21 Savage, French Montana, Jennifer Lopez, and more stars slay at the 2019 Met Gala
See how Hollywood interpreted camp.
The 2019 Met Gala was full of epic looks, as expected.
The annual fashion event drew all of our favorite celebs to New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday (May 6) to show off their best interpretation of this year’s theme: Camp. The exhibit was inspired by a 1964 essay written by Susan Sontag. In the piece, titled “Notes on ‘Camp’,” Sontag, wrote, “The essence of Camp is its love of the unnatural: of artifice and exaggeration.”
In an interview with The New York Times, Andrew Bolton, curator of the Costume Institute, explained why camp felt “relevant” to this year’s gala.
“We are going through an extreme camp moment, and it felt very relevant to the cultural conversation to look at what is often dismissed as empty frivolity but can be actually a very sophisticated and powerful political tool, especially for marginalized cultures,” he told the outlet. “Whether it’s pop camp, queer camp, high camp or political camp—Trump is a very camp figure—I think it’s very timely.”
Everyone, from Janelle Monáe, Frank Ocean, 21 Savage, Jennifer Lopez, French Montana, Ciara and more showed up — and showed out — in their best gear. While Monáe opted for a black, white and pink number, Savage kept things dapper, literally, with a black and gold blazer designed by fashion icon, Dapper Dan.
Emmy Award-winning writer and actress Lena Waithe made a statement on the carpet with her outfit which noted that “black drag queens invented camp,” while Solange also went bold with her fashion choices. The When I Get Home singer showed up with a live snake to match her snakeskin ensemble.
Meanwhile, Rihanna, who usually makes the “best dressed” list each year, was a no show at the event. The singer joked about her absence on her Instagram Stories by sharing a tweet from a fan who predicted she was at home playing with her Fenty Beauty makeup.
Keep reading to see how all the stars interpreted camp ahead.