To the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual Costume Institute Gala on Monday, May 5, themed “Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy,” Gossip Girl star Blake Lively wore black gloves and a snug black Ralph Lauren gown involving feathers. She said that her favorite superhero was “Spider-Man. Cause he’s awesome! He gets to swing around, and, I don’t know....” Accompanied by her onscreen (and rumored offscreen) boyfriend, actor Penn Badgley, Ms. Lively had come straight from a photo shoot and had done her hair in the car. “I have no idea what I look like,” she said, adding: “I’ve always seen pictures growing up, being a teenager, and thought, ‘I’d love to go to that, a night just to dress up in ball gowns.’ And here I am!”

Here everyone was, at least in fashion and showbiz and society circles. Oh, to have the superpower of invisibility and be able to flit up the stairs and into the great halls beyond!

Vogue editor and hostess Anna Wintour was the first to arrive, at 6:33 p.m., wearing a Chanel gown adorned with what appeared to be seahorse tails and accompanied by daughter Bee Shaffer, who required two men, including the formidable Vogue editor at large André Leon Talley, to carry the train of her voluminous blue Nina Ricci dress up the stairs.  read more »

Elton John's fund-raising concert for Hillary might be a federal violation of campaign rules. [Washington Times via Radar]  read more »

Juicy Plum, Orange Blossom, Tiger Lily! No, these are not the names of Eliot Spitzer’s favorite tarts. Au contraire, they are the top notes of Fabulosity, the new fragrance—arriving on shelves this week!—from Kimora Lee Simmons.

Glamour-obsessed, entrepreneurial and hilarious, Kimora, the star of the Style Network reality show Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane and creative director queen of Baby Phat clothing, just might be the most insanely unpretentious person in fashion. Last week I called her on the West Coast and we examined some of the burning issues of the day.  read more »

Some of Diana Ross's beautiful progeny showed up at the Baby Phat show at the Roseland Ballroom on Friday. In fact, Evan Ross, 19, and his sister, Chudney Silberstein, 31, were early arrivals."We've been to a few parties," declared Mr. Ross, who said he's looking forward to an upcoming Roberto Cavalli event. "It's my favorite town to party in. I'm not leaving New York for a minute."

A budding actor, he recently won widespread acclaim for his role as an IV-positive, gay teenager in the HBO special, Life Support, opposite Queen Latifah.  read more »

"I don't know what you people are doing here," said B.J. the doorman, "But you are not getting in without an invitation."

Some people try to get in using the Katrina donation card as an invitation. "Using these Katrina cards won't work! They won't get you in!"

Then he divided the line into people with invitations and people on the guest list. He then turned to the guest list line and said, "There is no guest list."

An older woman—in her 50's, in a pink shirt and jacket which rode up to expose her huge belly—said, "I used to work with special needs children, and he is definitely a special needs child."