The aesthetic of “Camp” comes from the French “Se Camper” or “to flaunt”. The first use of the word and aesthetic was introduced 1671 during the play ” The Impostures of Scapin”. In this comedy a servant it told to “camp it up” and ‘strut around like a drama queen”. “Se camper” not only alludes to being overly dramatic or extravagant but also to a pose that derives from a man standing with his hand on his hip. This type of pose originally represented power and relaxation, until the Renaissance where it also became associated with homosexuality. Through the 1700 the word camp became used in the crossdressing community, mainly as a code word of a sort to describe noblemen who dressed as women, and later on in the 1800’s -1900’s to describe men in England who became famous for dressing as women. Although arrested or worse, many men who were “camp” did go out in public dressed as women. Two in particular Fredrik Park and Ernest Boulton created a small touring theatrical company in the1800’s and played the characters Franny and Stella. Click on picture to enlarge.
- Akimbo Pose
- Vivienne Westwood
- House of Chanel
- Gaultier Paris
- Erdem inspired by Fanny and Stella
- William Dill-Russell inspired by Fanny and Stella
Author Oscar Wilde was also connected to the camp community. This affiliation was used against him when he tried to file a lawsuit against the father of his lover, Lord Alfred . Throughout his life his relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas is well documented and so were his instructions to actors in his plays to wear symbolisms of camp culture. Both were used as evidence in the trial against him for “gross indecency” in the 1800’s. He was sentence to two years of hard labor in prison. The popularity of the trial and his sentence made Wilde a martyr and cemented the overlapping of camp culture with homosexuality.
- Gucci inspired by Oscar Wilde
- Alexander McQueen inspired by Wilde
- Gucci inspired by Wilde
- YSL inspired by Wilde
Isherwoodian Camp:
In 1954 author Christopher Isherwood wrote “The World in the Evening”. Which basaclly broke down camp into high camp and low camp. High camp being one of a man who partakes in sophisticated activites and low camp being a boy in a feather boa. To him high camp was seriousness, expressed in fun, artifice and elegance.

Jean Paul Gaultier
Sontagian Camp:
In the Fall of 1964 Susan Sontag wrote “Notes on Camp” in the Partisan Review. She was the first to approach camp and study it as a subject in society that leveled the playing field and offered indifference between high art, pop culture and cultural hierarchies. Her notes pushed camp into mainstream society. In her notes on camp she mentions the following items, which could all be found at the Met.
- Camp Notes by Susan Sontag
- Elsa Schiaparelli
- Balenciaga
- Dior dress and Dali painting
- Tiffany Lamp
- Edgar Degas painting
She also wrote the differences on naïve camp and delibrate camp, which in part agrees with Isherwoodian camp. Naïve camp is being unintentional while deliberate camp is being calculated and manufacturesd. The fashion showed in this section are examples of niave and delibrate camp next to one another.
- Salvatore Ferragamo Sandal and Gucci shoe
- R: Paul Poiret,L: Mary Katrantzou
- R: Moschino, L: Balenciaga
- R: Lanvin- Castillo, R: Viktor &Rolf
- L: Balenciaga R: Thierry Mugler
- R: YSL, L: Moschino
Camp Eye: During this part of the exhibition, camp is featured in a louder and bolder light as it became more acceptable in society. The fashion showcased here are categorized under 18 statements that talk about key aspects of camp, or what camp means to the designers showcased. I won’t list all the statements, but I found this one by Susan Sontang to be the most direct. “Camp is not a natural mode of sensibility, if there be any such. Indeed the essence of Camp is its love of the unnatural: of artifice and exaggeration.”
- Marc Jacobs, Blindness, Palomo Spain
- Thom Browne, Knize, Thome Browne
- Thierry Mugler
- Wild and Lethal Trash, Jeremy Scott, Jean Paul Gaultier,
- All: Christopher Kane
- Walter Van Beirensonck and Vivienne Westwood
- Both House of Moschino
- Burberry
- Viktior Rolf and YSL
- Ashish and Romance was Born
- Gucci and House of Moschino
- Both: Maison Margiela
- Molly Goddard
- Giambattista Valli
- House of Dior
- House of Moschino, Vivienne Westwood
- Zandra Rhodes
- Vivienne Westwood and John Galliano
- All: Gucci
- Versace and Chanel
- Both: House of Moschino A/W 2014-15
- Left to Right: Gucci S/S 2016 Yves Saint Laurent S/S 1969 Haute Couture
- Left and Middle: House of Balenciaga A/W 2016-17 Right:Richard Quinn A/W 2018/19
- John Galliano S/S 2001
- House of Moschino handbag A/W 2000-01
- Karl Lagerfeld for Chloe 1983-84 Necklace and earrings
- Deirdre Hawken “Cauliflower” Headpiece 2013
- Pam Hogg headpiece S/S 2019
- Authentic Brazilian Turban 1940 from Rio de Janeiro State Government
- Pam Hogg Headpiece, S/S 2019
- Jean Paul Gaultier, Black Human Hair Top Hat A/W 2006-07
- Else Schiaparelli ‘Shocking” perfume bottle 1937
- John Galliano Headpiece S/S 2005
- Philip Treacy “Smiley Face” Headpiece s/S 2013
- House of Schiaparelli Headpiece A/W 2018-19
- Left to Right: Marry Katrantzou s/s 2019, Vaquera A/W 2017-18, Mary Karrantzou s/s 2019
- Left to Right: Gareth Pugh S/S 2016, Jeremy Scott money motif dress A/W 2001-02
- Left to Right: Gianni Versace S/S 1992, House of Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld A/W 1991-92
- Celine by Phoebe Philo S/S 2013
- Gucci by Alessandro Michele A/W 2015-16
- Louis Vuitton by Nicolas Ghesquiere A/W 2018-19
- Gucci by Alessandro Michele pre-fall 2019
- House of Moschino by Jeremy Scott A/W 2017-18
- Pan Hogg headpiece S/S 2019
- Midnightoo by Ada Kokosar, “Marie Antoinette” Mules A/W/ 2018-19
- Giles Deacon & Stephen Jones Headpiece S/S 2012
- Maison Margiela 1995
- House of Balenciaga S/S 2018
- Left to Right: House of Givency, Marjan Djodjov, House of Moschino, Marc Jacobs and Philip Treacy hat
- House of Dior by John Galliano S/S 2001 Haute Couture.
- Anna Sui S/S 1994
- Both: Undercover S/S 2018
- Right: Comme Des Garcons S/S 2018. Left: Walter Van Beireendonck A/W 2001-02
- Left to Right: Edda S/S 2017, Heatherette 2019,Hello Kitty Dolls, Jean-Charles De Castelbajac fur bear jacket ,1988
- Christian Francis Roth S/S 1997
- Manish Arora S/S 2009
- Tomo Koizumi S/S 2019/20
- Tomo Koizumi A/W 2019/20
- House of Moschino S/S 1998
- Michael Travis 1982
- Viktor & Rolf S/S 2019 Haute Couture
- Off-White pre-fall 2018
- Bob Mackie 2008
- Left to right: Thom Browne S/S 2017. Gucci A/W 2016-17,Thom Browne S/S 17
- Left and Middle : Karl Lagerfeld for Chloe S/S 1984. Right: Gucci resort 2018
- Jeremy Scoot “TV Dinner” ensemble A/W 2019-20
- Left: Jeremy Scott S/S 2001, Right:: Christian Lacroix late 1990’s
- Libertine s/s 2018
- Left to right: Chloe s/s 2001, Stella McCartney 2001
- Molly Goddard A/W 2017-18
- Giambattista Valli A/W 2018-19
Because of its ability to shock, Camp makes its way into times of divide whether in society or politics. Camp is different things to different people, whether they identify it as gay, a way to be extravagant or a way to showcase what’s happening around them. Camp: Notes on Fashion is open until September 8th at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.-T.S.