Estrellita Karsh and Erica Hirshler at Gender Bending Fashion

Maybe It’s Good Luck

It was pretty much anything goes with respect to the dress code—from wimples and hijabs to codpieces and culottes—when the Museum of Fine Arts opened its exhibition Gender Bending Fashion.

Michelle Finamore and Alessandro Trincone at Gender Bending Fashion

The VIP reception drew the likes of such fashion plates and iconoclasts as the show’s curator, Michelle Finamore, Beacon Hill glamazon Levi Zane, stylist Suhail Kwatra and his muse, Sarah Mars, style avatar Nina Fialkow, absurdly attractive pair Brooke Sikora and Lars Gehre, real estate titan Rob Caro, fashion historian Kathleen McDermott, beaming beauty Adele Chang, force-of-nature Lynn Dale, the stunning Patricia Marks-Martinovich, whirling dervish Marci Darling, Gallic funboy Tristan Govignon, lovable do-gooder Julie Joyal, blond bombshell Beth Dickerson, bespectacled hipster Sam Mendoza, the flawless Pramy Yadav, model and all-around goddess Nikki Stalling, the comme il faut Patty Ribakoff, the toothsome twosome of Tom and Elena Matlack, the beyond fabulous Christian Restrepo and one woman who complained that she had to use baby powder on her latex pants to get them to stop squeaking.

After touring the exhibit, guests mingled with the local designers whose work is in the show, among them: shoe designer Thom Solo (with his snacky other half, Tyler Murphy), the adorable Alessandro Trincone, the swoon-worthy Walé Oyéjidé and the smolderingly handsome Rad Hourani.

The party then morphed into one of the MFA’s Late Nites, the whole museum transforming into a Fellini film, with outrageous fashions, musical performances and assorted other tomfoolery. In fact, the whole thing was sufficiently glamorous that no less of an eminence than Hamish Bowles (who attended, wearing Gucci) wrote about it for Vogue.

The evening’s funniest remark: “Is goose shit in style? Because I stepped in it twice on my way here.” ◆

Avez-vous dish? Dirt? A spectacular social occasion? Call J.S. at 617-859-1400, ext. 303, or send an email to jonathan@improper.com.