“CAMP” THEMED MET GALA 2019

Unique, classy, extravagant, extra ordinary, unnatural and outrageous are some of the terms that define the Met Gala; an annual fundraising gala meant to benefit the Metropolitan Museum in New York City. The exhibition takes place annually every first Monday in May and brings together names and recognizable faces from the world of fashion, film, art and music. Being one of the biggest fashion events in the calendar, the Met Gala calls on guests to follow a certain dress code which matches the theme of that particular exhibition.

Fashion designers and the celebrities they dress compete to outdo each other with outrageous and stunning designs depending on the theme of the year.

The 2018 Met Gala theme was Heavenly Bodies; Fashion and Catholic imagination and this year’s Met gala theme was “Camp: Notes on fashion” an exhibit that was inspired by Susan Sontag’s 1964 essay that defines Camp as “love for the unnatural, exaggeration and extra ordinary.”  It was hosted by Lady Gaga, Serena Williams and Harry Styles.

High-end designers and celebrities teamed up to follow the theme and ensure the end product was a win. Every photographer wanted to get a shot of the each of the celebrities from every possible angle; Met happens once an year so why not give it your best

American rapper and song writer Cardi B was one of the attendees of Met Gala 2019; the party never really starts until she walks in commanding attention from everyone. The courageous rapper was dripping all sorts of exaggeration and classy on the red carpet in her first ever appearance on the Met Gala. She wore a huge quilted and feathered gown with Ruby Nipples that literally needed an entourage of about ten people to guide her steps. But that’s basically who Cardi is and she had to follow the theme and own it regardless. There are no second thoughts with this rapper; you either go hard or go home!  Cardi B’s outfit was designed by Thom Browne.

Lupita Nyong’o award winning actress does not disappoint or shy away when it comes to making a statement on the red carpet. She flaunts her body and curves and takes pride in her skin color. She was among the guests that truly struck out and went as per the theme of the 2019 Met Gala. The Oscar Award Winner combined a star-pattern pink dress with rainbow colored wing-like shoulders designed by Versace and a matching purse. Her hair also took the center stage; it was a towering afro with five golden picks positioned throughout it.

Ezra Miller, an actor and singer clearly got the theme right. His arrival at the gala literally shocked everyone and had all eyes on him. His look was outrageous, a little bit of scary too and obviously exaggerated and all these are factors that the theme required of the guests.  His eye make-up was on another level; it was done by a Vancouver based artist Mimi Choi who created multiple set of eyes creating a dizzy illusion. To the already outrageous look, Ezra added a touch of red lip color that announced the fierceness in him.

When the theme of the 2019 Gala was announced, it was obvious that things were going to be outrageous and weird too. Jared did his homework really well and brought his own “head” to the gala making an unusual fashion statement. He wore a long-sleeved red gown encrusted with jewels from Gucci and emphasized the look by bringing a way too-lifelike model of his own head to the event and posed with confidence on the red carpet. Two heads are really better than one and this just might be one of those cases.

Lady Gaga, who was also one of the hosts of the event arrived unapologetically; she literally overdid herself. She had four live outfit changes that were basically a reminder that she is still boss and queen too. Lady Gaga wore Brandon Maxwell gowns with her first look being a massive hot pink gown with a cascading train and gigantic bow on her head. In her second look, she wore an all-black gown complete with a matching umbrella. A hot pink straight gown complete with a giant black cell phone bag by Judith Leiber was her third look and just when we thought she was done, Lady Gaga  decided to strip down to her bra, fishnets and underwear; clearly Lady Gaga will always be Lady Gaga with zero apologies.

The Met Gala just couldn’t be as per the norm without a little bit of queerness and Michael Urie was present for that. He went for a gender bending ensemble and pulled both a masculine and feminine look. His pinstripe suit was designed by Christian Siriano; it was chopped in half with a beautiful pink strapless and tulle skirt situation on the other half. His outfit was the craziest but it’s good to be crazy while on the Met right?

Chandeliers can also be human and the “firework” singer Katy Perry arrived as the human chandelier. She wore a full-on chandelier costume with candlesticks around her head and waist. Under the creative director Jeremy Scott, Moschino teamed up with Katy and left the internet ablaze.

If you are attend the Met Gala, it is your responsibility to do your best to deliver! Almost all guests followed the theme and Ciara was in that list. The famous and bold singer well known for her awesome dance moves rocked an emerald green gown embellished with tons of shimmery details, thigh-high slit and geometric cutouts on the torso. She added matching choker and fingerless gloves. The whole look was added a little sauce by her sky-high afro hair that attracted all cameras.

Serena Williams is a champion on the tennis court, but hey! Have you met her on the red carpet yet? She brings out the very best in all her outfits; how she pulls out all sorts of beautiful on the carpet then plays so hard on the tennis court is an art very few have mastered.

Serena, who was also one of the hosts, took to the carpet a bright yellow floral embellished Versace gown and a pair of matching Nike sneakers. Yes! Gowns and sneakers is actually possible, ask Serena!

21-year old Kylie Cosmetics Founder Kylie Jenner was also present in the Gala and we all know Kylie is about beauty specifically make-up; it has to be nicely done from the eyebrows to the foundation and the lip color; there is room for improvement if it means looking spectacular.

Kylie is always expected to nail it in the fashion department and she exceeded expectations with her 2019 Gala look. She wore a custom-made lavender and tangerine feathered Versace gown. Her body tight gown featured small purple sequins arranged in tiny interlocking loops to resemble mesh wire against a nude bodysuit.

Met Gala 2019 marked the 71^st anniversary. It continues to be the the pinnacle of the showbiz calendar and most stylish fashion event uniting some of the world’s biggest names.