NEW YORK—The first Monday in May has come and gone, and there was no shortage of noteworthy looks from this year’s Met Gala, which was to be expected. This year’s theme was Camp: Notes on Fashion, inspired by Susan Sontag’s pivotal 1964 essay “Notes on Camp,” in which Sontag meditates on the definition of “camp” style—what it looks like, what it means and why. While most of the looks revolved around over the top headwear and so-gaudy-it’s-good dresses, a select few attendees and designers amped up the camp with their eyewear looks, showing off bedazzled frames, or optical designs on their clothes. Here’s a roundup of some of Vision Monday’s favorites this year.
First on the pink carpet was the eternally camp Lady Gaga, a co-chair of this year’s event, who donned four different outfits along her walk. One of those changes included an oversized pair of Linda Farrow black sunglasses, dotted around the rim with rhinestones. Paired with a massive phone, a bubblegum pink dress, and a team of men doing her makeup, Gaga showed everyone how to make frames camp—all while making it look easy.
Alongside Gaga, musician Anderson .Paak, a constant connoisseur of great frames, was a front-runner in a Gucci ensemble, which included bedazzled glasses; Hamish Bowles, Vogue’s international editor at large matched his frames to his artistic feathered cape, crystal tiara and freshly dyed hair; and Grammy winning musician Kacey Musgraves came decked out in Moschino and dressed as Barbie—including a pair of bright pink cat eye sunglasses.
But it wasn’t just frames that stole the spotlight on the pink carpet this year. The eye was a central motif in actress and musician Janelle Monáe’s dress, and Christian Siriano, who designed her look, also stepped out Monday night in a T-shirt covered in bright white eyeballs. Siriano, a Transitions brand ambassador who spoke at Vision Expo West in 2018, is no stranger to incorporating optical looks into his stunning designs.
And for Ezra Miller, the eyes were the main attraction. The actor/musician stepped out with five additional hyper-realistic eyes painted on his face, turning himself into a walking optical illusion. The effect was disorienting—and perfectly camp.
Anderson .Paak made his frames the centerpiece of his look.
Met Gala co-chair Lady Gaga opened the pink carpet in a showstopping pair of Linda Farrow sunglasses.
Hamish Bowles went full camp in a cape that he matched to his round frames.
Kacey Musgraves in Moschino—including a timeless pair of cat eye frames.
Janelle Monáe in a Christian Siriano designed dress on the pink carpet at the Met Gala. The eye blinks!
Designer Christian Siriano and Janelle Monáe leave the Met Gala in their optical themed looks.
Ezra Miller and his seven eyes created an optical illusion that became one of the biggest talking points of the night.