A lot happened last night at the Met Gala 2019. There were masks and feathers, truckloads of beads, sequins, glitter, lengthy trains, magic fairy godmothers, doppelgänger heads and well, Billy Porter, who quite possibly out-camped them all, drenched in gold and carried into the event like a true diva. Taking “camp” as its theme, this year’s gala was a colourful, over-the-top, excessively flamboyant and opulent affair, proving that fashion is a lot more fun when everyone throws good taste out the window and abandons the age-old adage that less is more. With so much to see, digest and pick apart, we’ve done the hard work for you and sifted through the lewks to pinpoint the most extra trends of all.
Mad about pink
It’s no surprise that Lady Gaga, the first lady of camp, stole the show in not one but four different looks. The opening look in particular — a billowing Brandon Maxwell ballgown in shocking pink, complete with matching hair bow, puff sleeves and a train for days — was camp with a capital ‘C’. But shades of pink bloomed elsewhere: Anna Wintour wore encrusted sugary-pink Chanel finished with a Marabou feather cape; Naomi Campbell stepped out in candy-coloured Valentino chiffon with fabulously kitsch lace tights, and Bollywood star Deepika Padukone made an entrance fit for a princess in a sculpted Zac Posen number in a shimmering shade of shell pink.
Extreme shoulders
According to Sontag, camp is “a love of the exaggerated.” In that case then, what could be more camp than dramatic, extreme shoulders? Florence Welch glistened in an ethereal Gucci turquoise ensemble finished with majestic cape, festooned with twinkling birds. Saoirse Ronan followed suit in fiery-red sequined Gucci with battle armour-esque gilded shoulders. It was Lupita Nyong’o, however, who really embraced the trend to the extreme in a star-punctuated Versace column finished with exaggerated technicolour shoulders reminiscent of fluttering rainbow butterfly wings.
The art of illusion
Not only does camp encompass a love of the exaggerated but also an appreciation for artifice. Artifice and trickery all reigned supreme last night with stars like Jared Leto embracing the art of illusion to the fullest. Leto was utterly imperial in bejewelled scarlet Gucci — all the more so on account of his prop of choice: a neatly severed rendition of his own head, casually carried underarm. Meanwhile, former Ugly Betty star Michael Urie took camp to new levels with his duplicitous costume, splitting a pinstriped suit and frothy pink confection down the middle. Ezra Miller was the standout in a cabaret-themed outfit: tailcoat, diamond cage corset, clean white shirt, Venetian mask and a face full of optical illusion — a multitude of painted long-lashed eyes peered back at the crowd.
Entourage is essential
Following on from his standout Oscars’ appearance, Billy Porter outmanoeuvred even himself in the high fashion stakes last night. Carried into the Gala by a cohort of buff-bodied men adorned in gleaming headwear, Porter was one of the most memorable of the night in a custom Egyptian-inspired look by NY label, The Blonds. Nothing says camp like an entourage of six topless men and wings made of gold, after all. But let’s not forget Zendaya, who wore an iridescent-blue Cinderella gown by Tommy Hilfiger, and was accompanied by her very own fairy godmother in the form of her stylist, Law Roach. And with the flick of his wand, her dress lit up.
All that glitters is gold
Billy Porter was not the only star to step out in gold. Emily Blunt resembled an Oscar statuette in solid gold Michael Kors complete with a matching headdress by Stephen Jones. Model Abbey Lee Kershaw opted for a mermaid dress with an embellished, gold fishtail skirt. There was also American rapper Awkwafina, who resembled a Christmas decoration in bright, crinkly gold foil. But it was camp icon Celine Dion, who embraced her inner Las Vegas diva in a Cher-style Bob Mackie-inspired number in streams of palest gold, who really outshone the competition.
Birds of a feather
There are few things in this life that scream “camp” as much as a bucket load of fluorescent feathers. And fear not there were plenty to tickle your fancy at last evening’s Gala. Kendall and Kylie Jenner went full-on show-girl in lilac and tangerine feather-filled getups. Janelle Monae’s look encompassed a multitude of camp trends at once, but not least that cheeky winking eye, with a curling black feather lash. Where Joan Collins stepped out in ice-white feathers, Lizzo went extreme-femme with neon pink hair and a matching hot-pink dresscoat adorned in — you guessed it — feathers. And of course Met Gala expert, Cardi B (we’re not forgetting her holy Madonna-inspired look from last year any time soon), embraced the term “red carpet dress” in the most literal sense possible in an enormous red gown that resembled exactly that, except trimmed with a million feathers.
You can leave your hat on
It wouldn’t be the Met Gala without some truly show-stopping — or ridiculous, depending on how you look at it — headgear. Leave it to Katy Perry to embrace the trend with the most zeal by coming dressed as a human chandelier with an light-up candle headdress. But there was also Jennifer Lopez in a tinsel-fringed wig, Celine Dion rocked an opulent feather extravaganza, Janelle Monae pulled off a Leaning Tower of My Fair Lady style top hats, and yes, of course, Billy Porter, who turned it out in a goddess crown constructed from thick gold chains — in case we were in any doubt that he was the most extra of them all.