Designers and celebrities from around the world dress up for the annual Met Gala, the opening party for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute exhibition.

After a two-year renovation this year, the museum was renamed the Anna Wintour Costume Center, named after Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of American Vogue and artistic director of Condé Nast Publications. The inaugural project was a retrospective of Charles James, the first American couturier.

Party guests wore their finest dresses to pay homage to James's creations, which spanned the 1930s through the 1950s. The most popular dresses were elegant ones with long trains, their graceful backs striking against the red carpet that lined the steps leading to the museum.

Anna Wintour's daughter, Bee Shaffer, wore an Alexander McQueen dress with a fresh combination of light blue satin and white tulle. Taylor Swift, one of the hottest young artists today, showed off her glamorous cuteness in a pink Oscar de la Renta dress with a large bow at the back. Sarah Jessica Parker, who co-hosted the party with Anna, also wore an Oscar de la Renta monochrome dress.

Songstress Rihanna wore a white Stella McCartney two-piece suit with Cartier jewelry. Kate Bosworth's strappy dress was also by Stella and she carried a Jimmy Choo clutch. Reese Witherspoon's pink dress was also by Stella.

Dresses from local New York brands are also popular. Jessica Alba wore Diane von Furstenberg, Nicole Richie and Rita Ora chose Donna Karan, and Blake Lively made a dashing appearance in a caped Gucci lace dress.