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Much has been made of the theme for this year’s Met Gala, ‘Camp: Notes on Fashion’, with plenty of discussion and disagreement around the definition and meaning of the word ‘camp’. And, last night, we saw all kinds of interpretation from celebrities and designers into how they saw the theme.
Dr. Royce Mahawatte is a senior lecturer in Cultural Studies for Jewellery, Textiles and Fashion at Central Saint Martins. We asked him to decode what the theme really means, who he thought nailed it on Monday night and who may have missed the mark.
From those who got the attitude right to the stars who didn’t quite achieve the theme with their choice of frock, here is his verdict.
Some looked beautiful, but not camp
“In terms of successfully achieving camp, we have to exclude the celebrities who just turned up in a nice outfit with or without feathers – Anna Wintour, Serena Williams, Gigi Hadid and the Jenner sisters.
“Camp is very hard to pull off when that’s what you are focusing on. ‘The Camp and the Beautiful’ might have been a better theme as ‘Notes on Camp’ is very tricky to master.”
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There is a difference between fun and camp
“In terms of not getting it right, we can section off the fun outfits too: Lupita Nyong’o in Versace, Elle Fanning wearing Miu Miu, Cara Delevigne in Dior – all fun more than camp, but great anyway.”
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Lady Gaga, Aquaria and Kiki Layne nailed the irony
“Lady Gaga wearing Brandon Maxwell, Aquaria wearing Maison Margiela Artisanal by John Galliano, Kiki Layne in Gucci – these were designs full of humour and irony. Gaga is High Camp, clearly theatrical, humorous, with a hint of tragedy.”
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Kim Kardashian West got it right
“Kim Kardashian West wearing Manfred Thierry Mugler – the ‘dress’ is not particularly anything, let alone camp, but her figure, her body is one of the campest things of the 21st century! It is exaggerated, somewhat artificial, powerful and yet comic in its unsubtlety when presented in this fashion.
“The thing with Kardashian is that, we read irony and campness into her life whether it is there or not. She is not in control of it, like Gaga.”
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It is not just about the dress, but the attitude
“Katy Perry in Moschino by Jeremy Scott is in keeping with what Scott does, maybe more kitsch than camp, but we are splitting hairs here.
“Perry lacks the camp attitude though, much like Elizabeth Debicki in Salvatore Ferragamo, which is a super camp dress with an excessive bow contrasting with the pastels. It’s Grace Kelly on acid but Debciki is wearing it as if it were a simple and pretty frock.
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“Compare these with Regina King in Oscar de la Renta – this is quite an understated dress, but her attitude when she poses makes the dress look like she’s in an 1980s soap. She knows exactly what she is doing. That is camp!
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“A camp dress has to be matched with fantasy, tragedy or some kind of ironic story that tells us about what it means to be gendered. The actors seem to be winning in camp at the gala. Laverne Cox wearing Christian Siriano works very well – the cut and the attitude.”
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From: Harper’s BAZAAR UK
