Met Gala 2017: Kardashian clan, the flesh-exposing attention seekers

Scant few stars attending the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute ball stuck to this year’s theme

Comme des Garcons Rei Kawakubo’s work is not known for its figure-flattering forms — in fact her most famous collection, dubbed “Lumps and Bumps”, added same where no woman would want them.

Kylie Jenner.

So it was hardly surprising that there were scant few celebrities attending this year’s Met Gala ahead of the exhibition of Kawakubo’s work that paid homage to the Japanese visionary.

Celebrity guests hosted by designers are encouraged to dress to the exhibition theme, but few designers dared to go so far as Kawakubo.

Tracee Ellis Ross, Helen Lasichanh and Rihanna went in Comme Des Garcons, Rihanna’s dress an explosion of fabric circles that again made her a flashbulb magnet on the red carpet.

Most celebrities left it to hair and make-up artists for some avant-garde expression. Some had hair painted white, others their faces, even Celine Dion opted for black-out eyes and a spiked ’do.

This year it was the younger members of the Kardashian clan, Kendal and Kylie Jenner, that were the flesh-exposing attention seekers, Kendall in a barely there mesh dress by lingerie label La Perla that left little to the imagination, especially at the back.

Met Gala 2017

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Bella Hadid wore a crystal mesh bodysuit by Alexander Wang that similarly left little to the imagination.

Kim Kardashian was unusually demure in an off-shoulder, white Vivienne Westwood sheath.

Australians Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness, Naomi Watts, Miranda Kerr, Rose Byrne and Ruby Rose were among the attendees.

Tickets reportedly cost $US30,000 ($A39,777) and tables fetched about $US275,000, with proceeds going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s costume institute.

Rei Kawakubo: The Art of the In Between opens on Thursday at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.