Liz Smith NY POST - May 11 2008 - HERE ARE a few raveled threads plucked from that highly charged eve ning at the Metropolitan Museum, put on by Vogue's Anna Wintour last week. (And, incidentally, did you know that the editor's rather controversial Chanel dress, described as looking a bit like ram's horns, was called "Storm.") The big hit of the night, I'm told, was the tennis ace Venus Williams in a bronze Carolina Herrera gown, wearing a Fred Leighton diadem upside down like a tennis band in her hair. She is being pronounced the best of the non-Hollywood A list. On the afternoon of the great day, Venus took time out to practice at the net with her ever-loving Harold on the sidelines. He is her little Haverford gray dog that she carries about in her Prada handbag. That night, Venus clutched a Van Cleef vintage minaudiere, something like those carried by the Duchess of Windsor or C.Z. Guest in their heyday. Venus killed two birds by attending the Met gala. She also was in NYC to announce her new sports drink called POWERade Zero, meaning it has zero calories! Other girls who "ruled" included Kimora Lee Simmons, wearing a Kevan Hall gown inspired by African tribal art. (Hall is the LA designer who dressed Ruby Dee for the Oscars this year.) AND THE men! Olivier Theyskens was one such who spent the evening talking to his own favorite editor, Vogue's Grace Coddington. He had insisted that the house of Nina Ricci spend hours and hours working on Bee Schaeffer's poison iris silk tulle dress, all 130 yards of it. This one is said to have put the famous gowns designed by Rose Bertin for Marie Antoinette to shame. Karl Lagerfeld was in a silver paillette Chanel jacket that he had designed for himself. He was paid court to on a white banquette with Venus and Kimora by his side. (The men he hires as security are all in impeccable Dior dinner jackets with scalloped edge pique shirts so that they simply look like guests and not Karl's protection.) At dinner, King Lagerfeld was seated next to Wendi Murdoch, who was in navy blue Christian Lacroix couture. Designer Marc Jacobs told pals he was wearing Superman underwear beneath his tux.
