Met Gala 2019 was “Camp” on Steroids

Well, the first Monday in May has arrived and with that, so did the biggest fashion event of the year – the Met Gala! Every year the Metropolitan Museum of Art hosts the Costume Institute Gala to kick off its fashion exhibit at the Costume Institute and the celebs in attendance pay tribute to the theme.

Although I was sad to learn that Sarah Jessica Parker wasn’t on the roster this year, I was looking forward to seeing what the celebs and designers came up with for this year’s theme. In past years themes like 2013’s Punk: Chaos to Couture and 2018’s Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination brought out some stunningly, creative designs, but they didn’t always hit the theme on the head.

The Met Gala 2019 Theme

I was hoping this year’s theme, Camp: Notes on Fashion would be everything it was supposed to be, and more. What is camp? Well, it has nothing to do with pitching a tent or being out in the wild. Camp is fun, exaggerated, poking fun at yourself, etc. More specifically, it’s defined as “love of the unnatural, of artifice, and exaggeration based on Susan Sontag’s 1964 essay Notes on “Camp.” Sontag specifies that it’s a sensibility that “converts the serious into the frivolous.” It’s also a quality “discoverable in objects and the behavior of persons.” It’s good because it’s awful, basically. There can be “campy” songs, movies, buildings, furniture, novels, people, and of course, clothes.

Examples according to Sontag include Swan Lake, Flash Gordon comics, The Enquirer tabloid and clothes from the Roaring Twenties. In present day, celebrities and designers are embracing more camp than ever before on runways and the red carpet. Think Lady Gaga, The Blonds and Victor & Rolf, which makes it seem like the ideal theme for the 2019 Met Gala.

With camp being such a fun, frivolous, bold theme we were expecting a lot. Did we get it? Yes! And no. But isn’t that always the case of the Met Gala? Some looks were so impressive and out there and fit the theme to a T. And otherwise, well, we wish they’d try harder. Then again we heard many stars didn’t quite understand the theme and apparently can’t Google.

Yet when the guests on the carpet were loud and bold and colorful at the Met Gala, it was fantastic. Here are the ones that stood out the most:

All hail Gaga! 

Ally who? Lady Gaga had a Ri-Ri in yellow moment, but she had it before the Met Gala even began! While I am not at all surprised at what Lady Gaga did with her “layered” Brandon Maxwell ensemble, I am so thrilled she put on such a great show! Pictures can’t even begin to describe this hot pink confection, with its long train that took over the entire stairway, paired with her Russian doll makeup and poofy everything!

But her “camp” was on another level as she took off the hot pink ensemble to reveal a classic black ball gown, complete with umbrella. And then she went even further, stripping down into a pink column dress and finally to a lingerie number. Again, pictures don’t do this justice.

Pure Gaga!

Katy Perry Lights Up 

And then there was Katy Perry, who literally wore a candelabra on the pink carpet. Ms. Perry wore a silver mini dress design by Jeremy Scott covered in 7,500 Swarovski crystals with a matching collar while balancing a chandelier corset around her waist and wearing a chandelier headpiece atop her head.  “And frankly, there probably isn’t a performer in pop history that’s used camp and humor more than she has,” Jeremy Scott told the press. Well, wait, there is Gaga.

Made of 30,000 burned and dyed coque feathers, it took 35 people more than 2,000 hours to create this masterpiece. Someone called Cardi B the red carpet itself!

Zendaya’s Moment 

Now that I think about it…Cinderella is quite campy.

The Rainbows 

While hot pink was everywhere, so were the multicolored ensembles, which had us seemingly holding our breath.

I like Sophie Turner. I think she has turned into a real fashion superstar. Joe Jonas is really lucky. Of course, she is rarely photographed without him at this point. Anyway, since The Billboard Music Awards I’ve noticed she’s really become something of a fashionista. This Met Gala is no exception. But since she’s with her now husband again in matching outfits, I figured out I had to show both of them.

The Kardashians

Maybe she should change her name to Kim Kardashian WET. Apparently Thierry Mugler actually came out of retirement to create this doozy. (We get it, you have a tiny waist. Bravo.)

More Camp

The Met Gala Men

I don’t typically feature men in my celeb fashion posts, but some of these celeb looks were so crazy I couldn’t resist. I’m looking at you, Jared Leto.

What was your favorite look from the Met Gala 2019? Be sure to check out Lauren’s Instagram @FountainOf30 today. She’s having fun with this one!

– Simona Shemer

You may also like to read more of Simona’s Celebrity Style posts like The Best and Worst Dressed Celebrities at the 2019 Golden Globes and Academy Awards 2019 Fashion: Best and Worst Dressed Celebrities.

Photos: Hollywood Life, People, EOnline, Who What Wear

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