The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute benefit, where celebrities dress up in extravagant outfits to have dinner at the Met but do not burglarize it, is tonight. Known colloquially as the Met Gala, it’s like an awards show without the awards — pure, unadulterated red carpet. This year, the theme is camp. It’s a slippery thing to define! The dress code: “studied triviality.” Expect the unexpected.
- The first unexpected thing was the number of outfits Lady Gaga wore on the red carpet. (Four.)
- The second was Billy Porter, the “Pose” actor, wearing a golden bodysuit and wings in a tribute to one of the looks from the 1975 Diana Ross film “Mahogany.” (The film was suggested as inspiration by Ryan Murphy, who suggested that Mr. Porter, too, wear multiple looks. But the actor didn’t “want to work that hard.”)
- Mr. Murphy himself wore a 100-pound outfit inspired by Liberace. “Once you’re strapped in there’s no getting out of it,” he said. “But it’s really, really fun.”
- Celine Dion showed up to exhibit the joy of living!
- So did Tiffany Haddish. “When I was broke I used to buy knockoff Michael Kors handbags,” she said. “Now I am here several years later wearing Michael Kors for me. Designed for me!” Thank you, Tiffany Haddish.
- Gemma Chan said she “came in right behind Kim and Kanye so that was intense.”
- Katy Perry came as a chandelier. Her headpiece weighs 40 pounds. Asked how she would sit down, she rolled her eyes. “You don’t sit down at the Met,” she said. She began singing Sia’s 2014 hit song, “Chandelier” as she walked away.
- Lizzo rolled in, spun around and started happily cursing, spreading joy through expletives. “A silk dress that fits my breasts like butter,” she said, cursing. “Pink hair don’t care. And diamonds,” she said, cursing.
- Awkwafina, Dapper Dan and Celine Dion have been especially chatty with the red carpet reporters. Frank Ocean, not so much. He raced up the stairs, pausing only for a moment to take a picture with a camera (not an iPhone camera).
Anna Wintour, wearing the last Chanel dress that Karl Lagerfeld designed for her, was asked what camp means. “Having fun!” she said.
Content Courtesy Of New York Times & Nairobi Fashion Hub