Unless you have been living under a rock, you know the 2019 Met Gala has just occurred. The first Monday of May is a big deal for everyone. Not only do celebrities get to play dress-up with million dollar outfits, but the general public gets to look on and judge the costumes from our couch in our sweatpants. Fun for everyone!
Now, if you are like me and had no idea what this event is actually supposed to be, let me fill you in. The Met Gala is an invite-only annual gala held every year as a fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. According toBusiness Insider, "For $30,000 a ticket, those who passed Wintour's approval can attend the $3.5 million event. Tables go for $275,000 to $500,000. They cost even more if they're paid for by sponsors." Though this event costs millions of dollars to put on, it has no problem making back up to five times the amount of money put into it, especially not with these prices. The Met Gala also has a theme every year, although not all celebrities choose to follow it. This year's theme was "Camp: Notes on Fashion," based on "Notes on Camp," an essay by Susan Sontag. And no, we aren't talking summer camps here. We're talking the most extra, gender-role breaking, loud, outfits but making them tasteful.
This year, the Met Gala had four co-chairs to join Anna Wintour, all of which are essential to the fashion industry in their own way. Lady Gaga, Serena William, Alessandro Michele, and Harry Styles joined forces to create one of the biggest Met Galas in history of the event. And it was insane. Instead of the traditional red carpet, there was a pink carpet lined by perfectly designed bushes interwoven with pink flowers that perfectly matched the carpet. At the top of the infamous Met staircase, there was a giant flamingo centerpiece also surrounded by thousands of pink flowers.
Harry Styles made an entrance with Gucci's creative director and fellow co-chair, Alessandro Michele, and it was immediately breathtaking. Alessandro was dressed in a loud pink jumpsuit, complete with ruffles, gaudy jewelry, matching shoes, painted nails, and a silver headpiece. He was absolutely stunning, and we expected nothing less. Walking side-by-side, Harry complimented him perfectly. Although he dressed in all black, which I can undoubtedly say none of us saw coming, his outfit was also complete with sheer fabric, ruffles, lace, high-waisted pants, heeled boots, a dangle earring, gaudy rings, and painted nails. While much of the fandom was expecting Harry's outfit to be a bit louder and a bit extra, they were still sent into a complete meltdown at how little Harry cares for gender roles, as he has shown us time and time again.
While at first, some people were quick to call this outfit boring or under-dressed, the campiness of it is in the details. Harry Lambert, Harry Styles' long-time stylist and friend, told Vogue, "I think everyone was expecting Harry to be in sequins, bright colors, and a crown, but we decided on a different type of 'camp' that hopefully would surprise. After such a colorful tour wardrobe it is nice to do something a little unexpected. This look is about taking traditionally feminine elements like the frills, heeled boots, sheer fabric, and the pearl earring, but then rephrasing them as masculine pieces set against the high-waisted tailored trousers and his tattoos. The look, I feel, is elegant. It's camp, but still Harry."
With Styles' look, we can see just how much the two Harry's (Harry, squared?) studied the camp aesthetic and carefully brought it to life in a look that Harry Styles would still be comfortable wearing. Harry even pierced his ear specifically for the event. I mean, come on, talk about dedication. Harry has been a tremendous influence in blurring the lines between men and women's fashion, in his partnerships with Gucci and otherwise, and the Met was no exception. No one could have pulled this off better than Harry Styles, and I could not be more proud.