@L_WaitheFans @LenaWaithe We are going with its a quote...the speaker had an accent...it's like periodt.. It is now a thing... You say it and snap. She is too cool for it to be anything else. #Inventend<doc-sep>View this post on Instagram We had the honor or collaborating with @pyermoss for this years #metgala. We designed 16 custom Iconic sculpture portrait buttons and black power fist cuff links to adorn @kerbito and @lenawaithe’s suits. On Kerby: 8 of his favorite rappers — the late and great @nipseyhussle, @meekmill, @nas, @realcoleworld, @champagnepapi, #tupac, @kendricklamar and #jayz. On Lena: 8 LGBTQ icons — @rupaulofficial , #doriancorey , #freddiependavis , #octaviastlaurent #ParisDupree #pepperlabeija #venusxtravaganza and #willieninja . Thank you @kerbito + @pyermoss ✨??. #metgala2019 #jewelrybyjohhnny<doc-sep>While other Met Gala attendees aimed to shock with their camp-themed outfits, Lena Waithe sought to send a message with hers. The screenwriter, actress, and creator of The Chi ditched the ruffles and grandeur for a pinstripe double-breasted Pyer Moss suit with a strong statement stitched on the back: "Black drag queens invented camp." John Shearer Getty Images Theo Wargo Getty Images Kerby Jean-Raymond, the creative director of Pyer Moss and Waithe's plus one at the gala, came up with the design. He wore a matching white striped suit with the message "Fix your credit. Pool money. Buy back the block," on the back. "We collaborated on really bringing a message," Waithe told E! News on the red carpet. "To me, I really wanted to make sure my outfit represented the black drag queens who started this camp thing about being over the top and all that jazz." She continued, "People like RuPaul, all these pioneers who really started this whole thing and I really wanted to pay tribute to them." RuPaul was actually present at last night's event, and so were other drag queens like Aquaria and Violet Chachki. Some critics say that Susan Sontag's 1964 essay "Notes on Camp"—which inspired and informed the Met Gala's 2019 theme—brushes over the contributions that the LGBTQIA community and people of color gave to the genre, according to Them and Refinery29. With her statement-making suit, Waithe made sure to give credit where it was due. Taylor Hill Getty Images In addition to the stitched messages, the button and pinstripes on Waithe's outfit also served as mini tributes. "The buttons are pictures of those people and the lyrics like 'I'm coming out, Sylvester, you make me feel,'" she added to E!. "I want to pay tribute to them and the culture." The stripes on Waithe's suit included lines from "Don't Leave Me This Way" by Thelma Houston, "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" by Sylvester, "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor, "Supermodel" by RuPaul, "Take Me or Leave Me" from the musical Rent, and "We Are Family" by Sister Sledge. Waithe revealed that a song by the late rapper Nipsey Hussle is also in the mix. This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Last year, the acclaimed screenwriter also took a stand with her Met Gala look when she showed up to the Catholicism-themed event draped in a rainbow Pride flag-inspired cape as a nod to the LGBTQIA community. She called the colorful look, by Carolina Herrera, an "epic moment of defiance." This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io<doc-sep>At Monday night’s Met Gala, celebrity guests displayed their widespread interpretations of the event’s elusive "camp" theme. But actress and producer Lena Waithe stood out among a sea of glitter and feathers at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's annual fundraiser with her statement-making attire. From the front, Waithe’s pin-striped pantsuit looked deceptively simple. Yet a closer look revealed the buttons were actually the faces of black "camp" pioneers, and the stripes were lyrics from Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming Out,” Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” and other anthems from iconic black divas. Written on the back of her jacket in bold font were the words, “Black Drag Queens Inventend [sic] Camp.” Lena Waithe rocks a custom “BLACK DRAG QUEENS INVENTED CAMP” Pyer Moss tuxedo to the #MetGala. Zoom in to see the “pinstripes,” which are stitched with the lyrics of Diana Ross’s “I’m Coming Out, Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive,” and more. pic.twitter.com/RsaltEVM1m — Ξvan Ross Katz (@evanrosskatz) May 7, 2019 Waithe told E! News on the red carpet that she wanted to emphasize the black drag queens who advanced the camp movement. "Pepper LaBeija, Benny Ninja, RuPaul, all these pioneers . . . I really wanted to pay tribute to them and all that they did for the culture," she explained. "They started this whole 'camp' thing by being over the top." When asked by E! what camp means to her, Waithe said "it means to take everything you’re trying to do to the next level." “It’s about being extra. It’s about doing the most. And you know, black folks do the most all the time," she said. The Emmy Award-winner’s suit was designed by Kerby Jean-Raymond of Pyer Moss, who walked the red carpet with her. While some pointed out the misspelling on Waithe’s jacket, there was an outpouring of support on social media for Waithe's outfit choice. “Holy f--k the detailing on lena waithe’s dress is lyrics from iconic songs that drag queens kill to. She is absolutely legendary,” one Twitter user wrote, garnering more than 25,000 likes. holy fuck the detailing on lena waithe’s dress is lyrics from iconic songs that drag queens kill it to. she is absolutely legendary. #metgala pic.twitter.com/YAAf5H5Tks — BELLA (@isvbella) May 7, 2019 “Love that Lena Waithe is representing black drag queens and members of the black community like Pepper LaBeija, RuPaul, Sylvester and Willi Ninja,” wrote Lorenzo Marquez and Tom Fitzgerald, authors of the book “Everyone Wants to Be Me or Do Me,” on their shared account. Love that Lena Waithe is representing black drag queens and members of the ball community like Pepper LaBeija, RuPaul, Sylvester and Willi Ninja in her ensemble#MetGala — Tom & Lorenzo (@tomandlorenzo) May 7, 2019 Evan Ross Katz, a freelance writer, observed that Waithe’s outfit is especially poignant given that “no black drag queens sans RuPaul appear to be invited to the camp-themed affair.” Important to note: no black drag queens sans RuPaul appear to be invited to the Camp-themed affair. — Ξvan Ross Katz (@evanrosskatz) May 7, 2019 The curators and co-chairs of the annual fundraiser for the Met's Costume Institute decided to name the event “Camp: Notes on Fashion,” as a nod to writer and philosopher Susan Sontag’s 1964 essay “Notes on Camp.” Andrew Bolton, the head curator of the Met's Costume Institute, acknowledged the concept of "camp" can be a bit confusing to some people. “It’s easier to see and recognize camp than to describe it,” Bolton told NBC News just ahead of Monday's event. For those who want to see camp for themselves, the "Camp: Notes on Fashion" exhibit opens to the public on Thursday and features more than 200 pieces of "campy" costumes and artifacts spanning hundreds of years. FOLLOW NBC OUT ON TWITTER, FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM<doc-sep>
The 2019 Met Gala delivered all the theatrics we expected given this year’s “Camp” theme. From Zendaya’s Cinderella moment to Billy Porter’s theatrical entrance, it was refreshing to see celebs really go there. But showmanship aside, some A-listers chose to make a statement with their look. Lena Waithe teamed up with Haitian designer Kerby Jean Raymond of Pyer Moss on a design celebrating the true origins of “Camp.” “I really wanted to make sure my outfit represented the black drag queens who started this camp thing about being over the top,” Waithe shared while on the red carpet with E! News. “People like RuPaul, all these pioneers who really started this whole thing and I really wanted to pay tribute to them.” We’re happy that Waithe reminded folks that “Camp” was birthed in the underground among a group that’s still sorely underrepresented in mainstream culture. In appropriating their creativity, we should respect its roots. Loading the player... “It’s about being extra, doing the most,” she added. “Black folks do the most all the time. Kerby came up with the idea and I loved it from jump.” Jean-Raymond’s matching suit honored Nipsey Hussle, featuring photos of him on the buttons and the words, “Fix your credit. Pool money. Buy back the block.” A nod to the slain rapper’s commitment to uplifting Black communities, the look brings awareness to gentrification and racial struggle. NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 06: Lena Waithe and Kerby Jean-Raymond attend The 2019 Met Gala Celebrating Camp: Notes on Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 06, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images) The pinstripes on both looks were comprised of lyrics from Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” and Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming Out.” In an Instagram post, Waithe proclaimed, “I came to slay, b-tch.” And slay, she surely did.