MET Gala’s theme “camp” shocks crowd with creative and unique styles.
May 8, 2019
The Met Gala is an annual fundraising event for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but more recently it has become better known as a costume party for A-list celebrities.
The theme for this year’s gala was “camp,” based off of Susan Sontag’s essay, “Notes on ‘Camp,’ ” which looked into the outlandish and exaggerated style of camp fashion.
The main idea throughout Sontag’s essay is that camp fashion should be an outlet for individuals to let out their flamboyant and snobby side that isn’t typically shown through everyday fashion.
Monday’s Met Gala, co-chaired by Harry Styles, Lady Gaga, and Serena Williams, allowed celebrities and designers alike to express their interpretation of camp style and to show the public a new glimpse into their creativity.
The hosts themselves shocked the crowd with their creative and different styles relating to their own version of camp fashion.
Harry Styles wore an all-black Gucci outfit that included many feminine touches, like a pearl earring and a sheer lace top.
“It’s time to try something new and hopefully shock and inspire in a different way,” Harry Lambert, Styles’s stylist, said.
Styles was trying to veer away from his typically flashy style and try to incorporate a contrast to his classic sequin-filled suits.
Styles also remains an advocate for diminishing labels and gender roles alike, so he wanted to showcase how a man can wear pieces that are commonly found in women’s clothing, but still depict a masculine style.
Lady Gaga contrasted with Styles, in that the inspiration behind her outfit was a Russian doll” She wore various layers that she took off as the night progressed.
Gaga initially entered the Gala wearing a hot pink Brandon Maxwell gown that had a train that encapsulated the whole set of stairs.
As Gaga walked through the event, she shed off four remaining dresses that had been underneath the initial gown, and then finally she was left in her underwear when she formally walked into the event.
Gaga’s shocking outfit represented the stigma and stereotypes around women and the expectation that they should wear conservative clothing.
Williams differed from both Gaga and Styles by sticking with the simplicity of camp fashion, wearing a bright yellow Atelier Versace gown covered in autumnal leaves.
Williams stuck to her athletic roots by finishing her look with lime green Nike trainers, contrasting with the elegance of her gown.
Overall, the attendees of the Met Gala executed the theme within their own creativity and boundaries.
