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CAMP: Notes on Fashion
What is "camp"? Drawing from Susan Sontag’s seminal essay, this striking volume explores its meaning and its expression in fashion from its origins to today
“[An] amazing catalogue. . . . Extraordinary.”—Christiane Amanpour, CNN
Although an elusive concept, “camp” can be found in most forms of artistic expression, revealing itself through an aesthetic of deliberate stylization. Fashion is one of the most overt and enduring conduits of the camp aesthetic. As a site for the playful dynamics between high art and popular culture, fashion both embraces and expresses such camp modes of enactment as irony, humor, parody, pastiche, artifice, theatricality, and exaggeration.
Drawing from Susan Sontag’s seminal essay “Notes on Camp,” the book explores how fashion designers have used their métier as a vehicle to engage with the camp aesthetic in compelling, humorous, and sometimes incongruous ways. As a sartorial manifestation of the camp sensibility, this thought-provoking publication contributes new theoretical and conceptual insights into the camp canon through texts and images. Stunning new photography by Johnny Dufort highlights works by such fashion designers as Virgil Abloh, Thom Browne, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, John Galliano, Jean Paul Gaultier, Marc Jacobs, Karl Lagerfeld, Alessandro Michele, Franco Moschino, Miuccia Prada, Richard Quinn, Yves Saint Laurent, Elsa Schiaparelli, Jeremy Scott, Anna Sui, Gianni Versace, and Vivienne Westwood.
Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press
Exhibition The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
(05/06/19–09/23/19)
“[An] amazing catalogue. . . . Extraordinary.”—Christiane Amanpour, CNN
Although an elusive concept, “camp” can be found in most forms of artistic expression, revealing itself through an aesthetic of deliberate stylization. Fashion is one of the most overt and enduring conduits of the camp aesthetic. As a site for the playful dynamics between high art and popular culture, fashion both embraces and expresses such camp modes of enactment as irony, humor, parody, pastiche, artifice, theatricality, and exaggeration.
Drawing from Susan Sontag’s seminal essay “Notes on Camp,” the book explores how fashion designers have used their métier as a vehicle to engage with the camp aesthetic in compelling, humorous, and sometimes incongruous ways. As a sartorial manifestation of the camp sensibility, this thought-provoking publication contributes new theoretical and conceptual insights into the camp canon through texts and images. Stunning new photography by Johnny Dufort highlights works by such fashion designers as Virgil Abloh, Thom Browne, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, John Galliano, Jean Paul Gaultier, Marc Jacobs, Karl Lagerfeld, Alessandro Michele, Franco Moschino, Miuccia Prada, Richard Quinn, Yves Saint Laurent, Elsa Schiaparelli, Jeremy Scott, Anna Sui, Gianni Versace, and Vivienne Westwood.
Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press
Exhibition The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
(05/06/19–09/23/19)
346 pages, Hardcover
Published May 6, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 22, 2020
Maybe it's because I just read Fabulous, but I felt that Camp, or at least this presentation of camp, really white washes the fact that Camp is created not just by the queer community, but by black and brown queer folks. And I disagree that the aesthetics are unpolitical - even taking a "neutral" political stance is a political statement, and only white people/ the dominant class can imagine that their existence and aesthetics and way of life have zero to do with politics. And yet they point to Versailles - epicenter to French politics - as a Camp example. Yeah that indulgence and wealth and aesthetic was completely apolitical and had no political repercussions later when the French revolution started. And the entire indulgence that characterizes Versailles was started as a very political way for Louis XIV to take control and also leave his nobles with very little to complain about/ so occupied with trivialities for political purposes.
October 31, 2021
i just read the sontag essay cause i just cannot be arsed with the rest but it was so nice to flick through the images and feel like i was at the library mindlessly browsing books to avoid doing work. anyway was the met raging at certain designers cause theres so many that should have been included in this collection???? wheres meadham kirchhoff? schiappareli or mugler? like???? a lil too much dior and gucci imo
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May 7, 2023A MODE OF AESTHETICISM
"Camp (is] a third stream of taste, that encompasses the curious attraction that everyone to some degree at least has for the bizarre, the unnatural, the artificial and the blatantly outrageous."
CULTURAL SLUMMING
"Camp finds something awfully funny about the musty respectability of suburbia."
A SECOND CHILDHOOD
'Maturity, it infers, must not be taken seriously. 'Experience is a fraud,' says the Spirit of Camp, 'Strive for innocence.'"
A MODE OF SEDUCTION
"Like fornication, camp is an irresponsible and slightly dangerous pleasure."
GENDER WITHOUT GENITALS
Camp "renders gender a question of aesthetics."
GENDER WITH GENITALS
Camp is "a clenched fist on a limp wrist."
THINGS-BEING-WHAT-THEY-ARE-NOT
"Camp is always presented with an invisible wink."
"Camp (is] a third stream of taste, that encompasses the curious attraction that everyone to some degree at least has for the bizarre, the unnatural, the artificial and the blatantly outrageous."
CULTURAL SLUMMING
"Camp finds something awfully funny about the musty respectability of suburbia."
A SECOND CHILDHOOD
'Maturity, it infers, must not be taken seriously. 'Experience is a fraud,' says the Spirit of Camp, 'Strive for innocence.'"
A MODE OF SEDUCTION
"Like fornication, camp is an irresponsible and slightly dangerous pleasure."
GENDER WITHOUT GENITALS
Camp "renders gender a question of aesthetics."
GENDER WITH GENITALS
Camp is "a clenched fist on a limp wrist."
THINGS-BEING-WHAT-THEY-ARE-NOT
"Camp is always presented with an invisible wink."
February 16, 2021
Notable catalogue to the exhibition, accompanied by an informative text. The book is split into two parts, one that’s mostly text (as well as some reference material), the other contains high quality photographs of the outfits included in the exhibition. The photographs provide great detail, especially thinking back to how crowded the galleries were. The introduction essay in the first book, as well as Sontag’s “Notes on Camp” are wonderful references for anyone curious to understand what is camp, and well as to learn more about the history and influences of camp.
May 5, 2020
Such an inspiring book!
I love the two essays that explored the history of camp.
Really cute photographs and they featured amazing garments that really embodies being camp!!
All in all, another great catalogue of last year's MET Exhibit!
I love the two essays that explored the history of camp.
Really cute photographs and they featured amazing garments that really embodies being camp!!
All in all, another great catalogue of last year's MET Exhibit!
December 28, 2020
Gorgeous and inspiring
February 18, 2021
What a beauty. Loveeeeeeeeee
October 18, 2025
very campy
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews