The most glamorous annual event filled with the most important names of fashion, the Met Gala has finally arrived. This is the event for celebrities to wear the most daring couture looks, and take the coolest risks. I have always believed that fashion is an art form, and at this event that concept is celebrated by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
I have been obsessed with this extravagant event since 2013 when the theme was Punk couture, and I got to see the collection when I visited New York. Since then I've collected the Vogue special addition Met Gala magazines (yes, I'm a bit of a magazine hoarder), and have been captivated by this event every year.
My favorite aspect of the Met Gala is the themes, from 'Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy' in 2008 to 'Manus X Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology' in 2016, the themes bring an unique and exciting appeal to the event. I love it the most when the celebrities dress up to the theme, and don't play it safe.
This year, however, I was a little confused by the theme 'Camp: Notes on Fashion'. Are people gonna dress up in cargo shorts and graphic tees? Wear sneakers or chacos? Talk about the anti-fashion... After doing some research I learned 'camp' means something completely different.
The MET is using the definition of the word 'camp' based on an essay by Susan Sontag called Notes on "Camp". Her description of 'camp' is described to be some sort of an enigma, it is supposed to be something that isn't easily defined. In her essay she states, "its love of the unnatural: of artifice and exaggeration", 'camp' to her is actually the opposite of what we relate camp to mean. It is the over-the-top couture we see on the runway that most people rarely ever wear in their lifetime. "Camp is a vision of the world in terms of style — but a particular kind of style" Sontag continues to define, "It is the love of the exaggerated, the ‘off,’ of things-being-what-they-are-not." Camp is a juxtaposition between many different aesthetics, it's supposed to be extravagant, ridiculous, outrageous, extreme, jaw-dropping, and maybe even a little ironic. Expect to be confused by a celebrities look, not knowing if you love-it or hate-it because that is kinda the point.
With the theme in mind, I'm personally excited to see Rihanna (I mean because she always kills it), Lady Gaga, Lana Del Rey (a current spokesperson for Gucci which is the designer co-chair for this year), Rita Ora, Bella Hadid, Zendaya, Sienna Miller, and Sarah Jessica Parker.
Co-chairs for the night are: Lady Gaga, Harry Styles, Serena Williams, Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele, and of course Anna Wintor.
Stay Fab,
Style & Repeat