Celebs shine at Met Museum's Costume Insitute gala

A bevy of A-listers glammed it up at last night's Metropolitan Museum of Art gala, celebrating the new Costume Institute exhibit, "American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity," co-chaired by Vogue's Anna Wintour, Oprah Winfrey and Gap's executive vice president of design, Patrick Robinson.

"It took me a minute to catch my breath, when I got the call from Anna Wintour asking me to take part," Robinson said as he arrived at what's often called "the party of the year" - one usually headlined by designers of pricier labels.

The exhibit celebrates iconic American fashion trends, from 1890s Gibson girls (sporty, sleek), to '20s flappers (rebels) to '30s screen sirens (glam-o-rama). And modern-day versions of all three were easy to spot on the red carpet.

The Gibson-ish gals: Diane Kruger (in white Francisco Costa for Calvin Klein), Taylor Swift (in a sweet white Ralph Lauren), and Queens native Zoe Saldana (also wearing Calvin Klein, but in black).

The flappers: Liv Tyler (in a Stella McCartney brocade mini), Katy Perry (in a dress that actually lit up), and Gisele Bündchen rockin' black fringe and lotsa leg.

The sirens: Too many to count. Emma Watson, in between school exams (in sleek white Burberry), Maggie Grace of "Lost" (gray lace Vera Wang), Mariska Hargitay (teal Vera Wang), Jennifer Lopez (in gray tulle Zuhair Murad.)

Then there's Sarah Jessica Parker (in blush Halston Heritage), Kirsten Dunst (in Rodarte for Gap, getting her heel caught on the steps in all that tulle) and Brooke Shields (in gold Michael Kors), with train trouble. But she had Kors alongside to straighten it. "Look!" she exclaimed. "It doesn't get better than this!"