May 8, 2014

{Bookish} Style Files: Met Gala 2014 Edition

The Met Gala happens to be one of my favorite events of the entire year, if only because of the exciting, beautiful, whimsical and occasionally borderline crazy fashion that makes an appearance on the red carpet. I've always admired the more classic looks, though I do appreciate the over-the-top dramatic ball gowns that crop up nearly every year.

This year, with a bit of nudging from Erica after I tweeted her about a dress that reminded me of a certain book character, I immediately warmed to the idea of pairing dresses worn by celebrities at this year's Met Gala for more book characters. Here are 10 of my favorite looks from this year, as well as the characters I think would totally rock them at some fancy party they attend!

[All book covers are from Goodreads, while outfit photos are from Vogue, Entertainment Weekly & US Weekly.]

Kestrel from The Winner's Curse || Suki Waterhouse in Burberry
The instant I spotted this dress, I remembered the cover of The Winner's Curse! I can picture Kestrel wearing this at some fancy dinner party-slash-ball, or at an extremely grand piano recital.

Aria from Under the Never Sky || Kristen Stewart in Chanel
While I'm not overly fond of the orange hair or the sheer part of this dress, I do think that it's very whimsical-slash-futuristic. This suits the mood and setting of Under the Never Sky and Aria would totally rock this dress at a party in one of the realms.

Margaret/Margo from Starstruck || Blake Lively in Gucci Premiere
This is the only novel I have not yet read on this list, but I couldn't not include it when it was the first thing I thought of after seeing this dress. I feel like the glamour of Margaret's (a.k.a. Margo) life would bring her into situations where this gown is perfect to wear.

Scarlet from Scarlet || Anne Hathaway in Calvin Klein
I'll admit that the reason for this pairing is partly because Scarlet and red just scream perfect pair. But I also think that, objectively, Scarlet would wear this to a fancy affair (perhaps a wedding between a certain cyborg and a prince if we get some happily ever after?) because it's simple, and suits her no-nonsense personality.

Reagan + Lilah in Open Road Summer || Cara Delevingne in Stella McCartney + Taylor Swift in Oscar de la Renta
Since Lilah's a pop star, she obviously attends quite a few red carpet events. I definitely think she would wear something as fabulous and flirty as Taylor's dress! And of course, if Reagan were going to accompany her (particularly to something like the MTV Music Awards), I could see her rocking the sexy McCartney.

Angie in Love and Chaos || Victoria Beckham in Victoria Beckham
Angie, the resident life of the party, fond of frequenting bars and parties, could totally wear this white dress. While I'm sure she would redesign it after one wear, she'd definitely make it look like something special. (Bonus points for getting to see the gorgeous David Beckham! Remember the time I got to meet him?)

Ana in Incarnate || Michelle Williams in Louis Vuitton
This was one of the more understated looks of the night, but I loved it regardless. Ana would definitely make a splash in this dress because it's colorful and whimsical and fun. She could construct a masquerade costume out of it! It kind of reminded me of a butterfly (and also a peacock), so make of that what you will.

Iko in Cress || Brie Larson in Prada
Iko has been a prominent character since the beginning of the Lunar Chronicles, but she really stands out in Cress which is why I picked it! I think she would love it if I let her rock this look, as it's sassy, classy and pretty - just like she is.

Persis in Across a Star-Swept Sea || Ivanka Trump in Oscar de la Renta, Hayden Panettiere in Dennis Basso & Karlie Kloss in Oscar de la Renta
Honestly, Persis could get away with wearing most of the outfits on the red carpet last night to all the parties and state affairs she has to attend. I picked out three gowns for her, narrowing it down to some of my favorites (particular that dress Karlie Kloss has on!).

And now, without further ado, the look + book that inspired this entire affair...

Celaena in Crown of Midnight || Karolina Kurkova in Marchesa
This dress looks like it was made for Celaena to wear to a ball, honestly. I can imagine her having a grand old time being waltzed around and eating some sweets at a party in this. And she'd definitely look lovely in the color blue, just saying. [I've also picked out some other looks for Celaena before!]

So there you have it, some of my favorite looks from this year's Met Gala, along with some of my favorite books! Do share in the comments which looks you liked best, and which pairings you think are spot on (or even completely uncalled for). 

34 Comments:

  1. Alexa, I love this post! It's so creative and fun and you should seriously become part of my family, because for my mom and me, the Met ball is like a national holiday. It's the most important red carpet of the year for us and we spend weeks discussing the outfits. LOVE your picks, particularly for Kestrel and Celaena! Oh, and Persis would rock that gold dress. Just perfect.

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    1. I should also become part of your family so I can help you eat all of the AMAZING baked goods that you create. (I'm still sort of obsessed with those Percy Jackson cupcakes!). And yes, the Met ball is just SO MUCH FUN when it comes to fashion! There is always such a crazy spectrum of fashion to choose from and admire, and I ADORE it. Glad you liked the post and some of the picks!

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  2. This was really fun to see; they all seem to go well together. Thanks for sharing!

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  3. LOVE THIS!!! Although the first dress reminds me of a certain book I'm reading now that gives me such anxiety. :-)

    Thanks to Erica for encouraging you. You should do more of these.

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    1. I've got a very intelligent guess as to what book this is, and I certainly hope that the book is turning out well for you! And yes, Erica is an absolute GENIUS. I'm already dreaming up more scenarios where I can do similar posts!

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  4. Karolina Kurkova in Marchesa: FANTASTIC dress and yes, I see Celaena wearing that! I love this pick <3 and I also agree with your pick from Scarlet. I think she would go with something like that for a party too :)

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    1. I seriously love that Marchesa dress, and would LOVE to have the opportunity to wear something similar myself one day. For now, I'll leave that to Karolina in real life and to Celaena in my imagination ;)

      I'm also really glad you liked my pick for Scarlet! I felt like she wouldn't want too many frills on hers, and that she'd like to have something in red so... this choice happened.

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  5. That is SO awesome. So many awesome dresses and I just LOVE seeing them paired up with books! Great post, Alexa!!!

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  6. Oh you should definitely read Starstruck! I really liked it and it was kind of a breath of fresh air to read about Old Hollywood. (Plus Rachel is the best.)

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    1. I'm planning to! I actually had a copy of it, but silly me took it to the Philippines and left it there last year :( I already put it on hold at the library, along with the follow-up, Love Me! And THANK YOU for suggesting I do this post! So much fun.

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  7. THIS POST IS SO MUCH FUN! I have googly eyes over Celaena's dress and the picks for Reagan and Dee are PERFECT! Really these are all perfect! Such a good idea :)

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    1. Thank you, Nicole! I'm glad you liked the dress for Celaena! I'm also truly excited you liked the picks for Reagan and Dee, since I was super happy when I saw these two looks and thought they would be perfect choices for them.

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  8. I love this post! Amazing job matching up the dresses with books! I agree with so many of these picks. And I really love the dress that you matched up with The Winner's Curse. Gorgeous!

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    1. Thanks Stephanie! I'm a little fond of that dress I matched with The Winner's Curse for myself too. Now if only I had somewhere to wear it to!

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  9. Celaena's dress FTW!!!!! She would SO wear that one! :)

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    1. I'm glad you think so too! I just feel like it would be the kind of fancy and frilly she'd love, but also be perfect to conceal any weapons she wanted to keep hidden. Badass, as always!

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  10. This is seriously awesome, haha :) what a great post. Love so many of these looks.

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  11. I am totally out of it when it comes to the whole "fashion" and red carpet thing, but your book/dress pairings are PERFECT! I would have never been able to do this. Soooo pretty!

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  12. Ha! This post is ingenious! I love these pairings. I loved Blake Lively's dress the instant I saw it, and I love Michelle Williams' dress paired with Incarnate and Karolina Kurkova's dress paired with Crown of Midnight. Such an awesome post!

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    1. I loved Blake Lively's dress instantly as well! Plus, how cute did she look walking around with Ryan Reynolds? They make such a lovely couple.

      I'm also very glad that you loved the dress I paired with Incarnate. Even though I do wish there had been a similarly-colored dress as a ballgown, I also think Ana would have really loved the way this one looks.

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  13. Great books + fabulous fashions + ur cool idea = a post that I was only too eager to click on! I think my fav dress was the first one, w/all the pretty ruffles. Then maybe Blake Lively's, so old school glamorous!

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    1. Thanks, Leandra! And I loved Blake Lively's dress so, so much. She carried it so well, and I could only imagine being able to pull off that sort of look in my dreams.

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  14. Even though not all the fashions you've picked are to my taste this is completely entertaining. My favorite would have to be the pairing with WINNERS CURSE. Lovely… ^^

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    1. I'm glad you liked that dress! It's so frilly and flouncy and princessy and perfect. I really think it would suit Kestrel well!

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  15. This is so creative and cool! I love the Cealeana look.

    AND MY FAVORITE IS THE WINNER'S CURSE PAIRING hands down, even though I might be biased from how much in love with that book I am now.

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    1. Thanks April! I'm glad you liked Celaena's look. It also seems like The Winner's Curse pairing is a popular one, which I'm really glad about too (and I'm glad you loved that book!).

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  16. This is so freaking cool! I really love the pairings you made and I LOVE the little descriptions underneath because they're so so perfect. The pairings for The Winner's Curse and Starstruck are definitely my favorites!

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    1. I'm so glad you enjoyed this post, R! I had lots of fun putting it together (as I will pretty much take any and all excuses to drool over pretty dresses). Glad you liked those two pictures! I was partial to Starstruck in particular, mostly because I love Blake Lively.

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  17. I have no idea what this Met Gala is, but I do know that I LOVE the idea of this post and I LOVE the dresses you picked for Celaena and Lilah! So fun, Alexa!

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  18. Such a cool idea. You picked the perfect matches ! I like Karolina's dress.

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  19. I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!!!!! That COM dress?!?! Holy shit, amazing!!! I think you did a perfect job of all of these! You rock!

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  20. You are amazing! I would never have thought of this, and yet, your choices are right on with the characters I know.

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  21. Ohhh, I love this post! It's really original and I love how you matched the dresses up with books! I love how some of the dresses match the elements of the covers as well! Blake Lively's hair is similar to the model's in Starstruck, which is neat.

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  22. Loveee this post! One of my favorite things is when people pair of fashion and books in posts. I'd love to see more of this stuff from you in the future! And oh my god I'm in love with that dress that Blake Lively is wearing!!

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