Camp: Notes on Fashion   

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_Jeremy Scott for House of Moschino, Budweiser cape and McDonald’s ensemble (autumn/winter 2014–15)_

These pieces prove that camp often merges with irony, humor and parody.

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_Thom Browne, wedding ensemble (spring/summer 2018)_

The exhibit’s “Gender Without Genitals” section includes a men’s tuxedo with a white draped skirt, evoking a modern dandy look.

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_Jeremy Scott, “prosciutto” dress (spring/summer 2011); Christian Lacroix, dress (late 1990s)_

Scott’s dress represents how camp made its way onto contemporary runways, while Lacroix’s piece reflects a milder form of the camp aesthetic.

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_Burberry, rainbow-colored synthetic shearling cape (autumn/winter 2018–19)_

This cape combines high fashion with bright colors and patterns that show off camp’s playfulness.

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_Erdem Moralioglu, silk taffeta dresses (2019)_

These ruffled pieces pay homage to “sisters” Fanny (Frederic Park) and Stella (Ernest Boulton), two Victorian drag dressers who were arrested in 1870—and acquitted the following year—for unlawful sexual relations.

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_Andy Warhol,_ Tomato from Campbell’s Soup I _(1968); Campbell’s Soup Company, “Souper” dress (1966­–67)_

Pop art, mass production and fashion meet in Warhol’s paper shift.

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_Jeremy Scott for House of Moschino, synthetic dress (spring/summer 2018)_

Made with purple ostrich feathers and paper butterflies, this dress epitomizes deliberate camp.

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_Vivienne Westwood, ensemble (1987–88); John Galliano, ensemble (1984/2018)_ 

Galliano mixes tailored men’s clothing with exaggerated accessories to blur the lines of traditionally gendered fashions; Westwood exaggerates femininity.

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_Marjan Pejoski, dress (autumn/winter 2000–2001)_

The so-called swan dress was made famous in 2001 when Björk wore it to the Oscars. It also evokes the ballet _Swan Lake,_ which Sontag calls part of the “canon of camp” in her essay.

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_Michael Travis, ensemble (1982)_

Once worn by Liberace, this white tailored jacket is embroidered with thousands of beads, pearls and crystals.

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_Manish Arora, carousel dress (spring/summer 2009)_

This piece combines defining elements of camp: extravagance, contrivance and playfulness.

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_Undercover, ensemble (spring/summer 2018); Walter Van Beirendonck, ensemble (autumn/winter 2001–2); Comme des Garçons, coat (spring/summer 2018)_

Part of the exhibit’s “A Second Childhood” section, the blue Undercover dresses evoke the horror film _The Shining_, while the pantsuit and frock nod to camp’s childlike side.

The Met Costume Institute’s exhibition explores the origins of camp. 

Camp: Notes on Fashion

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