What was the Met Gala theme 2019? This year’s ‘camp theme’ and its meaning explained

Celebrities stepped out in spectacular fashion to give their take on this year’s Met Gala theme, “Camp: Notes on Fashion.”

The annual fundraising event hosted by New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art brings together some of the most famous faces from the worlds of fashion, film, music and art.

The star-studded event, once dubbed “the party of the year,” was founded in 1948 by publicist Eleanor Lambert to encourage donations from New York’s high society for the Costume Institute.

Over the years, the Gala has seen some inventive themes, from Manus x Machina to Punk: Chaos and Couture.

It’s also not without its controversy – last year, the theme of “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination,” was described as “blasphemous” by the Catholic Church and the preceding year’s theme of “China: Through the Looking Glass” was accused of cultural appropriation.

Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s Met Gala theme:

What was this year’s Met Gala theme?

This year’s theme, “Camp: Notes on Fashion” was inspired by a 1964 essay by Susan Sontag titled ‘Notes on Camp,’ a work which is heralded for introducing the concept of ‘camp’ to the mainstream.

Andrew Bolton, curator of the Costume Institute who chose this year’s theme, said the notion of ‘camp’ has “become increasingly more mainstream in its pluralities –political camp, queer camp, pop camp, the conflation of high and low, the idea that there is no such thing as originality.”

He told the New York Times: “We are going through an extreme camp moment, and it felt very relevant to the cultural conversation to look at what is often dismissed as empty frivolity but can actually be a very sophisticated and powerful political tool, especially for marginalised cultures.”

How your favourite celebrities dressed it:

Lady Gaga

Not satisfied with just one, the A Star is Born actress unveiled a total of four outfits, ranging from a billowing Brandon Maxwell pink gown to crystal-adorned underwear.

Katy Perry

The singer came dressed as a chandelier and later surprised guests by transforming into a cheeseburger (yes, really).

Harry Styles

Dressed in all-black, it was Styles’ sheer Gucci shirt which garnered a lot of attention online.

Kim Kardashian

The KUWTK star debuted an interesting ‘wet-look’ on the red carpet, complete with a Thierry Mugler gown dripping in beads.

Kanye West

Adopting a more casual take on this year’s Met Gala theme, the rapper accompanied his wife wearing a $40 (£30) Dickies jacket.

Jared Leto

As if his long-sleeved, jewel-encrusted Gucci gown wasn’t dramatic enough, Leto turned things up a notch by carrying a wax-like replica of his own head. Yep, we’re speechless too – but also can’t stop looking.