Hollywood's two big Oscar winners, Nicole Kidman and Adrien Brody, arrived arm in arm at one of New York's major rites of spring Monday night, when the city's Metropolitan Museum of Art held its highly anticipated Costume Institute gala.

This was the first time in two years that the big event was held. Last year was put on hold in the wake of 9/11. But that was then. This is now.

If anything, the museum benefit was certainly profitable. With 800 guests paying $5,000-per-person to attend the dinner -- which featured rack of lamb and singing by Diana Ross -- well, you do the math.

Besides the Best Actor and Actress winners -- Kidman wore a rhinestone-laced flesh-tone Gucci dress, The New York Times reports -- celebrities in attendance included Michael J. Fox, Robert De Niro, Hilary Swank, Claire Danes, Selma Blair, David Bowie and Iman, designers Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera and Valentino and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, in what the Times called an itty-bitty Roman dress by Dolce & Gabbana.

Beckham was surely in keeping with the theme of this year's costume exhibit, "Goddess," which spotlights classic Greco-Roman styles of yore.

Of her Gucci garb, Kidman, 35, told The Times, "I totally trust Tom (Ford, the house's designer) -- I said, 'Just design whatever works best on my body."

The newspaper described her ponytail look as reminiscent of "I Dream of Jeannie," and noted that Ford keeps Kidman's measurements always ready on a fashion dummy in Paris.

And though her dress featured rhinestones, Kidman's ears had the real thing -- diamonds -- dripping from them. "A girl's best friend," she explained.

Photographers at the event must have agreed. She was reportedly the most-photographed person there.