Mask, tights and Penelope Tree

1966 was the year of the pop superhero. Having premiered in January, Batman was all the rage, mirroring Warhol who in turn mirrored the craze. Not coincidentally, when Truman Capote decided on the theme for his notorious Black and White Ball he chose . . . masks. The image above: the cape and tights homage of Penelope Tree, an iconic 1960s model who has since gone on to do charity work for Lotus Outreach and the Khyentse Foundation.

The hit of the evening, though, was the ingénue Penelope Tree. More naked than dressed in her flowing black tunic and form-fitting tights, Tree caught the eye of every person in the room. Jean Harvey Vanderbilt, the wife of Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, described Tree's ensemble as "stark, like a Halloween ballet costume". Her entrance signalled the presence of a new generation at the ball. Tree was discovered by the fashion world that night. Cecil Beaton and Richard Avedon were so enchanted by her unspoiled beauty that they conspired on the spot to turn her into a cover girl - which is what she soon became.

This is far from the only historic superhero and fashion reference missing from the recent Met exhibit.