We at Mary Jane Denzer recently had an opportunity to view The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute’s 2019 show, “Camp: Notes on Fashion.” And while the new exhibit is characterized by much funky couture, there is plenty for the MJD client to love.
That’s because “Camp” – which takes its title and inspiration from Susan Sontag’s influential 1964 essay “Notes on ‘Camp’” – defines its subject so broadly (as paramount style laced with humor and artfulness) that the clothing and accessories in it range from the playfully quirky to the eminently, elegantly wearable. A case in point is a strapless Yves Saint Laurent gown from his autumn/winter 1983-84 collection that features a columnar black skirt, slightly slit; and a hot pink ruched bodice that’s all tied up in a matching bow in the back. Talk about a knockout fashion statement.
But there’s more: Jean Paul Gaultier’s strapless emerald green mermaid gown, with its winged neckline, creates a curvaceous silhouette, as does Jeremy Scott’s shimmering scallop-patterned salmon dress from his spring/summer 2011 collection. Bob Mackie’s 2008 mesh gown, defined by sequined leaves, echoes aspects of Neil Bieff’s shapely, textured gowns in our collection and the peekaboo knit dresses by Italian designer Alessandra Vicedomini, a new addition to MJD whom you’ll be reading more about in our June post.
Cristobal Balenciaga’s tiered, feathery pink gown for decorative arts collector Jayne Wrightsman during the 1965-66 season offers the sine qua non in ladylike appeal, while a Fendi ensemble and dress by Karl Lagerfeld from its autumn/winter 2016-17 collection makes unusual use of pattern with its subtle evocation of medieval manuscripts and tapestries.
But as one fashion editor noted, you needn’t go full-camp. Heatherette’s short, triangular Hello Kitty-patterned dress (original design, 2013-14) not for you? Perhaps you might accent a cocktail dress or an evening gown with a Hello Kitty rhinestone bracelet. Or go Audrey Hepburn with a Gucci head scarf, pearl choker and rhinestone-dotted sunglasses, as displayed on a mannequin head in a vitrine in the stunning final gallery, which explodes with a profusion of black-framed display windows offsetting bold colors and patterns.
If you caught any of the exhibit’s May 6 kickoff gala extravaganza, https://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2019/05/06/style/met-gala-photos/s/met-gala-nina-2405-regina-king.html then you know that the ensembles that succeeded best on the red carpet were those in which the stars shone but not too brightly. Co-chair and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour was a vision of spring in a floral-studded columnar gown – topped by a matching pink-feathered jacket – by Lagerfeld for Chanel, the last gown he created for her before his death. Katie Holmes reigned in purple in form-fitting Zac Posen with a fan-shaped train and feathery choker neckline. Regina King scintillated in metallic Oscar de la Renta with a huge gold ruffle on its one shoulder.
What the exhibit and the gala fashions both demonstrate is that camp is like spice: A little goes a long way.
“Camp” runs through Sept. 9. For tickets, go to metmuseum.org.