Feathers - And Lots Of Them - Were the Ultimate Look at The Met Gala
From Cardi B to Kylie and Kendall Jenner, everyone was enjoying a touch of brightly coloured plumage
7 May 2019
Liberace and Elton John are both icons of camp, and no doubt a lot of celebrities at this year’s Met Gala took inspiration from them and their irreverent styles, and loves of colour, pattern and feathers.
The annual event falls on the first Monday of May to raise money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. This year, the theme was Camp: Notes On Fashion, inspired by an essay by Susan Sontag. She once explained: “The essence of Camp is its love of the unnatural: Of artifice and exaggeration.”
Feathers fit right into this description, but we’re not talking elegant ostrich feathers – glitzy Technicolor plumage is much more appropriate.
Presumably the steps of the Met this morning are laden with purple and orange feathers, fallen loose from gowns, and here are just some of the famous faces who might be responsible…
Kendall and Kylie Jenner
Sisters Kendall and Kylie both wore Versace, twinning in feathery ensembles. Kylie matched her lavender naked dress with her wig, and Kendall opted for a fiery orange, complete with towering plumage.
They soon become the subject of much buzz on social media, with people wondering who the sisters reminded them of. Some said the duo from the movie White Chicks – and you can tell you’ve successfully nailed a camp theme if you instantly become a meme.
Gigi Hadid
Model Gigi Hadid opted for a Michael Kors catsuit which gave off ice queen vibes in white, gold and silver.
The overall ensemble was appropriately OTT, with a matching headpiece and long feathery coat. The white feathers on her eyelashes tied in the look perfectly.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas
Priyanka Chopra Jonas wore a Dior corset dress, and proved the feathers in your outfit don’t necessarily have to adhere to a traditional colour scheme. Hers came in greys, light greens, pinks, yellows and reds, and the ethereal look was topped off with grey eyebrows, hair teased to look feathery itself, and a crown – because of course.
Cardi B
A major element of camp is how self-referential it is, and how it doesn’t take fashion too seriously. Cardi B nailed this brief by evoking an image of one of the most-meme’d outfits of recent Met Gala history – Rihanna’s yellow dress with the huge circular train.
Instead of yellow, Cardi wore a maroon Thom Browne gown with a similar train, which she knew exactly how to position on the iconic Met steps – with the help of five men.
According to Vogue, the gown was made from tulle and silk organza, was filled with down and decorated with 30,000 feathers. In total, it took 35 people more than 2,000 hours to make.
Yara Shahidi
Trailing capes obviously go well with the camp theme, because actor Yara Shahidi also deployed one. She wore a custom Prada mini suit covered in Swarovski crystals, but the look was really set off by the black ostrich duster coat she artfully dragged behind her.
Amber Valletta
Supermodel Amber Valletta’s outfit was basically the real life version of “swipe for a surprise”. She first appeared on the pink carpet in a giant, acid-green feathery coat, with her long legs seemingly going on for miles.
Then whipped off the fluffy coat to reveal a black bodysuit with Dynasty-style shoulders and not much else. Valletta is a long-time face of Saint Laurent, so it’s no surprise the outfit comes from the French fashion brand.
