Met Gala 2019

First and foremost, let me say that I’m totally fan-girling over this year’s red carpet.. like waaay worse than usual! I'm usually able to identify my favorite looks immediately, but here we are more than 24 hours later and I’m still overwhelmed, still blowing up my Instagram stories, as I discover new looks. Sorry, not sorry. Look after look after look after look! Oh honey, and the drama! I loved that mostly everyone let their hair down, even The Anna Wintour. While her style is always impeccable, it’s far from fussy. So, to see her in a bedazzled gown with fur draped over it, I died. This year wasn’t solely about the fashion, it was also about what the invitees did to take their looks to the next level, to undoubtedly make it Camp.

The MET Gala is an annual fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in Manhattan, New York. The theme each year ties into their upcoming fashion exhibit for the year. Originally, the event was held at various venues, but it’s now hosted at the museum annually. Many well-known designers sponsor celebrities, in hopes of publicizing their brand and it’s creative design capabilities. It’s a form of advertising, which is why they don’t seem to mind funding the celebrity looks themselves. Gucci sponsored this year’s event and it’s after party.

This year’s theme “Camp: Notes in Fashion” payed homage to Susan Sontag’s first major body of work, “Notes on ‘Camp’,” an essay written in 1964. In an excerpt from the piece she states, “The whole point of Camp is to dethrone the serious. Camp is playful, anti-serious. More precisely, Camp involves a new, more complex relation to ‘the serious.’ One can be serious about the frivolous, frivolous about the serious.” Many seemed to think this year’s theme was elusive, however, it was no different than any other year—you interpret the theme how you want and make it your own.

Goo Goo for Gaga

Without this year’s Camp theme, there'd be no Lady Gaga opening up the red carpet with such a captivating show. Her on-brand performance would’ve otherwise been too over the top for the event. I was already freaking out when I saw her hot pink dress train double as a parachute. Then, she went back down the stairs to reveal a second look, a beautiful black gown. The gown then transformed into a fitted hot pink gown. So, needless to say, by the time we were on look number four, her revealing black two-piece set left my edges completely snatched! We honestly could’ve turned off our TVs and carried on. Brandon Maxwell made history and only needed to dress one boss babe to do so—Mother Monster. I was a huge fan of The Fame Monster and what she was serving last night was reminiscent of those times. I may recreate her blonde hair bow for a birthday look. I've been wanting to do it for like a decade.

Dapper Hour

It was a huge night for Dapper Dan as he had a number of custom looks debut on the red carpet. The legend was given his own table at the star-studded event. Stars showed up in their custom Dapper Dan Gucci designs, however, he was just continuing what he had already been doing for decades. I watched live coverage of the carpet on E! and it was amazing to see him continually get the credit he deserves. And, unless you’re new here, you know how I feel about my man Dan, which I briefly discuss in ‘Diversity in Fashion.’

While I do love Ashley Graham's and Karlie Kloss' look, it didn't embody the theme enough for me—which is most important on a night like this.

To make it easier to sift through the fabulousness, I grouped the looks that I loved using various categories! Please share your favorite looks in the comments; I'd love to know what you thought was to-die for!

Hi, Hair

So, so much representation for our kind. I've been watching these red carpets for YEARS and we have NEVER served like this. Not at this volume.

Princess/Fairy/Mermaid Realness

Cardi B stunned, but Rihanna did something similar to this already, in yellow.

True Statement Pieces

While I don't necessarily care for Ru Paul's outfit—the fit should've been slimmer—it's very Camp and he's been a trailblazer for his community. In my opinion, he should've been more involved in the event, as a co-chair even.