We are in the second week of May, and we just passed the first Monday of this month. Fashion and entertainment enthusiasts would know, that was the day of the MET Gala. Now, I have some thoughts about this year’s MET Gala; I was transparent and quite vocal about them on Twitter though. While it was a 12 hour long series containing hundreds of tweets, I have decided to compile my thoughts and put it across so you guys can know what went through my mind at 3 AM.
If you’re a TL;DR type of person, this tweet from Lady Gaga in 2012 perfectly summarises my mental state during that night.
So, as you might know, that The Costume Institute Gala held at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is the most prominent fashion fundraising event. Some might even argue that it is the Oscars of the East-Coast. It has been a thing since 1948 to encourage people of the high society to donate money for fundraising while giving them an excuse to showcase their wealth by dressing to the nines. The gala is basically the celebration for the opening of the exhibition held at the museum. The theme for each year revolves around the exhibit. This year’s theme was Camp: Notes on Fashion. It is a tribute to the late American writer, Susan Sontag and her famous 1964 essay Notes on ‘Camp’.
So, what is camp? No, it is not the summer or wilderness camp for children although I would have loved to see celebs turn up in khaki shorts and camouflage. Camp is an extravagance, it is androgyny; camp is a mockery of everything considered normal. It is whimsical and wild, and fun and eccentric. Camp means different things to different people and it can’t be put in a box and defined.
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American Vogue editor and chair of the MET Gala since 1995, Anna Wintour said “Basically, we go from sun kings to drag queens,” when asked about this year’s theme at a press conference. Okay, to put it in simple language, Camp is RuPaul’s Drag Race meets Lady Gaga before the Joanne album era.
This year’s co-chairs along with Wintour were Lady Gaga, Harry Styles, Serena Williams, and Alessandro Michele. Now, I will spare you all the technical details and get you right to the real scoop.
So, I felt that with a theme like this you’ve got to nail the crazy down. I mean, this isn’t your prom or any other red carpet where you can wear pretty gowns and plain black tuxedos. The theme was straight-up insane and amusing, so I expected Lady Gaga to deliver (spoiler alert: she did). It was unfortunate that we didn’t get to see Rihanna’s rendition of this theme because, boy, I would’ve loved that.
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So without further ado, I present my (almost) unfiltered thoughts and ranking on the various outfits we saw at the MET Gala 2019. One thing to keep in mind; a lot more celebrities turned up according to the theme this year so improvement, which is why I won’t mention all of my favorites because that is a long, long list. And kudos for all the effort to everybody!
Again, no offense to any of these celebrities, I adore them and what they do; everything I’ve written is purely what I thought of their outfits.
Lady Gaga![](https://thesociallit.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/lady-gaga-met-gala-2019-camp.jpg)
Mother Monster was the first to show up, and it was just mind-blowing and breathtaking. She wore a custom Brandon Maxwell bright pink gown that had a very long train. But the best part was the theatrics she put up. I am so glad I didn’t get noise complaints because I was yelling at my laptop screen at 3 AM because – GAGA!!! She changed four outfits on the pink carpet, and only someone like Lady Gaga could have background dancers in a red carpet situation. It! Was! Amazing! Definitely my favorite. 15/10.
Billy Porter
![](https://thesociallit.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/billy-porter-met-gala-2019-camp.jpg)
If you need lessons on how to make an entrance, ask Billy Porter. This magnificent entertainer always shows up in a whimsical outfit on red carpets, so the MET Gala was probably like a cakewalk for him. He was dressed in a custom The Blonds New York outfit, and he looked like a magical fairy pegasus meets a golden Egyptian pharaoh. I can only imagine sitting on a throne being carried by six people as I make my way into the gala, truly a dream. 15/10.
Janelle Monáe![](https://thesociallit.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Janelle-Monae-Dress-2019-Met-Gala.jpg)
She looked AMAZING, like the Mad Hatter but way better. This actress/musician turned up in a Christian Siriano dress that was the definition of camp. Her left breast was covered by an eye that blinks and she sported four hats balancing on top of each other!! She might not have had a dramatic entrance but I am in love with that outfit. 13/10.
Zendaya![](https://thesociallit.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Zendaya-Met-Gala-Cinderella.jpg)
This woman keeps delivering year after year, she has set the standard high, and she never disappoints. Her outfit wasn’t too over the top, but it was the theatrics involved on her red carpet walk which made it one of the best looks of the night. She was dressed as Cinderella; she walked in with a poofy blue Tommy Hilfiger gown, had her own little pumpkin carriage purse and a fairy godmother who lit up her damn dress. And it doesn’t end there, she even left her shoe, which resembled a glass slipper, on the stairs. Cinderella would be proud because I sure am! 11/10.
Lupita Nyong’o![](https://thesociallit.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Lupita-Nyongo-Met-Gala-2019.jpg)
It is an established fact that dark-skinned people carry bright colors quite elegantly and this actress has proved it over and over again. Lupita entered the carpet in a vibrant Versace gown with giant ruffles on her shoulders. Her hair and makeup were so brilliant, and her look was all about details which were so exceptional! 12/10.
Ezra Miller![](https://thesociallit.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ezra-Miller-met-gala.jpg)
Nine out of ten men at the MET Gala have the tendency to show up in a plain black tuxedo that they’ve picked up from the dry-cleaners because they have already worn it thousands of times. But not Ezra Miller. This eccentric actor showed up in a white cape, holding up a mask that looked like his face. Behold, once the two were gone, he was in a pinstripe, bedazzled black tuxedo with a really long train, and his face had seven eyes and bright red lips. Now, that’s camp. The entire idea was executed so well, I would say it was one of my favorite looks of the whole night. 10/10.
Jared Leto![](https://thesociallit.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/jared-leto-met-gala-2019-billboard-1548.jpg)
One would argue that Jared Leto likes doing things that would be considered insane, and I agree. The guy usually has an extravagant flair on red carpets, and it was the same at this year’s MET Gala too; when he showed up with an entire head. No,you’re not tripping, he is holding a model of his own head. Camp? Check. 9/10.
Michael Urie![](https://thesociallit.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Michael-Urie-at-Met-GAla.jpg)
Again, men take notes. Michael Urie wanted the best of both worlds, so he showed up an eccentric Christian Siriano piece that was half a tuxedo and half a party gown. The guy looked like a celebration and honestly, I’d party with him. I mean look at him, the makeup, the contrast, the dress; I love it. Totally one of the best dressed and according to the theme! 9/10.
Harry Styles![](https://thesociallit.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/harry-styles-met-gala-2019-billboard-1548.jpg)
The co-chair of this year’s gala and every teen’s heartthrob, who is known for wearing sparkly and edgy outfits while performing, turned up in what looked like a nightgown wedged into pants of the wrong size. I had expectations, but they were brutally shattered when he showed up in a sheer Gucci top and dress pants. Come on; we’ve seen this before. Also, I don’t think the painted nails, and the single earring makes up for this dull look. 5/10.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West![](https://thesociallit.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Kim-Kardashian-Kanye-West-Dance-Met-Gala-2019-Afterparty.jpg)
Kim, oh Kim; why did you turn up in a dress that looks like a greasy croissant? Socialite and celebrity, Kim Kardashian showed up at the MET Gala in a Mugler dress that made her look like she was wrapped in puff pastry and drenched in oil and fried; sorry am I describing a croissant? I don’t know what is going on here and Kanye looks like he was off to the gym or something, and Kim just dragged him along. 4/10.
Karlie Kloss and Joshua Kushner![](https://thesociallit.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/13174012-0-image-a-44_1557185280240.jpg)
One would expect people belonging to the fashion industry to at least show up in something that sticks to the theme, but nope. I don’t know if it is this poor model’s destiny or sheer bad luck, but she ends up in the blandest, most boring outfits at the MET Gala every year. The disappointing part is that Kloss is a supermodel who has worn the most whimsical and campy outfits on runways, but unfortunately, her golden Gucci dress is lackluster. Also, her husband in his dim black tuxedo here makes the entire look lack even more glamour. 4/10
James Charles![](https://thesociallit.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/D5_WglWUcAAMct2.jpg)
While I’ll never know how this Youtuber got invited to the MET Gala, I do know that his outfit doesn’t say ‘camp.’ This guy is a literal makeup artist, and all he did for the MET Gala was a smokey eye. James probably wears a smokey eye when he’s on a grocery run, and that’s what he decided to put on for the MET Gala? It seems like he puts more effort into his Instagram feed than he does for MET Gala. Also, the outfit, someone, please tell him that Coachella ended weeks ago. 3/10.
Hailey Baldwin-Bieber![](https://thesociallit.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Hailey-Baldwin-Met-Gala-2019-Lede.jpg)
Hailey here is giving Karlie Kloss fierce competition for who can show up in the most dreary dress. I don’t know if Alexander Wang hates her or if it’s just her luck, but this dress screams boring! The woman here looks like expired Hubba Bubba, no offense. 3/10.
Rami Malek![](https://thesociallit.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/rami-malek-lucy-boynton-met-gala-2019-social.jpg)
The Bohemian Rhapsody star turned up in an all-black tuxedo. One would argue that after portraying the eccentric star like Freddie Mercury (who, by the way, would’ve owned MET Gala if he was around), he would show up in something with a tiny bit of jazz at least. But no, the most exciting part of his outfit was probably the red shoes; nevermind I’m not even sure about that. 2/10.
Shawn Mendes![](https://thesociallit.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/maxresdefault-1-1.jpg)
Doesn’t he get bored of wearing the same two tuxedos at every event? Or was he on his way to Kids Choice Awards but got lost on the way? Okay, too harsh, but I am disappointed with how uncreative men are during the MET Gala. This event is literally a costume party and you show up in a jacket and dress pants? Sad. 2/10.
All right, I am sorry to end it here but these were some of the celebrities whose outfits made my mind tingle. Some more worth mentioning favorites would be Elle Fanning, Priyanka Chopra, Keiynan Lonsdale, Deepika Padukone, and Katy Perry.
Before you go, I’ll repeat it, this was meant to hurt no one; I am no fashion expert, and these were my honest and unfiltered thoughts.
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