The Metropolitan Museum of Art was awash in camellias and couture Monday night as the Costume Institute celebrated its latest exhibit, an homage to the house of Chanel. The event, co-chaired by Nicole Kidman, Karl Lagerfeld, and Vogue's Anna Wintour, attracted a who's who of global glitterati. Making their way past the white modules that displayed gowns dating back to the 1920's were models past and present (Stephanie Seymour, Shalom Harlow, Karolina Kurkova, Hana Soukupova, Gemma Ward) and dapper middle-aged actors (Richard Gere, Kevin Costner), as well as members of the hip-hop hierarchy (Sean Combs, Damon Dash, Lil' Kim) and pop stars (Jessica Simpson, Sheryl Crow).

Different though they may be, the evening's swirling social circles were united in their love of the French fashion label, whose retrospective runs until early August. "I've been a customer of Chanel for 25 years," said Ivana Trump. "It's fun to go for the fittings, I like that a lot." Usher revealed that he purchases Chanel clothes "for his mother," while Katie Couric, interrupted in her quest to find the handsome Mr. Gere, said, "I splurged all of five years ago and bought my first suit. Nicole Kidman has the same one—although it doesn't look the same on me as it does on her." Dr. Lisa Airan, one of the chosen few who were loaned a couture gown for the evening, added, "It's every girl's dream to wear Chanel couture."

Lagerfeld couldn't have agreed more. "There's no other example in fashion," he said earlier in the day, while sipping an imported German Pepsi. "One label setting trends for 100 years." What would Mlle. Chanel think of such an esteemed legacy? "If she were here, I wouldn't be, because she would have done it all herself," he said.

—Sarah Cristobal