Met Gala : Celebrating Beauty Through the Past
The annual Met Gala is always a star-studded affair, but this year was different. The theme was “Camp: Notes on Fashion,” which was a nod to the seminal 1964 essay by Susan Sontag. The Met Gala’s theme was an opportunity for fashion to explore the history of camp, a style of over-the-top expression that’s often characterized by irony, exaggeration, and playfulness. From flamboyant fabrics and bright colors to exaggerated silhouettes, attendees of the 2019 Met Gala brought their own interpretations of camp to the red carpet.
Understanding the Theme of Camp
Camp is a style of dressing, living, and generally expressing oneself that has been around since the 1700s, even though it wasn’t given a name until the 1960s. Susan Sontag wrote that camp “likes to play with outmoded, neglected, and rejected objects, ideas, and persons…”. It can be remembered by pushing the boundaries of fashion, art, music and other forms of expression. Camp is fun and entertaining but also speaks to and celebrates a unique point of view.
Celebrities Redefine Camp on the Red Carpet
The Met Gala is always bursting with creativity, but this year it was taken to a new level. Celebs including Harry Styles, Cardi B, Celine Dion, and Billy Porter all made a statement with their interpretations of camp. Styles, who is known for his daring fashion choices, was adorned in a pearl suit with a ruffled, printed blue shirt. Meanwhile, Cardi B opted for a voluminous Moschino dress in hot pink and silver. Dion was an unexpected attendee of the Met Gala and she certainly lived up to the “Camp” theme with an over-the-top Sachin & Babi gown. And, who can forget the iconic yellow feather dress that Billy Porter wore? His look was all about campy glamour and he certainly made a statement on the red carpet.
The Met Gala proved, once again, that fashion is all about pushing boundaries and celebrating creativity and expression. Camp isn’t only a style, it’s a way of life and the 2019 Met Gala provided an opportunity to celebrate that freedom of expression and embrace creativity.