The Met Ball is Tonight! Watch Daphne Guinness Prepare in the Barneys Window

So much is going on right now our heads are practically spinning. Right on the heels of the Royal Wedding hangover came the news that Osama Bin Laden had been killed last night. While that momentous political news obviously trumps any sort of fashion fodder we have for you, still, tonight is the Met Ball, which is arguably the biggest night in fashion. Not only is it an endlessly glamorous affair, its serves as the opening ceremony for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute's latest exhibition Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, a retrospective of the works of the revered designer.

Lucky guests will start rolling in to the museum in their finest tonight, but Barneys New York has a special pre-party event to get the evening off on the right foot. Artist, muse, and heiress Daphne Guinness will be primping and preening for the evening's festivities in the illustrious uptown store's windows. While she won't be giving you a striptease, she will be showing off her eccentric pre-party rituals tonight at 5pm. Additionally, other store windows will feature part of her extensive Alexander McQueen collection as well as pieces she purchased from the archives of McQueen-champion and fashion editor Isabella Blow.

Also, for those who are feeling especially inspired by the night, email pictures of yourself in an outfit inspired by McQueen, Guinness or Isabella Blow to RSVP@Barneys.com to win a chance to have lunch with Daphne, Barneys fashion director Amanda Brooks and creative ambassador-at-large Simon Doonan. Read the official rules here.

If you can't make it to Barneys, you can watch the livestream of Guinness' pre-ball pre here, tonight starting at 5pm.