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.

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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! 

Lady Gaga met gala 2019 hot pink Brandon Maxwell
Lady Gaga in Brandon Maxwell

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.

lady gaga met gala 2019 black dress change 2

Lady Gaga met gala pibk column dress change 3 big cell phone

Lady Gaga met gala 2019 change 4 black underwear

Pure Gaga!

Katy Perry Lights Up 

Katy Perry in Jeremy Scott for Moschino

Katy Perry met gala in Jeremy Scott for Moschino chandlier

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.

Cardi B in a Jeremy Scott custom Moschino gown

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 

Zendaya in Tommy Hilfiger

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.

met gala 2019 Lupita Nyong'o in multicolor mesh Versace
Lupita Nyong’o in Versace
met gala 2019 Cara Delevigne in rainbow stripe Christian Dior
Cara Delevigne in Christian Dior Spring 2019 Haute Couture
met gala 2019 Dua Lipa in blue print Versace gown
Dua Lipa in Versace
met gala Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner matching outfits 2019
Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner in Louis Vuitton

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

Kim Kardashian West in Mugler met gala 2019 wet look
Kim Kardashian West in Mugler

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.)

met gala Kylie Jenner in lilac and Kendall Jenner in orange Versace
Kylie Jenner (left), Kendall Jenner (right) in Versace
met gala 2019 Kris Jenner blond in Tommy Hilfiger navy jumpsuit
Kris Jenner (blonde) in Tommy Hilfiger
met gala 2019 Janelle Monae in Alexandra Mandelkorn ping and black gown multiple hats
Janelle Monae in Chritian Siriano
met gala Tracee Ellis Ross in a Moschino gown gold picture frame
Tracee Ellis Ross in a Moschino gown

More Camp

met gala Hailee Steinfeld in Viktor & Rolf not photos please multi tiered gown
Hailee Steinfeld in Viktor & Rolf
met gala Celine Dion in Oscar de la Renta fringe bodysuit 2019
Celine Dion in Oscar de la Renta
met gala 2019 Priyanka Chopra in Christian Dior silveer feather gown
Priyanka Chopra in Christian Dior
met gala 2019 Ciara in green Peter Dundas gown
Ciara in Peter Dundas
met gala 2019 Elle Fanning in Miu Miu pants and cape
Elle Fanning in Miu Miu
met gala 2019 Emily Ratjakowski in Peter Dundas silver sheer gown
Emily Ratajkowski in Peter Dundas

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.

met gala 2019 Jared Leto in Gucci red robe carrying his head
Jared Leto in Gucci (carrying his own head)
met gala 2019 Billy Porter in The Blonds gold wings jumpsuit costume
Billy Porter in The Blonds
met gala 2019 Ezra Miller in Burberry suit and 7 eyeballs optical illusion face paint
Ezra Miller in Burberry suit and 7 eyeballs optical illusion face paint

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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4 thoughts on “Met Gala 2019 was “Camp” on Steroids”

  1. I LOVED this! I am not generally a fashion person and haven’t followed much of who wears what … but this was so worth reading about and seeing. You even had me motivated to going back to past and events to see what was worn.

    Reply
  2. I’m not really into fashion but I love these extravaganza thingies!

    Was Billy Porter the one that wore an elegant long skirt to the Oscars? What an entrance!

    I loved Hamish Bowles. I didn’t know who he was (ok I do now) but how FABULOUS! The youngsters there who didn’t know from camp should just go get lessons from him and Bette Midler.

    Reply

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