Priyanka Chopra's Met Gala look- what's all the fuss?

Let’s talk about the Met Gala.

My Instagram feed is flooding with images of Priyanka Chopra in her Met Gala ‘Camp’ look, and I am sure yours is too.

Outrageous! Bang on! Priyanka Chopra-Jonas nailed the theme! By saying just that I may have lost Deepika Padukone fans…

Hold your horses. Don’t jump the guns! Read the caption below the images. Aya samaj main?(Do you now understand?) I see that you still not convinced.

The Met is not for the faint-hearted, let me assure you. The theme’s are always quirky fashion statements, and guests are expected to flaunt it!

But somehow, despite having had some Indian names attend the MET like the actresses, Isha Ambani, and Natasha Poonawala very few back home know the reason behind the weirdness. Some comments go as far as shaming the star for representing India in a ‘negative’ way. Hold on! It is quite the contrary. I commend Priyanka for following the theme and actually becoming the cameras’ pet on the Met red carpet!

If you ask Google about the Met, you will find an entire Wikipedia page devoted to it. It only takes a few minutes to get educated. But somehow the general Indian paltan is too quick to speak- a trait that is associated with weaklings.

I think the celebs themselves could to do a better job at telling their fans all there is about the Met, which marks the opening of the Costume Institute's annual fashion exhibit on the first Monday of May.

Until they speak, here’s a quicky:

The Met Gala, established in 1948 is an annual fundraising event for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City. Celebrities from the world over are invited.

So who gets to go?

From $50 to $30,000 apiece for the ticket, the fundraising has come a long long way! This is probably why we haven’t seen a lot of Bollywood there. Of course, not everyone pays for a ticket. A brand will often invite celebrities to sit at its table which costs around $275,000. This is also probably why we don’t find the men of the Indian tinsel-town on there. Brands rather sponsor the ladies who actually have a fan following keeping their expansion goals in mind- think Deepika! I wouldn’t blame them…If you are paying so much, you would rather have someone who has that kind of following. I feel for Ranveer, but hey can men's fashion in India pull in big pesos?

And even if you can afford to, you cannot go- unless of course you are invited…only those celebs that can preach the gospel with their beauty and x-factor get to go! Capisce?

I won’t go through the history as that would be a long haul…let’s go back to when it all started for India-2017.

2017: Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between

2018: Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination 

2019: Camp: Notes on Fashion 

As you can tell, the themes are not the fashion we are accustomed to seeing. Nonetheless, the Indian bourgeoisie and especially our Indian Jonas know just how to make the paparazzi go all gaga!

Let’s focus on this year’s theme- Camp: Notes on Fashion

And what does that even mean? The only camp you probably know is the military camp or a school camp probably. Hmm... This is why we need to make use of this wonderful technology called the internet and reduce our ignorance. Being a computer whizkid or engineer will fill your pockets…but to fill your brain, you may need to actually make use of the tool to become street smart! You can’t just use your brain, when you get paid for it…it was an organ given to humans long before money came into the picture. Money too is the product of our brain...that was when we actually used it! So let’s put it to use again. Being ignorant is not a virtue, let me assure you!

So back to Camp!

You may have guessed by now that Camp has nothing to do with the summer camp. It has everything to do with savoring the fabulousness, irony, and whimsical of being extra. The concept at this year’s Met is inspired by Susan Sontag's 1964 essay that defines camp as "love of the unnatural: of artifice and exaggeration.”

Recall those fashion shows where you went, “eww you call that fashion? Who would even wear that?” That’s Camp fashion for you!

An expression of escapism I would say.

The outfits have an expressive soul. They can be theatrical, they can even be humorous, but never plain.

And now let's scrutinize Ms. Jonas and her choice of outfit!

Disclaimer: I would not otherwise approve this look! But hey it's the Met...and quirky is what floats the boat at the biggest fashion gathering in the city that never sleeps!

So Priyanka's eye-catching Dior couture outfit which took over 1500 hours to create, complete with futuristic makeup, outsize-teased hair, Dior Haute Couture palladium crown, and even a bindi, deserves respect and not memes and trolls for staying true to the theme. Her arriving in the arms of her husband sent a beautiful message too! They both looked the part!

The spectacular gown and cape were made from tulle, featuring embroideries of tulle feathers and silver strass. All the elements came together to scream 'more' and 'chic'!

Still confused about the theme? I wouldn’t fret about it. Perhaps that's the point of it all. Either way, the Met is a reminder that fashion is at its most fun when it's not taking itself too seriously.

So who do you think has followed the theme closely and who hasn’t? Would you still go on to bash Priyanka or any future celebrity who would go all out to actually fit in?