearkens back to the gold appliqué work on her dress.  Here the black and gold is stark and elegant, rather than brash glitz of the Pucci.  

I guess I just prefer the elegant silhouette.

Check out more of the fashion from the Met Gala  here or here.

How do my picks line up?  Who was your favorite?