Janelle Monae continues to give us red carpet looks that go above and beyond. For this year’s Met Gala, which had the theme “Fashion: Notes on Camp,” inspired by Susan Sontag’s landmark essay “Notes on Camp,” Janelle Monae showed up in a Christian Siriano-designed absurdist number that’s equal parts Alice in Wonderland, A Clockwork Orange and RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Monique Heart. Monae’s outfit featured several hats stacked one of top of the other and an eyeball over her left breast. The eyelashes of the eye were feathers and, according to one tweet from the scene, the eye itself blinks. She wore her signature black-and-white look, which echoed her gown from last year, as well. Regarding her signature colors, Monae told Vanity Fair in 2018: “My black and white is meant to honor my working-class parents. My mother was a janitor, both my fathers, my biological father and my stepfather, were custodians, sanitation workers, post-office workers. For me, I try to say something as much as possible, say something that means something to other people outside of myself. Sometimes I don’t.” Monae is in great company when it comes to Black queer excellence on the red carpet. Earlier in the evening, Pose star Billy Porter shook the Met Gala with an Egyptian-inspired gown that featured a 24-karat headpiece, wings that spanned 10 feet and, oh yeah, he was carried in by six hot men. Monae tweeted her look from last year’s Met Gala earlier today though, to be honest, nothing could have prepared us mortals for this. RELATED | Billy Porter Shook the Met Gala With an Egyptian-Inspired, Winged Gown<doc-sep>Alexandra Mandelkorn went through 15 sketches before settling on Janelle Monae’s final Met Gala look. Mandelkorn is the mastermind stylist behind Monae’s red carpet reign and is responsible for her style from PYNK-era to present. When it comes to Monae’s look for the first Monday of May event, Mandelkorn turned to Picasso and Dali for inspiration and incorporated surrealism with the artificial and over-the-top. The charity ball, hosted by Vogue editor Anna Wintour and a band of talent, is known for making hundreds of stars play by the rules of the annual theme, which is inspired this year by the Susan Sontag essay “Notes on ‘Camp. '” Variety spoke with Mandelkorn about her interpretation of camp and how she wove together Monae’s personality into the final product. Why is camp important right now? Camp has always been important because it takes away so much of the seriousness that can come along with fashion. It allows you to be cheeky and over the top in the most fun ways. What did you turn to for camp inspiration? We looked to campy surreal art for our inspiration. Janelle is a huge fan of Picasso and Dali and we really wanted the surreal nature of their works to come through in the look. How do you merge together Janelle Monae’s personality with this year’s theme of camp? The black and white is always a signature of hers, but we also incorporated her love for technology and performance art into the look with the addition of the blinking eye. How many tries did it take to arrive to Janelle’s final look? We went through a lot of sketches. Christian Siriano probably ended up sending over about 15 sketch options. From there we chose our two favorites to have made as options. We finally settled on the gown look. When Janelle first tried it on, she totally lit up and we knew we’d found a winner. What was your collaboration process? This was a true collaborative process. We went back and forth on hundreds of texts, emails and phone calls, relaying Janelle’s desires and ideas to Christian Siriano, who would then in turn come back with his interpretation of her thoughts. Sketches, photos and videos were sent every step of the way, tweaking and adjusting as we went along. It was amazing to be a part of such a creative group of individuals, all working together to bring this incredible and iconic look to life. What is your favorite part of her look? Honestly, every single part is important in making the look as strong as it is. From the crystal detailing, the black trimming, to the silhouette and the incredible hat sculpture, every bit matters. But I do have to say, the blinking eye really makes me smile. What is your dream Met Gala theme? I would absolutely live for an outer space, galactic, alien-inspired theme. What are the campiest accessories of 2019? Wearable tech! It’s the future, honey!<doc-sep>
Hats off to Janelle Monae! The singer stepped onto the red carpet at fashion’s biggest night in an outfit that took the ‘campy’ theme to the next level. Cue the slow clap! Janelle Monae, 33, stepped onto the 2019 Met Gala looking like fashion royalty. The gorgeous singer is known for her killer fashion aesthetic and she’s doing the 2019 theme of campy fashion some serious justice. Janelle whipped out one of the crazier looks of the night, opting for a multicolored gown which featured a face across the entirety of the front. The singer quite literally turned her left breast into the eye of the face, while the mouth was featured on her skirt. The magenta and white two-toned look was topped off with well…top hats! The star stacked four massive hats on top of her head to complete the bold look. We knew the singer would serve looks at this year’s Met Gala, and we’re still not over her 2018 look. She hit the carpet in an unbelievable, black and white Marc Jacobs gown last year. She took the theme, ‘Heavenly Bodies,’ to the next level, and donned a hand-beaded, crystallised head wrap. The singer truly looked like an angel as she walked into the event, a long train trailing behind her. This year’s Met Gala theme is ‘Camp: Notes on Fashion,’ so it’s no wonder that we’re seeing so many bizarre looks hit the carpet. Campy fashion is all about boundary-breaking, exotic looks, and all our favorite celebs are nailing it. It’s only fitting that the 2019 gala is being co-hosted by two fashion pros: Lady Gaga and Harry Styles. They kicked the night off with bold looks of their own, setting just the right tone for those who followed. See Janelle’s jaw-dropping look above! We already knew this fierce lady wouldn’t disappoint, but she DID THAT.