Championing the sublimity of couture in Camp culture: The Met Gala 2019

From this year’s theme review to the best-dressed attendees, here’s all you need to know about the world’s most anticipated event in the global fashion calendar.

The first Monday in May can only mean one thing: the much awaited annual eclectic yet most extravagant event marked in the global fashion agenda, The Met Gala. Bringing together some of the biggest names from the empires of fashion, music and cinema to New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. The night is customarily begins with the red carpet catwalk, exploring the yearly themed exhibition, before sitting down to have dinner and to watch various performances. Curator of the Met’s Costume Institute Andrew Bolton has planned the exhibition basing it on Susan Sontag’s essay (dated back to 1964, Notes on “Camp”), which observed various ways in which the theme could have been interpreted.

When Sontag’s essay was first released, most of the LGBTQ+ community took a rather critical stance in its respect. 1964 constituted a crucial momentum for social and political changes, as it was the year when modern gay-rights movements began, pre-Stonewall uprising. A period during which homosexuality was still considered a mental disorder, long before equal marriage was accepted in the UK. On another note, the relationship between camp and disregarded LGBTQ+ crowds were such that bringing it to public attention and making it mainstream felt, to some, a decision of utter importance. Arguably, it doesn’t get more public and conventional than the Met Gala. So, with camp and queerness being so intrinsically linked, will this year’s theme be as controversial as the last?

The answer’s, unequivocally, is yes. Dissecting this topic from a different perspective is Harris Reed, the queer designer-turned-model who started enticing millions of fans last year after collaborating with Harry Styles and walking at Gucci’s 2019 Resort Show. Though, he seems acknowledge the opinions shares on this. “I think the theme this year, and the people hosting, is really going to make a big and impactful change for the LGBTQIA community,” he states. “Homosexuals, by and large, constitute the vanguard – and the most articulate audience – of Camp”. And it is the way the Met Gala will emphasise this relationship that Reed says is so significant.

“This year’s theme could not be more relevant, it could not be more important, at a time when we have people like Donald Trump banishing transgender individuals from the US military, when you have the Sultan of Brunei now legally allowing LGBTQIA people to be stoned to death.”

“Camp is a really deep word and I think that’s amazing, because anything that has that kind of subtext to it, that is so multifaceted, can really open people up to have a conversation – what is this year’s theme? What is camp? What is camp culture? Where did this come from? I think camp is a great window to open people up to queerness and queer culture and what that stands for,” he says.

And as ever, this year’s star-studded line-up has been as rather remarkable. Here at HUNGER Magazine, we’ve collated some of the most spectacular attires from the wondrous evening held at the Metropolitan Museum of the art. From Lady Gaga in Brandon Maxwell and Katy Perry in Moschino to Jared Leto (with his “head-sake” cute accessory) adorned by the splendour of Gucci, take a look at what this year’s guests have brought on the table.

Why not brush up on everything you need to know (but mostly see) about this year’s Met Gala so you’re in the know…

Celine Dion in Oscar de la Renta
Lupita Nyong’o in Versace
Solange in Salvatore Ferragamo
Zendaya
Cardi B in Thom Browne
Kylie and Kendall Jenner in Versace
Bella Hadid in Moschino
Emma Roberts
Naomi Campbell in Maison Valentino
Gigi Hadid
words
Chidozie Obasi
gallery images
via @metmuseum and @themetgalanews on Instagram