Saoirse Ronan is definitely a lady in red as she arrives at the 2011 MET Ball held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday (May 2) in New York City.

The 17-year-old Irish actress wore a gorgeous Rodarte gown with Jack Vartanian black diamond stud earrings, and Neil Lane and House of Lavande bracelets. Saoirse completed her look with Tabitha Simmons “Dixie” heels.

Saoirse also sat down with the Daily Mail! recently to chat about how she’s growing up thanks to her career: “I don’t feel I’ve had to grow up faster because of my job…In a way, it helps to be a child, because children always act – it’s natural to pretend. Being around adults and involved in in-depth stories and thinking about characters has certainly helped me to mature. But I’ve always been kind of mature anyway, without forgetting that I’m still young.”

10+ pics inside…