Met 2019 Exhibit & Gala - "Camp: Notes on Fashion"
Another Met Costume Institute exhibit came to an end this month and I was so thrilled to be able to finally see the exhibit the Met Gala is based on in person!
If you know me at all - there are 2 things you know:
- one of my favorite movies in all the world is Wizard of Oz and because of that I have always loved Judy Garland.
- I have a deep love for couture fashion. The elite of formal wear. Those designers and their art makes my little heart scream for joy. The Met Gala is an event that I always look forward to every year!
When I walked into the Camp Exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum in NYC, I was overwhelmed with alllll the feelings!
First of all I was in one of my favorite cities in the world - surrounded by designs from icons like Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, rows of windows of high fashion from centuries past with descriptions of this year's Met Gala theme "Camp" scrolling across the wall and then...
to top it all off
Judy Garland
singing "Somewhere over the Rainbow"
started playing over the speakers!!!
Y'all...
AHHH! ALL THE GOOSEBUMPS!! I could NOT stop smiling after that!!!!
"Camp is Judy Garland." - Philip Core, 1984
I was overwhelmed. My heart was bursting with joy!
Here are some more of my favorite things from the exhibit!
You may be thinking... what in the world is "Camp"?!
Well - I know it may sound like it has something to do with camouflage, or something outdoorsy like tents, sleeping bags and campfires. But it definitely does not - it's the farthest from that actually!
This year's exhibit was inspired by Susan Sontag's essay in 1964 called "Notes on 'Camp'" - which "examines how the elements of irony, humor, parody, pastiche, artifice, theatricality, and exaggeration are expressed in fashion" in the form of 58 notes. On the Met's website, it explains that fashion exhibits these notes through the "colors, prints, patterns, materials, silhouettes, and embellishments" that we see.
The essay was divided into two sections: camp origins and then exploring camp in fashion which is also how the exhibit was laid out; complete with clothing, articles, sculptures, art, decor spanning from 17th century to the present.
One of the earliest examples of camp is shown with Louis XIV and the words "se camper" - which means "to posture boldly". With the extravagance and excessiveness that surrounded his reputation, Versailles and Marie Antionette - he is one of the early examples that perfectly embodies what camp is.
The defining elements of Camp according to Sontag is "the love of the unnatural: artifice & exaggeration."
A design by Cristobal Balenciaga, worn by Jayne Wrightman was showcased:
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One of her defining elements was failed seriousness: "Not all seriousness that fails can be redeemed as Camp. Only that which has the proper mixture of exaggerated, the fantastic, the passionate and the naive." - Sontag
Failed seriousness also is the difference between "naive" Camp & "deliberate" Camp"
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| Naive | Deliberate |
I could have spent hours in there lost in each of these displays!
All the hearts eyes emojis!
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But now
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For the Gala!
The Met Gala is an annual invitation-only event funding The Met's Costume Institute.
This year it raised: $15 million!
Each year, a theme is chosen for the exhibit that will run for 4 months (through the summer - May to September) at the The Met Museum and it all starts with the Met Gala on the first Monday in May where attendees are expected to arrive in attire fitting the theme.
Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief for Vogue, has kicked off the event since 1999 and this year she did that by stepping onto the pink carpet (yes, pink!).
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| Anna Wintour in Chanel |
- maybe you have seen Devil Wears Prada?
Meryl Streep's character - Miranda Priestly
is based on the fashion world mogul}
Anna's gorgeous "Camp" look was one of the last things made by Karl Lagerfeld before his passing in February, earlier this year.
Other co-chairs of the gala this year with Wintour were: Harry Styles, Alessandro Michele, Serena Williams, Lady Gaga.
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| Harry Styles & Alessandro Michele in Gucci |
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| Serena Williams in Versace |
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| Lady Gaga in Brandon Maxwell |
Let me just start with the biggest disappointment of the gala...
Lady Gaga has a history of showing up to award shows, premieres and other red carpet events in extremely wild outfits and over-the-top ways.
When asked about the event and the designs, she said "I know intrinsically I have a camp soul" and I wholeheartedly agree with her on that.
While her entrance was nothing short of outlandish... 3 out of her 4 looks were disappointing to me for someone as showstopping as Lady Gaga. But yes, she had 4 different outfits for her red carpet entrance! No one else did that at least!
One of her go-to designers - Brandon Maxwell (who also designed her Oscars gown) was in charge of her Met Gala gown(s).
Gaga told Vogue that she felt like her wardrobe changes were telling a story like an essay or a poem and that is what made it so "aligned with Susan Sontag's notes".
Once you learn what Camp is, you see that this theme was MADE for HER!
I was honestly expecting so much more from her wardrobe choice(s)! Were they "campy"? Sure. But we all know how outlandish outfits Lady Gaga has been in the past with her wacky wardrobe. So if I compare what she's worn in the past - this was what she chose when she had her chance to go all out??
I was disappointed to say the least.
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There are a couple of other celebs who missed THEIR MOMENT.There are a few people who are KNOWN for ALWAYS showing up on the red carpet in something interesting and/or crazy for that shock and awe factor.
THIS WAS THEIR TIME TO SHINE.
...and somehow they missed it.
If you are normally a weirdo - I had huge expectations for you.
Miley Cyrus
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| Miley Cyrus in Saint Laurent |
Nicki Minaj
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| Nicki Minaj in Atelier Prabal Gurung |
Extravagant. Weird. Excessive.
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I wasn't completely let down though - there were also usual weirdos who did not disappoint!
Billy Porter
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| Billy Porter in The Blonds |
Hamish Bowles
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| Hamish Bowles in Maison Margiela |
Gwen Stefani
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| Jeremy Scott & Gwen Stefani in Moschino by Jeremy Scott |
Cardi B
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| Cardi B in Thom Browne |
That dramatic quilted full circular train - filled with down!
The gown had over 30,000 feathers and required 35 people to create! THAT is CAMP.
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On the subject of feathers, it was a hot trend at this year's gala.
Even Anna Wintour rocked feathers for the evening!
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
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| Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in Oscar de la Renta |
Her camp look was comprised over over 20,000 ostrich feathers.
According to Oscar de la Renta - the feathers were dyed the soft pink
and "curled by hand to create dramatic flounce."
"Camp is a woman walking around in a dress made of 3 million feathers." - Susan Sontag
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| Naomi Campbell in Valentino |
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| Ciara in Dundas |
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| Winnie Harlow - Tommy Hilfiger |
Feathers and extra long lash extensions were fun additions to the campy designs. I also loved seeing trends from the awards season show up on the pink carpet - the capes/trains, statement sleeves/shoulders, ballgowns, and velvet jackets.
Headpieces were a trend that I loved last year and it continued with the extravagance and over-the-top theme this year like Celine Dion and Gemma Chan below!
Least favorite trend of the gala: the metallics (for the most part).
Some that were done right:
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| Awkwafina in Altuzarra |
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| Gemma Chan & Tom Ford in Tom Ford |
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| Emily Blunt in Michael Kors |
Others I felt either belonged with the 2016 Met Gala - Manus x Machina or just looked cheap and NOT extravagant
or "campy":
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| Kate Moss in Marc Jacobs |
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| Julianne Moore in Valentino Haute Couture |
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| Mindy Kaling in Moschino by Jeremy Scott |
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| Kelela in Paco Rabanne |
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It was interesting to see the designer shift this year.
Balmain dressed so many celebs 2 years ago at the Met Gala beautifully,
big names last year were Versace and Ralph Lauren.
Designers who killed it consistently throughout the night as celebs showed up with their creations:
Thom Browne | Moschino by Jeremy Scott | Tommy Hilfiger | Louis Vuitton
AND Zac Posen - who will ALWAYS be a winner in my book!
I love his creativity! Not only are his silhouettes unique, he is always looking for new ways to stand out and this year he collaborated with General Electric & Protolabs in North Carolina this year to create his 3D printed designs with some amazing technology!
Read more about the collaboration & how gowns came together here!
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| Deepika Padukone in ZAC POSEN |
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| Katie Holmes in ZAC POSEN |
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| Julia Garner in ZAC POSEN |
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| Jourdan Dunn in ZAC POSEN |
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| Nina Dobrev in ZAC POSEN Zac Posen in Brooks Brothers |
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These next looks had potential to be on theme, but ended up being a missed opportunities:
Fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg has always been on of my favorite fashion icons and she did not disappoint in her own look:
"Camp is being-as-playing-a-role." - Susan Sontag
But, this DVF design wasn't enough for me
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| Adowa Aboah in Diane von Furstenberg |
"Camp is outrageous aestheticism." - Susan Sontag
this print just isn't THAT outrageous.
Halsey
Like Lady Gaga, she knows how to be more than edgy! This look is definitely gorgeous and pushes some boundaries but it still seemed disappointingly safe for her.
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| Halsey in Atelier Prabal Gurung |
Benedict Cumberbatch
stepped outside the black/white tux box with a bit of costume-y look. It seems more like a British colonial era explorer, plantation owner, cast member of Jurassic Park or Raiders of the Lost Ark villain - not quite camp to me.BUT at least it's not a black tux!
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| Benedict Cumberbatch in Labassa Woolfe Sophia Hunter in Roksanda |
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Some of the men just couldn't get out of the box and out of a regular black tux...
I get that maybe dressing funky is a little more difficult and uncomfortable for the men.
But come on
at least do something different than a black tux!
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| Alexander Skarsgard in Burberry |
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| Patrick Schwarzenegger in Ralph Lauren |
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| Shawn Mendes in Saint Laurent |
Beautiful gowns ladies, but where's the camp in these?
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| Billie Lourd in Zac Posen |
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| Demi Moore in Saint Laurent |
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Tie for worst of the evening
Wrong place, Wrong time.
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| Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney in Vassilis Emmanuel Zoulias & FDNY (jacket) |
I don't even understand.
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| Gwyneth Paltrow in Chloe |
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And how about the worst dressed couple?
Tom Brady & Gisele Bundchen
Did they know there is a theme for this gala?
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| in Dior Haute Couture |
Classy? Sure
Camp? No.
But hey, at least Tom wore a velvet jacket!
I've been loving that trend for the men this year!
SURPRISE/GASP MOMENT of the NIGHT:
Y'all - my mouth DROPPED when I saw this.
Tommy Hilfiger most definitely stepped up his game this year. I haven't seen many great designs from him recently but he really put some effort in for this Met Gala.
HOWEVER. This moment.
Zendaya arrived in a black-ish Tommy Hilfiger gown. Then her stylist, Law Roach, "transformed" her gown into a light up baby blue gown similar to the iconic Disney's Cinderella.
Let me just say first:
I LOVE Zendaya (have you seen The Greatest Showman?!). She is ALWAYS a dream at the Met Gala (fitting the theme perfectly every year she has attended)
I LOVE Cinderella (my favorite fairytale princess).
I even loved the symbolism behind why she chose this theme. In her growing up as an actress, she has transformed from a Disney star into focusing on completely different roles and her stylist made the statement that this was the last time people would associate her with a Disney princess.
I really did love the performance of the fairy godmother/stylist transforming her dress.
It was definitely a cool physical and symbolic transformation!
But I just couldn't get behind the light up dress...
it has already been done AND by one of my very favorites designers at a previous Met Gala!
Zac Posen created this technology work of art for the 2016 Met Gala where the theme was Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology.
Claire Danes looked like a dream in this Cinderella-inspired gown and then as soon as she entered the dark room of the gala - voila - her dress lit up!! The dress took 500 hours to make - with fiber optics sewn into the French organza and then powered by battery packs!
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| Claire Danes in Zac Posen |
I do agree that they are different.
While Tommy Hilfiger's design is more Disney-esque, Zac's was merely Cinderella inspired.
The technology was also very different.
I definitely didn't hate anything about this year's nod to Cinderella. I thought Zendaya looked beautiful and the it was definitely creative and fun!
I just felt that it was unoriginal.
...see why I was confused why everyone was ooooing and ahhhing over Tommy Hilfiger's creation? I was disappointed at the lack of remembrance of the similarity between the two.
Zac never said a word though. :)
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Another copycat-ish situation:
Billy Porter carried in like an Egyptian Pharaoh.
Any one remember a similar entrance to another red carpet?
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Let's go back to 2011:
Lady Gaga being carried into the Grammy's in an egg!
Not the same? Eh, true.
I did love Billy Porter's entrance. It was one of my favorites and seems to be the epitome of Camp!
The Egyptians were probably some of the best original representations of Camp instead of Louis XIV and if anyone would pull that off, it would be Billy Porter!
More surprises:
Celine Dion
(while she is looking painfully thin) I loved her Oscar de la Renta design. And even more so when I learned that it was inspired by Judy Garland and her role in the 1945 movie Ziegfeld Follies! All the hearts eyes!
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| Celine Dion in Oscar de la Renta |
The Kardashian-Jenner tribe is generally an eye roll for me. I've never been a fan of the family in any way and have never understood society's obsession over people who do not have an inch of realness about them.
BUT!
At this year's Met Gala, the Jenner ladies finally put in some real effort to fit the theme!
Kris
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| Kris Jenner in Tommy Hilfiger |
Kylie
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| Kylie Jenner in Atelier Versace |
Kendall
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| Kendall Jenner in Versace |
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Kim K. continued with her underwhelming trend.
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| Kim Kardashian in Thierry Mugler |
Let me just say this - my opinion on Kim K. has nothing to do with the designer.
Thierry Mugler is incredibly talented and knows how to do camp.
(A throwback design of his was in the Camp exhibit at the museum - Cardi B also wore it to this year's Grammy Awards. Scroll back up to check out his design! #oyster)
Kim K. looked beautiful - she just chose to just be fashionable and safe... yet again.
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Here's a few more who maybe had a little bit of camp in their look, but played it too safe:
Jennifer Lopez
(she did better at the 2015 and 2018 Met Galas)
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| Jennifer Lopez & Alex Rodriguez in Versace |
Rita Ora
(where was her look from 2016?! It would have fit perfectly this year!)
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| Rita Ora in Marc Jacobs |
Regina King
This amazing woman has had a fabulous year with winning so many awards,
as well in rocking all the red carpets!
I really love this dress by one of my other favorite designers
BUT...
I just don't feel like it was completely camp.
It seems close - but still a little "safe".
Still so gorgeous though!
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| Regina King in Oscar de la Renta |
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| Ella Balinska in Tory Burch |
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| Camila Morrone in Elie Saab |
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| Alicia Keys in Carolina Herrera |
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| Coral Chung in Sebastian Gunawan |
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| Danai Gurira in Gabriela Hearst |
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| Doutzen Kroes in Giambattista Valli Haute Couture |
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| Penelope Cruz in Chanel |
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| Charlie XCX in Jean Paul Gaultier couture |
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| Salma Hayek in Gucci |
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| Ruth Wilson in Oscar de la Renta |
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| Nessa Diab in Pyer Moss (custom) |
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| Tory Burch & Kerry Washington in Tory Burch |
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| Wendy Yu in Giambattista Valli Haute Couture |
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Now!
...are you ready to see the best of the best?!
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I definitely missed seeing one of my favorites this year, Blake Lively - but these bold men and women did a great job of executing the theme perfectly in their looks!
Favorites!
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| Baz Luhrmann & Catherine Martin in Prada |
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| Cara Delevingne in Christian Dior |
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| Jared Leto in Gucci |
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| Jared Leto in Gucci |
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| Katy Perry in Moschino |
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| Kacey Musgraves in Moschino by Jeremy Scott |
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| Laverne Cox in Christian Siriano |
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| Lupita Nyong'o in Versace |
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| Priyanka Chopra & Nick Jonas in Dior Haute Couture |
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| Saoirse Ronan in Gucci |
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| Sophie Turner & Joe Jonas in Louis Vuitton |
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Janelle Monae
This was the one of the night for me! The eye even blinked!!
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| Janelle Mone in Christian Siriano |
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| Janelle Monae in Christian Siriano |
Christian Siriano, the original Project Runway winner, has taken his designs consistently to the next level and it makes my heart so happy to see him succeed this way! Congratulations Christian on such a fabulous design!
Other Notable Wins:
Jordan Roth
Broadway tycoon & owner of Jujamcyn Theaters, wore a design with photos of the world's most beautiful opera houses: Palais Garnier in Paris, the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Royal Opera in Stockholm. Roth said he "wanted this piece to be both about a performance and a performance within itself."
This look shows a closed curtain with his arms down or at his side.
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| Jordan Roth in Iris van Herpen |
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| Jordan Roth in Iris van Herpen |
Aurora James
Designer behind Brothers Vellies reflected on time spent in Africa to create her look. When read one of the highlights of Sontag's essay where she says that Camp is the love of the unnatural - she knew what she wanted to do. The very opposite. She used bamboo, raffia, wood and feathers - all natural materials.
"Camp is a means by which cultivated taste is deliberately thrown into reverse so that aesthetic absurdities become desirable." - John Canaday
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| Aurora James in Brothers Vellies (custom) |
"Camp is the psychopathology of affluence." - Sontag
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| La La Anthony in Pyer Moss |
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| Amy Fine Collins in Thom Browne |
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| Abbey Lee Kershaw inThom Browne |
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| Bevy Smith in Dapper Dan |
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| Jeremy Scott & Bella Hadid in Moschino by Jeremy Scott |
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| Cole Sprouse & Lili Reinhart in Salvatore Ferragamo |
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| Amber Valletta in Saint Laurent |
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| Caroline Trentini in Thom Browne |
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| Dakota Johnson in Gucci |
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| Isabelle Boemeke in Kevin Germanier |
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| Dapper Dan |
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| Donatella Versace |
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| Lena Dunham, Christopher Kane, and Jemima Kirk in Christopher Kane |
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| Dua Lipa in Versace |
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| Darren Criss in Balmain |
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| Lena Waithe & Kerby Jean-Raymond in Pyer Moss |
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| Gigi Hadid in Michael Kors (custom) |
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| Elle Fanning in Miu Miu |
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| Sophie von Haselberg & Bette Midler in Michael Kors (custom) |
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| Huma Abedin in Schiaperelli couture |
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| Ezra Miller in Burberry |
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| Lily Collins in Giambattista Valli Haute Couture |
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| Josephine Schriver in Jonathan Simkhai |
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| Lizzo in Marc Jacobs |
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| Hailee Steinfeld in Viktor & Rolfe |
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| Madelaine Petsch in Jean Paul Gaultier couture |
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| Lily Aldridge in Richard Quinn |
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| Maluma in Moschino by Jeremy Scott |
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| Tiffany Haddish in Michael Kors |
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| Thalia in Tommy Hilfiger |
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| Ryan Murphy in Christian Siriano |
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| Violet Chachki in Moschino by Jeremy Scott |
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| Wendi Murdoch in Mary Katrantzou |
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| Yara Shahidi in Prada |
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| Emily Ratajkowski in Dundas |
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| Florence Welch in Gucci |
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| Omari Hardwick in Dapper Dan |
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| Constance Wu & Georgina Chapman in Marchesa |
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| Stella Maxwell in Moschino by Jeremy Scott |
"Camp is the spirit of extravagance.
Camp is a comic vision of the world.
Camp is outrageous aestheticism.
Camp is things-being-what-they-are-not.
Camp introduces a new standard: artifice as an ideal, theatricality."
- Susan Sontag
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| Tracee Ellis Ross in Moschino by Jeremy Scott |
Now that you know what "Camp" is - I wanna hear from you!
Check these looks below and vote!
Did they get it right? Or wrong?
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| Ashley Graham in Dapper Dan |
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| Camila Medes in Atelier Prabal Gurung & Charles Melton in Sies Marjan |
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| Candice Swanepoel & Joan Smalls in Atelier Prabal Gurung |
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| Carey Mulligan in Prada |
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| Dominique Jackson in Victor Glemaud x Saga Furs |
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| Gabrielle Union in Dundas (custom) |
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| Hailey Baldwin Beiber in Alexander Wang |
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| Indya Moore in Louis Vuitton |
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| Janet Mock in Alberta Ferretti (custom) |
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| Liu Wen in Thom Browne |
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| Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen |
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| Michael B. Jordan in Coach (custom) |
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| Natasha Lyonne in Jean Paul Gaultier couture |
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| Nichapat Suphap in Tomo Koizumi |
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| Nina Hollein & Max Hollein (the Met Museum director) |
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| Odell Beckham Jr. in Thom Browne |
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| Paloma Elsesser in Brock Collection |
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| Solange Knowles in Salvatore Ferragamo |
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| Travis Scott in Dior Men |
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| Zoe Saldana in Michael Kors |
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| Tessa Thompson in Chanel Haute Couture |
Check out my Insta stories to vote and to see what I voted on all of these as well!
(once the voting is expired you can still see what everyone else voted under the highlight titled Met Gala!)
For the gala/ball I went to this month, I wanted to go with something a little on the "Camp" side - I can't wait to share more of it with y'all!
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| Photos by Erika Bentley at Evolve Creative Studio |
I'd love to meet you/interact with you!
Instagram: @itsbrookeallison
Facebook: Brooke Allison
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Already can't wait for the announcement of next year's theme and the first Monday in May!
Until next year!
I'll be over here dreaming of the day I get to walk up those steps at the Met Gala!
The exhibit was made possibly by Gucci and additionally supported by Conde Nast.
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