From the grip of post-war austerity sprang Christian Dior’s New Look and a silhouette that would kick-start a new outlook for women of the late Forties. And from Thatcher’s Britain emerged the world of the Blitz Kids where men wore make-up, women sought warped perfection and David Bowie carried messiah status.
Undoubtedly, a quick flick through any fashion history anthology confirms that in a time of crisis, the default approach of the costumier is not to retreat into its shell but rather to seize the opportunity to redecorate it.
Last night’s Oscars, a spectacle that saw custom creations from the most recent round of Paris couture shows unveiled on the red carpet, stands as proof that in a time of uncertainty, political discontent and gender disparity, courage prevails.
Certainly, the “more is more” sensibility that defines the mood in the ateliers of Paris right now seemed to play out, with the slick, low-key gowns that have be-come a regular at the Academy Awards almost entirely absent.
The ceremony was staged just three days after Anna Wintour and curator Andrew Bolton presented a preview to Camp: Notes on Fashion, the Costume Institute’s upcoming exhibition which opens at New York’s Met Museum in May, and takes its lead from Susan Sontag’s essay. It was a night packed with frivolity, fuss and fanfare, in harmony with the zeitgeist.
Pepto-Bismol pink, head-to-toe metallic and men in ballgowns emerge as the takeaway themes.
The aesthetic — an intentional and defiant contrast, masterminded by the same guestlist who attended last year’s ceremony in all-black outfits to demonstrate their allegiance to the emerging #MeToo movement — marks a new age of rebellion.
Leading the charge was British actress Gemma Chan. Sporting a multi-tiered flamingo-pink gown from Pierpaolo Piccioli’s most recent couture collection for Valentino — an offering that received a standing ovation when it was presented in January — Chan headlined a night of dresses that embodied an aesthetic of which Bolton will undoubtedly approve. Not least because its colour matches the signature palette of the upcoming exhibition.
“There is a generosity to camp, as well as a great sophistication,” said Bolton to industry insiders attending the preview, held at a puppet theatre in Milan last week (where else?). Last night’s line-up of dresses mirrored this juxtaposition with pink serving as both a beacon of beauty and a plaything.
Other ambassadors of the evening’s most popular hue included Birdbox’s Sarah Paulson, who chose a bubble gown by Brandon Maxwell, and Maya Rudolph, who wore a bubblegum-pink floral print gown and cape by Giambattista Valli.
When they weren’t head-to-toe in neon fuchsia, the stars of the screen flourished with oversized bows, blouson sleeves and lashings of feathers. JLo, a woman so brilliantly conspicuous she’d have been perfectly at home in the court of Versailles, chose a shattered mirrored cocktail gown by Tom Ford to attend last night’s festivities, while Chrissy Teigen showed up at Vanity Fair’s after-party in a feather-trimmed gown.
The event also offered the opportunity to toy with gender conventions — a key focus of the exhibition. Shangela, star of RuPaul’s Drag Race, chose a gown by New York designer Diego Montoya, while Billy Porter stole the show in a tuxedo gown by Christian Siriano.
In a world that wears its troubles on its sleeves, an Oscar’s night defined by excess and extravagance seems inevitable.
“When you look at the times when camp comes to the forefront of culture, it is at moments of polarisation,” said Bolton. He may be onto something.
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