We've waited an entire year, but the Met Gala has finally arrived once again. This year's theme, Camp: Notes on Fashion, is one for the books, but it also has even the most astute fashion freaks slightly confused. Andrew Bolton, the curator of the Costume Institute, took inspiration from Susan Sontag's Notes on "Camp" essay in which she explained the meaning of the word via 58 detailed definitions, one of which was the "love of the unnatural: of artifice and exaggeration." If you didn't quite grasp the theme the first (or fifth) time someone tried to explain it to you, hopefully, that fun fact will have you feeling a little better about yourself.
When I think of camp, I think of something—a dress, shoe, earring, or headpiece—so extravagant, it walks the line of being tacky but doesn't cross it. It's exaggerated in every sense of the word—it's avant-garde, it's pop culture, it's fabulous. This year's co-chairs—Lady Gaga; Alessandro Michelle, creative director of Gucci; Harry Styles; and Serena Williams—could not embody the true aesthetic of the theme more, and we can't wait to see what each will wear tomorrow on the red carpet.
In an effort to ensure you can boldly talk about this year's Met Gala theme tomorrow with the utmost confidence, we tapped Celenie Seidel, the senior womenswear editor at Farfetch, for a handful of trends we can expect to see all over the red carpet. Since the word "camp," by definition can be quite elusive, we figured breaking it down via concrete trends will help to paint the theme in a better light. Ahead, read up on the five trends Seidel is predicting we will see tomorrow and shop some pieces inspired by each.
Fun, Fun, Fun
"This year’s Met Gala theme invites a particularly audacious aesthetic—it will honor an important, progressive culture that challenges convention and celebrates exuberance.”
Shop the trend:
Over-the-Top Footwear
"Eye-catching at towering heights: the footwear on the red carpet will terrify podiatrists and thrill spectators.”
Shop the trend:
Big Dress Energy
"This year BDE has been reclaimed by the Big Dress Energy movement, and the Met Gala is the perfect arena for scaling up: Guests may be competing for floor space on the red carpet!”
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Lobe Drama
"Lobe drama is bound to be a thing—the bigger and more extreme, the better.”
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'80s Glamour
"There will be no shortage of glamour at this year’s gala, including many impressive archive pieces. With the industry currently reliving a strong '80s moment, I’m sure we’ll be seeing no shortage of flashback glamour.”
Shop the trend:
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