Met Gala 2019: How Latina Celebs Did “Camp” Fashion
The definition of camp isn’t a night out in the woods
Photo: Unsplash/@vinetlouispictures
The definition of camp isn’t a night out in the woods. Well, that’s one of its meanings. But at last night’s Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, the A-listers came out in full force, and we got to see who understood the true definition of camp.
First, here’s a little refresher. Each year, the Met and Vogue host an elaborate gala that is in conjunction with the museum’s fashion exhibit. This year the Costume Institute’s spring 2019 exhibition is “Camp: Notes on Fashion” — on view from May 9 through September 8, 2019 —and the Met Gala always has a theme that ties into the exhibit, so, naturally, it was camp. But what does that mean exactly? In essence, it is a form of “deliberately exaggerated and theatrical behavior or style.” Camp is over the top, tacky, and hilarious, but did Hollywood understand that on the red carpet? Some did and some did not.
Let’s take a look at the Latinas who understand the term camp, and who flat out took the boring route.
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Camp favorite, Jennifer Lopez
Over the top? Check! Tacky? That would depend on how you look at it.
J.Lo, accompanied by her date A.Rod (he definitely took the boring route), took a page from the best of Cher with her shimmering headpiece. According to E! Lopez wore a 129.48 carat Harry Winston purple sapphire and diamond necklace. The Vegas-style gown was of course, Versace.
E! also reports that Rodiguez wore a lilac tuxedo jacket and that he too was dripping in Harry Winston jewels, including an 18-carat white gold timepiece and diamond shirt studs. Still, that doesn’t necessarily fall under the category of camp, so there’s no point in showing it. Sorry, A.Rod!
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Thalia gets camp no doubt.
You might think Thalia is pulling off a full-on glam look, but this get-up is out of this world. And the beehive? Genius! People compared her look to that of Judy Jetson (yes, the spacey/retro cartoon). We are beyond thrilled that our favorite novela star used her old glam tactics for her camp outfit. What else do you expect from Mari Mar?
According to her Instagram page, Thalia wore Tommy Hilfiger. “There is no doubt that this year’s #MetGala was a colorful and grandiose one because of its #camp theme. Here are some photos from this fun evening! Thanks to @thomasjhilfiger and his design team for my stunning dress that I loved so much! @tommyhilfiger #metcamp #NewYork #NewYorkCity #fashion #moda.”
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Oh, Lupita!
Lupita Nyong’o is strutting down the mermaid parade, and we love it.
Just like J.Lo, the Us actress wore Versace for her camp theme and did not disappoint. From her butterfly-like sleeves to her starry patterned dress, Nyong’o’s look took camp to a whole new level. We actually thought that Nyong’o would have worn a red jumpsuit just like her role in Jordan Peele’s Us. Sure it would have been freaky as hell, but it would have been quite a scene.
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Cardi B or velvet cake?
One of the last to hit the red carpet was Ms. Cardi B, and you can’t blame her. How did she even walk in that San Marcos blanket? We don’t really know.
Okay, in all seriousness, Cardi wore one of our favorite designers, Thom Browne. Never in a million years would we have ever thought that Cardi B would walk the red-carpet in Thom Browne. It’s not because we don’t think she’s classy enough, but Thom Brown is so avant-garde that we never expected Cardi to go that route. But now that she has, it fits her so well.
Cardi posted on her Instagram, “Met Gala 2019 @thombrowneny Nipples by @steferejewelry And a huge thanks to my stylist @kollincarter and the rest of my Met Glam team @v.msmith @tressesxsandrine @erika_lapearl_mua @nailson7th @kelleybakerbrows.”
Wait a minute, what does she mean by nipples?!
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The Gladiator
Salma Hayek is on the borderline of boring. While we do like her gladiator look, her fluffy sleeves, and the gold crown, she could have done more. The actress and activist wore Alessandro Michele — who also dressed Jared Leto in that insane (but cool) Game Of Thrones-style gown, with matching head.
We suppose we though Hayek would step it up a notch considering her husband, François-Henri Pinault, owns the most luxurious brands. Surely, they could have come up with something more out-of-the-box.
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The Disco Queen
Zoe Saldana is pulling off a great Donna Summer look here, but we wouldn’t say it’s humorous, would you? The actress wore Michael Kors and according to her Instagram, we think she should have worn the original wig she wore in the fitting room. That look would have been so much campier. She would have looked like David Bowie instead of Donna Summer. Why must people go for the safe bet? We expected Hollywood to be a little riskier.
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Camp disgrace
We get it, Gisele. You and your husband are gorgeous but lighten up already and think outside your beautiful box. Every single year the supermodel shows up with NFL king Tom Brady looking the prom royalty and they never dress in the theme of the gala. Why even show up if you’re not going to dress in the theme? This is the fashion moment of the year where people can truly shine, and here is Gisele looking beautiful as usual but pretty basic considering the theme.
“Yes, fashion can be beautiful and sustainable,” she said on Instagram. “Thank you Maria Grazia Chiuri and the entire @dior team for making my sustainable dress.” Sustainable okay, but camp? Yea, definitely not!
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Porque, Penelope?
Frankly, we expected more from Penelope Cruz. There’s simply nothing camp about this outfit. Mrs. Javier Bardem wore Chanel and looked just like Audrey Hepburn. This is probably our saddest look of all, only because we love Penelope so much. We expect basic looks from Gisele and other models, but not from the Spanish queen. The whole point of camp is to see an exaggerated version of yourself, and we see nothing exaggerated about this poised look from Penelope. Sorry, next!
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Mal Maluma
The boy looks fine; we get that. We also understand that his suit was trying to be a little outrageous; the problem is we can still see his face. He is too damn beautiful to be tacky.
We should add that this is Maluma’s first time at the Met Gala, and for that alone we will give him a pass. He may not have been camp, but he sure was stacked. Maluma wore Moschino to the event, which is the designer that a lot of stars wore to the gala, so he is in good company. At least he knows for next time that he can go above and beyond at the Met.
Which were your favorite looks? Let us know in the comment section below!
