Photo credit to Flickr

Lady Gaga poses for the camera at the 2019 Met Gala. As one of the hosts, Gaga impressed everyone with her campy style

The Met Gala is an annual charity ball for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, where every year celebrities wear the best of the best in that years fashion.  Each year, there is a new and interesting theme for famous designers to interpret and imagine into spectacular creations. Years past themes have included, Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and The Catholic Imagination, Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology, and China: Through the Looking Glass.

The theme for 2019 was Camp: Notes on Fashion, which to many’s dismay was not well executed by the majority of celebrities attending. In order to dress fit with the theme, one must understand what camp is first. Camp is a style that is somewhat loose in interpretation, but is is all about exaggerating and abstracting beauty and fashion standards to something unexpected and over the top. When I heard the theme, I was expecting crazy, extraordinary masterpieces, but seeing most of the outfits, I was underwhelmed, so I will be ranking and roasting popular celebrities costumes.

The five criteria are the following: First, if it fits the theme, second if it is flattering on the wearer, third the creativity, fourth the presentation and finally an overall rating and personal opinion, with occasional opinions from other WJ students.

Lady Gaga:

As one of the hosts, and a Met Gala veteran, Lady Gaga expectedly killed with not one but four different dresses in one. She definitely showed off her campy side with this look, and all of the different looks fit her so well. The layers switched off between a bright magenta to black velvet, until she was practically in lingerie. To help with the many layers of the dresses, Gaga had at least four handlers carrying umbrellas which really showcased creativity and added to the presentation. My only critique is that the last layer is somewhat boring compared to the other three dresses. Overall, she set the bar very high for the rest of attendees with a four out of five.

Harry Styles:

Many fans had high hopes for Harry Styles as he was named “The King of Camp” by Vogue. His black lace blouse and pearl earring did show androgyny, but there wasn’t much out of the ordinary about this outfit, therefore he missed the theme. While the see through fabric did flatter him by showing off his tattoos, its was somewhat boring on the creativity aspect. There was no interesting presentation to his look, and I was not impressed so he gets a two out of five.

Zendaya:

Zendaya has served look after look in the past few Met Galas, but this years takes the cake. She showed up as Cinderella in a large gown that could move and light up with an assistant who held a magic wand that produced fog. This look was definite camp, as well as flattering and extremely creative. Even though the dress itself was somewhat impressive, the presentation was what really sold this look for me. All in all this is a look to remember for future years, so I give her a five out of five. Many WJ students think that Zendaya had the best look of the night, including Sophomore Hannah Gardener.

“Zendaya looked amazing and her dress is my favorite because of all the technology incorporated and utilized to tell a story” Gardener said.

Ezra Miller:

When you think of fashionable celebrities, the name Ezra Miller does not come to mind, but after his appearance at the gala, he will from now on. Miller showed up in a mysterious silver coat and a mask but when he took both off he was wearing a striped power suit with a bedazzled corset and a long train. The most eye catching detail was the illusion makeup that looked like he had three sets of eyes. The look was campy and flattering, but the creativity and presentation is what made it memorable. Ezra Miller really caught my attention so I give him a five out of five.

The Kardashians:

The Kardashians are known for crazy expensive outfits, but this year was completely forgettable. Their outfits weren’t really camp and they were regular tiresome gowns. The one well accomplished factor was that it showed off the women’s bodies, but the accompanying men were mundanely dressed. The campiest look was Kylie’s but she showed up in the same exact outfit as Iggy Azalea in a different color. Kylie and Kendall have received major backlash for their excessive use of real feathers. Kris’s outfit is a basic jumpsuit with a wig that looks like she stole it from Kylie, and Kim looks wet dripping with diamonds from yet another sheer dress. Their looks weren’t campy, creative, interesting or presented well, so they really missed the mark. Overall I give their collective looks a two out of five. A lot of people were disappointed in the Kardashians looks this year, like sophomore Zoe Matsuzaki.

“I think Kim’s look was inappropriate for the Met Gala because she showed too much body, and her dress wasn’t camp” Matsuzaki said.

Janelle Monae:

Janelle Monae was the essence of camp at this years Met Gala, wearing an over sized exaggerated gown with color blocking reminiscent of many modern art works in the Mondrian style. The dress looked like the face was painted on in a surrealist fashion. To accompany the garment she wore not one, but four hats, and a purse that looked like an eyeball. The dress was certainly campy, creative, and many people loved the look. There wasn’t anything special about the presentation, and it didn’t show her body off so it wasn’t too flattering, so I give Janelle Monae a three out of five. While I may have not liked her outfit, many WJ students did, including sophomore Adelaide Zinn. “I loved Janelle Monae’s look because it was really abstract and conceptual which reminded me of Picasso” said Zinn.

Gigi Hadid:

Supermodel Gigi Hadid like the Kardashians is known for having a posh and pricey wardrobe filled to the brim with designer. Her look may have been designer but it wasn’t campy or creative. She showed up in a white and gold sequined catsuit with an over sized jacket and a headpiece and weird, long, white eyelashes. The catsuit is somewhat flattering but the jacket is too big and takes away from her silhouette. The presentation was basic and nothing special, so I give Gigi Hadid a one out of five. This is the Met Gala Gigi, step it up.

    Katy Perry

Katy Perry, known for campy creations has had successful Met Gala after Met Gala, and this years did not disappoint. Perry showed up wearing a whole, functioning chandelier that lit up every room she was in. The ensemble is very campy and creative , because the chandelier actually works. The outfit is not the most flattering because the fixture conceals her body which would have been showcased well with this dress, but the presentation of the chandelier is amazing because she is decked out with diamonds and jewels.  Overall, I love this look and Katy Perry’s continuous creativity and flexibility with outfits and costumes, so I give her a four out of five.

Karlie Kloss:

I really don’t have anything good to say because I don’t know much about Karlie Kloss, besides that she’s a model, but I’m extremely disappointed and offended by her outfit. Where do I start? It’s a mini snakeskin gold dress with ugly poofy sleeves that make her look wide because of them and because the dress is so short. There were no accessories besides a boring pair of earrings and a regular pair of gold strapped shoes. The dress should be skin tight because of the size but it wasn’t so there were wrinkles and awkward lines when she moved. The dress was not flattering nor creative, and it is the complete opposite of camp. Nothing Kloss could have done with presentation could have sold this look for me as it was basically a cocktail dress at the Met Gala. I was going to give this look a one out of five, but then I realized I could give it a zero out of five.

Jared Leto:

Jared Leto really impressed people this year by showing up carrying his own head into the event. Even though it was fake, the dummy head was incredibly lifelike and just as good looking as him. I know that a lot of people loved Jared Leto’s look this year, and while I do appreciate it, I have to say, there’s something missing. Just because you have a good presentation or a gimmick, does not mean you don’t have to have a good outfit. He wore a weirdly loose red outfit that looked like a robe that covered his whole body. What I didn’t like about the outfit was how plain the red garment was with a weird silhouette that includes circular shoulder pads. Although he accentuated it with jewels, there is just something missing that the dummy head couldn’t replace. It hits every mark except for flattering or campiness, so I give Jared Leto a three out of five.

Shawn Mendes:

The second most over hyped male to show up to the Met Gala was Shawn Mendes. For all of his fans raving about him, saying his outfit would be the best, they were severely let down, because Mendes showed up in a plain black suit with slicked back hair. I am offended to the point where I almost don’t know what to say. WHO SHOWS UP TO THE MET GALA WEARING A PLAIN SUIT? Apparently Shawn Mendes does, and he wants to make people mad that they wasted an invitation on him. I will say it for the people again and again, the theme is camp, learn the theme, don’t show up in something plain, basic, or boring. I don’t care how much money you have or spend, just TRY to fit the theme. Educate yourself Shawn. I can go ahead and say he didn’t fit any of the criteria except flattering, and I say that hesitantly.

Billy Porter:

Take notes Harry Styles, this is what the king of camp looks like. Billy Porter floated onto the scene six feet in the air on a chaise carried by six shirtless men decked out in gold. If that’s not style I don’t know what is. It only gets better from there because his outfit was also a masterpiece. Porter was dressed to the nines in a gold outfit with gold makeup, gold headpiece, gold boots, gold chains, and the kicker, gold wings. The whole thing was on another level of extravagance and absurdity, that you barely notice his catsuit isn’t completely flattering. That is the one low point but it checks every other box with a score of four out of five.

Honorable mentions: Hamish Bowles, Ryan Murphy, Priyanka Chopra, Lupita Nyong’o, and Michael Urie.

Dishonorable mentions: Caroline Trentini, Mindy Kaling, Jennifer Lopez, Halsey, Emma Stone, and James Charles.