Susan Sontag’s 1964 essay, “Notes On Camp,” defined the style revolution that plays on the love of the unnatural, ironic and extravagant. Over 50 years later, the Met exhibits iconic camp fashion from designers ranging from Gucci to Virgil Bloh’s Off-White.
Camp by its very nature is undefinable, or rather, by defining what it means to be camp defeats its purpose. Camp is meant to be paradoxical. The aesthetic of the style celebrates the anti-serious and unusual. For the celebrities attending the 2019 Met Gala, this meant style of dress was largely open to interpretation.
As I’ve come to understand what it means to be camp, I see it as subscribing to a theme and exaggerating it to the umpteenth. It is taking clothing perceived as bad taste and making it good. It is alluring, while simultaneously being offensive. Its purpose is to evoke a response, while remaining neutral. In short, camp contradicts itself. It relies on the perception of the beholder, further promoting the ambiguity of the term.
Sontag wrote that camp is “a woman walking around in a dress of three million feathers.” Considering the Met Gala is essentially an elaborate costume party for celebrities, you can sure there was feathers, tulle, and sequins galore. That being said, there were a select group of celebrities who truly personified what it means to be camp.
Elle Fanning in Miu Miu
Elle Fanning’s otherwise neutral pantsuit set is made camp in the little details. Note: acrylic beer/ toothpaste/ credit card charms dangling from each finger; candy colored gems on each finger; and the piece de resistance- The Met 2019 charm necklace!! This look is the epitome of kitschy and ultimately encompasses the camp genre because it is ironic in a knowing way.
Ezra Miller in Burberry
In the epic showdown between Ezra Miller and Jared Leto’s severed head camp looks, Miller takes face. Ultimately, I based this decision on the fact that Miller took a clearly camp concept- Gucci’s severed head costume is on display at the Met’s exhibit- and made it his own. It is the same reason I was not a fan of Hailee Steinfeld’s Viktor and Rolf “No Photo Please” dress- also on display at the Met. While the dress clearly fits the parameters of camp, it was an obvious choice. For that reason, I felt it went against the theme of the night: to challenge the status quo.
Diane Von Furstenberg in DVF
Camp is designing a dress with your own face as the print. Case closed.
Lady Gaga in Brandon Maxwell
Lady Gaga is an everyday camp icon in her own right, second only to Cher and Celine Dion, who both also attended the event. What makes Lady Gaga’s four outfit changes in 15 minutes the epitome of camp is the spectacle of it all, equipped with various props and backup dancers. When asked by a reporter to comment on Lady Gaga’s looks, Anna Wintour said that “everyone else should just go home.” Look, Lady Gaga wore a meat dress to the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, you just don’t mess with the reigning Queen of Camp.
RuPaul in Kerby Jean-Raymond
It is important to recognize that camp got its start in the LGBTQ community, particularly with drag queens. Please note Lena Waithe’s IMPORTANT Met look. So why did the most recognizable drag queen in the world go so understated? In the very name of camp, RuPaul shifted the perceptions of his look and did the exact opposite of what was expected of him. My favorite part of the look? The fact that RuPaul is not wearing a drop of makeup. Yas queen!
Zendaya in Tommy Hilfiger
Zendaya put on a show in true camp fashion. With a flick of her fairy godmother’s wrist, and smoke effects, Zendaya’s dress transformed and lit up the night. She even lost a glass slipper on the stairs to complete the act.
Katy Perry in Moschino
If Katy Perry’s “California Gurls’’ music video wasn’t already indication that Perry gets camp, then her Met Gala looks will. Personally, I think the after party hamburger costume fits the theme of the event more closely, but both looks are clearly costumes so I’ll let it pass.
Lizzo in Marc Jacobs
In terms of feather and glitter quantity, you could argue that other celebrities went more over-the-top. And you’d probably be right. But did that celebrity wear their Met look directly to the airport afterwards? Now that’s camp.
Tracee Ellis Ross in Moschino
Tracee Ellis Ross is the first celebrity to play towards the ironic side of camp. Her outfit also served a deeper meaning, playing off Lorraine O’Grady’s exhibit “Art Is,” and brought black representation to the pink carpet. In this otherwise understated look, Tracee Ellis Ross became a literal piece of art, coinciding with Sontag’s definition of camp.
Let us know your favorite Met Gala camp looks below in the comments. Do you agree or disagree with our choices?
By: Rachel Ladeby