Celebrities and elite unleash tech-themed outfits at Met Gala

By Melissa Fares

(Reuters) – Celebrities and the elite unleashed tech-themed haute couture at the Met Gala on Monday night in New York, lighting up the Twittersphere much like a dress worn by Claire Danes.

Danes caused an early flurry on social media wearing a Zac Posen dress, similar to Cinderella’s ball gown, which was illuminated from underneath as she walked the red carpet. The Twittersphere briefly mistook the “Homeland” actress for model Heidi Klum.

Pop singer and co-chair of the Gala, Taylor Swift, however appeared to win the night. True to the “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology” theme for this year’s Costume Institute exhibition, “Tay Tay” shimmered in a silver Louis Vuitton gown, black lace-up heels and boldly dark lipstick.

Swift’s date for the night, Selena Gomez, also rocked the red carpet wearing Vuitton.

“Am I crazy? I like how Taylor Swift looks? I think it’s editorial. #MetGala,” wrote editorial director of Paper Magazine Mickey Boardman (@AskMrMickeyv).

Others didn’t take as well to Swift’s selection.

Fashion blogger Bryanboy (@bryanboy) quipped, “Taylor Swift had the worst shoes I swear.”

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian showed up to the ball “twinning” in Balmain, prompting the Fashion company to go viral on Twitter with many users expressing their “over-it” feelings toward the line.

“MORE OF THIS, LESS BALMAIN,” opined fashion writer Jessica Schiffer ‏(@jessicaschiffer), retweeting an image of actress Emma Watson at tonight’s Gala in a Calvin Klein pant and skirt ensemble.

Mother-to-be and “Scandal” star Kerry Washington rocked a black lace Marc Jacobs dress with a new do – purple hair – while Lady Gaga strutted the red carpet in a Versace one-piece. Ciara also furthered the conversation online with her metallic hair and custom-made H&M dress.

Beyonce, who has dominated the Met Gala red carpet in recent years, wore a Givenchy gown. The singer tops dress searches at the gala on Google from 2004 to present, according to GoogleTrends ‏(@GoogleTrends).

Anna Wintour, the American Vogue editor-in-chief and organizer of the star-studded event, was the first to arrive at the Met’s annual fund-raising ball. Paparazzi snapped photos of her white-fringed Chanel dress alongside her daughter, Bee Shaffer, who wore a custom gown by Alexander McQueen.

The hashtag #MetGala was top trending in the United States on all of Monday with more than 1 million total mentions.

(Reporting by Melissa Fares; Editing by Paul Tait)