Could it be curtains for Kate Moss and Victoria Beckham? At the Metropolitan Ball, all evidence seemed to be pointing towards it.

Gallery: Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute Gala

Two of Britain's most high-profile fashion exports chose to swathe themselves in dramatic drapes of fabric for last night's event, regarded as the highlight of New York's social season.

On a lesser mortal than Moss, a gold lamé toga dress and matching turban would have looked less “goddess” and more “oven-ready chicken”.
But, fresh from a tan-topping session on Sir Philip Green's yacht, the 35-year-old model ensured her limbs were basted a perfect golden brown that perfectly complemented the gown's metallic tones.

In depth of tan, if not in glamour, Mrs Beckham managed to outdo her. Sporting a skin colour that can best be described as “Tango-ed”, she also chose a draped, one-shouldered gown by Marc Jacobs that was not dissimilar to Moss's. But despite decking herself in the finest diamonds husband David could afford, Mrs Beckham was out-shone by Moss, whose turban was adorned with an 18-carat royal blue sapphire by Harry Winston.

Short and sassy was the order of the evening, for while host Anna Wintour chose a long black and white gown, her daughter, Bee Schaffer, opted for a navy corset dress with a chiffon train that showed a refreshingly pale expanse of leg.

Other celebrities to choose short were Jessica Alba, in a royal blue mini-dress by Jason Wu, Gisele Bundchen in Balmain, and Anne Hathaway, in a deep purple strapless dress by Jacobs.

But none was as daring as Madonna, who snagged her look straight off the Louis Vuitton catwalk. Her teal satin puffball dress and thigh-high leather boots, both hailing from Vuitton's new autumn/winter collection, proved yet again the 50-year-old refuses to be outdone by women half her age.