Superstars and Superheroes

NEW YORK—With superhero movies hitting the blockbuster list one after the other these days, it seems only fitting that the art world would catch on to the craze sooner or later. This week, the Metropolitan Museum of Art proved itself hip to the trend with a new exhibition titled "Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy" as well as a corresponding May 5 gala benefit that can definitely be classified as one of the most star-studded art parties New York has ever seen.

The exhibition, on view in the Costume Institute through September 1, features roughly 60 outfits — among them movie costumes, high-fashion designs, and high-performance sportswear — meant to demonstrate "how the superhero serves as the ultimate metaphor for fashion and its ability to empower and transform the human body." The invitation to guests to take up the theme in their outfits resulted in varied degrees of success, but one thing is for sure: Any party with Giorgio Armani as its honorary chair, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, and Anna Wintour as co-chairs, and everyone from Tom Cruise to Jerry Seinfeld to Mayor Michael Bloomberg to the Olsen twins in attendance is a hit. Who needs superheroes when you've got superstars?

Click on the photo gallery to the left to see some of the highlights.