Step aside, Oscars. Keep walking, Emmys. There is no red carpet quite like that of Monday’s Met Gala, which outshines its event siblings when it comes to fashion showstoppers. And, this year, with the theme revolving around the ever-brilliant Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons — a designer who has yet to meet an envelope she can’t push — expectations were high. And, to be sure, there was plenty of creative muscle flexing, with Rihanna, Tracee Ellis Ross, Caroline Kennedy, an honorary chairwoman of the gala, and Helen Lasichanh, wife of event co-chairman Pharrell Williams, all in conceptual designs from CdG. (In case you missed the Instagrams or morning-after slideshows: a petaled, ruffled confection; a high-necked, cocoon-like coat dress; a tiered floral pouf, and a zip-up, no-armhole jumpsuit, respectively.)

But high-drama — and inspiration — comes in all forms. For Tory and her guests, actresses Kate Bosworth and Zoey Deutch, the spotlight was on bold glamour and sculptural elegance. Bosworth wore a black organza gown and bolero jacket made of laser-cut petals with scalloped edges; Deutch, an ivory silk shantung gown with exaggerated flounce sleeves. Both were custom Tory Burch designs. As for Tory herself, she wore a tiered silk dress with delicately raw edges — it’s more in line with the spirit of the night than you might think. The Kawakubo exhibition the Met Gala celebrates is called The Art of the In-Between and is organized by binary themes including Absence/Presence, Model/Multiple, Self/Other — and Then/Now. Tory’s look? It’s a vintage Lanvin gown she updated with new embroidered gold details.