Since tonight’s theme was punk, we are judging our best dressed celebs on best interpretation of the theme.  Topping this list is none other than Sarah Jessica Parker who wore a Giles Deacon gown, custom Christian Louboutins, and a killer mohawk headpiece by Philip Treacy.  Madonna, who has had her punk moments in life embodied tonight’s theme by wearing Givenchy, while Christina Ricci went with a bit more subtle punk in Vivienne Westwood.

Model Cara Delevingne went more rocker punk in a custom Burberry gown, covered in gold spikes with a plunging neckline. Earlier in the evening on the red carpet, it was said that pink=punk and with that in mind no one went more punk than Julie Macklowe, in a custom pink and black gown by our dear friend Zang Toi. Julie even went with pink hair and black lipstick to amp up the look.

There were several other gowns worthy of mention, even if they didn’t entirely live up to the punk theme.  Beyoncé once again closed out the red carpet with her over the top Givenchy gown while a newly blonde Anne Hathaway pulled out a Valentino number from the 1992 archives. Emmy Rossum went heavy metal with a lovely custom Donna Karan Atelier gown, while Nina Dobrev went with a lace, corset, jumpsuit meets gown number from Monique Lhuillier.  Co-Chairwoman Rooney Mara wore a lovely white gown by Givenchy.

You can see all the looks from tonight in the gallery below.

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Here are some of our red carpet favorites, at the 2012 MET Gala:

Anna Wintour aptly wore white Prada with a luscious fur caplet. Ashley Greene was also in white, in a cascading Donna Karan Atelier gown.

Cameron Diaz glowed in gold by Stella McCartney, while Cate Blanchett went dark and mysterious in an Alexander McQueen feathered gown.

Carey Mulligan went for a gold and silver scale-like Prada number. Gisele Bündchen brought sophisticated sexy in Givenchy and Gwyneth Paltrow went short in silver Prada. January Jones was statuesque in a custom yellow Versace gown with gold mirror details.

Jessica Alba shimmered in a gold gown by Michael Kors, while Jessica Stam was regal in Dior, also bringing a fierce wrist game to the red carpet

Lana Del Rey donned an incredible Altuzarra gown, with black floor length cape. Nina Dobrev stopped traffic on the red carpet with the train of her Donna Karan Atelier gown.

Karolina Kurkova was a vision in a rose gold Rachel Zoe gown, accompanying super-stylist and designer Rachel Zoe, who went for off the shoulder white fringe. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley earned her stripes in Burberry and Sarah Jessica Parker took a risk with vintage Valentino, but bloomed in front of the camera in the floral print.

Bold in yellow, Solange Knowles rocked a Rachel Roy peplum gown.

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Curated by the Met’s Andrew Bolton, the exhibition embodies the distinct imagination of McQueen, thanks to the creative team who assisted in the production, all of whom were personally connected to the young designer—Sarah Burton (McQueen’s right-hand assistant and confidante, and now the creative director for the label), Sam Gainsbury (set designer for his runway presentations and the exhibition space), and Guido Palau (hair stylist who meticulously treated every mannequin in the show).

McQueen’s tragic career plus his virtuoso approach to high fashion has quickly made this exhibition the summer’s go-to show. Be sure to arrive as early as possible to avoid the long line that can easily stretch to an hour wait. But, once you see the crimson ball gown of dyed ostrich feathers and microscope slides and the white column dress of razor-clam shells standing side-by-side in coffin-like boxes in the entrance hall, you know that this is the show to see.

The exhibition shows that McQueen was an artist whose medium happened to be fashion. Bolton does so by immediately placing the designer in the context of 18th and 19th-century Romantic artists, poets, and writers. The show is thematically divided into five categories to reveal the philosophical and historical underpinnings in McQueen’s work. This division brilliantly shows off McQueen’s highly creative nature, as we see him making strong statements on everything from global concepts of beauty, to various historical transgressions, and to the specific ecological moment we face today. The show maintains that McQueen was an artist who was always looking and thinking, using a host of inspirations from popular film, to science, and to nature.

The artistic mind of McQueen is further exhibited in the way his construction and design process was highlighted. In the first gallery, the raw concrete space shows off McQueen’s precise tailoring skills. Trained in London’s famous Savile Row (where men flock to for the finest handmade suits) and educated as a Masters student at Central Saint Martins, we see much of McQueen’s ingenuity in patternmaking, offering sharp black coats and carefully constructed jackets—which were inspired by such McQueen-specific references as Jack the Ripper and the Crucifixion. But then in the eerie, shadowy Gothic room, the leather woven dresses, feather-covered coats, full-billowing capes, and intricately draped chiffon gowns reveal a love for feminine strength that only a womenswear designer would have—a lesson McQueen learned while creative director of Givenchy.

One room to take note of is the exuberant and overwhelming Cabinet of Curiosities. Lining the high black walls are shelves of hats, body jewelry, mannequins, and videos that reveal the extremely collaborative way McQueen worked. Though these various paraphernalia are meant to show off the bodily quality in the designer’s work, they are more interesting as forms of spectacles. We see original accessories handcrafted for his runway presentations from milliners like Phillip Treacy and Dai Rees, and jewelers like Shaun Leane and Sarah Harmarnee, all of helped to round out the image and mood the designer sought in his clothes. Monitors show such infamous runway moments like the human chess game of Spring ‘05, the kimono-clad model pressing through a wind tunnel in the Winter ’05 presentation, and the Spring ‘99 show where Shalom Harlow was dramatically spray-painted by two robotic arms. The runway footage helps to finalize the picture of McQueen we can take from the exhibition: McQueen’s powerful ability to inspire those around him.

Looking at one runway show, one collection, even one dress can unlock parts of the human imagination one would never think possible. Though he shocked the fashion crowd (do not be surprised to hear the disapproving moans of other guests while in the exhibit), he managed to achieve heights of design and artistry seen by few designers in our time.

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty can be seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1000 Fifth Avenue, on 82nd Street). The show has been recently extended and is on view until August 7th, 2010. Visit www.metmuseum.org for museum hours. For more information about the exhibition, click here.

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