CULTURE
HOW TO SHOP ‘CAMP’ BEFORE THE MET GALA
WORDS
by JEENA SHARMA
PHOTOGRAPHY
COURTESY of
THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
Put down your thinking caps. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute’s Spring 2019 exhibition theme has been announced. Camp: Notes on Fashion that is set to open May 9, 2019 running through September.
Built around Susan Sontag’s seminal 1964 essay “Notes on ‘Camp,” the exhibition will examine how fashion designers have used their métier as a vehicle to engage with camp in a myriad of compelling, humorous, and sometimes incongruous ways.
“Fashion is the most overt and enduring conduit of the camp aesthetic,” said Andrew Bolton, Wendy Yu Curator in Charge of The Costume Institute. "Effectively illustrating Sontag's Notes on 'Camp,' the exhibition will advance creative and critical dialogue about the ongoing and ever-evolving impact of camp on fashion."
The exhibition will be preceded by the coveted MET Gala, which will be co-chaired by Lady Gaga, Alessandro Michele, Harry Styles, Serena Williams, and Anna Wintour. The event is The Costume Institute's main source of annual funding for exhibitions, publications, acquisitions, and capital improvements.
“Camp's disruptive nature and subversion of modern aesthetic values has often been trivialized, but this exhibition will reveal its profound influence on both high art and popular culture,” said Max Hollein, Director of The Met. “By tracing its evolution and highlighting its defining elements, the show will embody the ironic sensibilities of this audacious style, challenge conventional understandings of beauty and taste, and establish the critical role this important genre has played in the history of art and fashion.”
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute presents Camp: Notes on Fashion
Ensemble by Virgil Abloh for Off-White, pre-fall 2018 (image courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photo © Johnny Dufort, 2018)
“Camp’s disruptive nature and subversion of modern aesthetic values has often been trivialized, but this exhibition will reveal its profound influence on both high art and popular culture”
– Max Hollein –
Franco Moschino for House of Moschino, spring/summer 1991 (image courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photo © Johnny Dufort, 2018)
Camp: Notes on Fashion, which was made possible by Gucci with additional support from Conde Nast, will be presented in The Met Fifth Avenue’s Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Exhibition Hall, and explore the origins of the camp aesthetic and how it has evolved from a place of marginality to become an important influence on mainstream culture.
But what exactly is ‘Camp’ and how do you shop it?
According to Sontag, Camp finds its origins in the unnatural and exaggerated.
Not to be confused with “kitsch” or anything garish, Camp is much more abstracted and nuanced. But that can be understandably confusing for those hoping to nail the style before the Met Gala next year.
To help you begin and narrow down your search, we've curated a list of definite camp-y essentials.
SHOP CAMP LOOKS
MSGM
vinyl dress
This black vinyl dress from MSGM features a halter neck that continues as a bow on a deep V back, short sleeves and a cinched waist to a pleated skirt with an over the knee length.
–
$840
Yohji Yamamoto
female print wool blend trench coat
This red female print wool blend trench coat from Yohji Yamamoto features a classic collar, epaulettes on the shoulders, long sleeves, an off-centre front button fastening and a belted waist..
–
$5,170
Burberry
Graffiti Archive Scarf Print Silk Wool Shift Dress
Make a statement this AW18 in this white, black and brown cotton coat that features a leopard print, a faux fur design, side pockets and long sleeves.
–
$1,883
Attico
puff sleeve dress
Pink and white puff sleeve dress from Attico featuring a sweetheart neckline, a bow on the front, a strapless design, a short length, a concealed rear zip fastening and long puff sleeves. –
$766
Kenzo
leopard print faux-fur coat
A shift dress in fine-spun silk wool spliced together from graffiti and Burberry archive scarf prints.
–
$1,883
Paul Smith
Dreamer print shirt
This multicoloured cotton Dreamer print shirt from Paul Smith features a pointed collar, a front button fastening, long sleeves, button cuffs, a straight fit and an artistic 'Dreamer' print to the front
–
$374
Gosha Rubchinskiy
camouflage padded coat
Crafted in Japan with technical fabric, this coat features a detachable faux-fur trimmed hood, a multicoloured patchwork print, a button & zip fastening, long sleeves, a mid-length and multiple pockets to keep your essentials safe.
–
$2,565
Preen by Thornton Bregazzi
contrast floral midi dress
Multicoloured lambs wool contrast floral midi dress from Preen By Thornton Bregazzi featuring a round neck, short sleeves, a floral print, a fitted waist, a mid-length and a flared style
–
$1,884
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