Was I at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston or at a posh, swanky lounge somewhere on the coast of Saint-Tropez?

At Hot Night Helmut Newton: A Party Celebrating the Fearless Photography of Helmut Newton on Friday night, the lines were blurred between time and place. A chic posse traveled back to the "in vogue" era of the '70s and '80s, indulging in the fashionable world of the stylized and fetishistic images of the German-born photographer.

The exhibition Helmut Newton: White Women ● Sleepless Nights ● Big Nudes, on view through Sept. 25, was the backdrop for this stylish fete. The prints on display were as large as 8 by 8 feet and came from his three books by the same name.

There was no avoiding the suggestive subjects.

It was the haute place to see and be seen as upwards of 1,200 fashionistas were encouraged to wear black and white, bringing to life Newton's risque aesthetic. They donned garments from luxe couture by Dior, Versace and Cardin to dashing wearables by Guess, BCBGMAXAZRIA and punk accessories by New York-based Lip Service.

The Audrey Jones Beck Building porte-cochere morphed into the salon du jour with modern gothic chandeliers suspended from the ceiling, damask black and white-patterned linens and red velvet accents. Inside the museum, high definition monitors flipped pages from French and Australian Vogue, AMICA Italy and Harper's Bazaar.

Adding to the clicking of sexy stilettos were the thumping tunes by Ceeplus Bad Knives and Mr. Castillo. Indulgent red velvet cake balls by Angie's Cake and nibbles by Melange Catering contributed to the ambiance. Guests unleashed their inner model thanks to a portable studio courtesy of Genesis Photographers.

Striking a pose were Nick Florescu and Dominique Sachse, Mary Haus and Willard Holmes, Neal Hamil, Nikki Yu, Cassidy Reymond, Chris Valdez, Cindy Sherman, Jennifer Simmons, Christian Clark, Simon Lusky, Amanda Llanes, James Glassman, Libby Cagle, Charity Cantu, Leslie Sharp, Meghan Hendley, Monica Danna, Bella Barak, Ryan Dempsey, Jen and Breye Kiser, Ashley Seddon and Tyler Horne, Marcy de Luna, Sarah Bray, Eric Marche and Kate Stukenberg.

The party didn't break until after midnight. MFAH proved, once again, that arts and a fab good time mix quite well.

In Newton's esprit de corps, our party photos appear in black and white.