MET's CAMP Notes on Fashion - A Show of Extravagance that Underwhelms

The Fashion Institute's newest exhibit coincides with the MET Gala, "The Oscars of Fashion" is CAMP.   CAMP is a subjective term in style but unambiguous for its flamboyance, exaggeration, artifice, extravagance, whimsy, irreverence, decadence and more rather than less.  I would add an androgynous aesthetic that has also become associated with camp.  Oscar Wilde, one of London's most famous playwrights in the late 19th C was infamous for his effeminate flamboyance.  Wilde received requisite homage in the show.  There were replicas of his "dandy" fashion choices alongside photos of him wearing the reproduced outfits.  In being earnest, this show which should have dazzled, fizzled.  There's such a broad spectrum of fashions and icons to single out I thought I would've been wowed.  There were several problems with the curation.   The writings on the showcases were  illegible.  The pepto bismol pink walls were abysmal.  And, the narrow spacing leading to the finale galley was uncomfortable to maneuver. The loop of Judy Garland singing the phrase "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" was irritating.  The last gallery contained 2 levels of fashion showcases that captured some of the excitement and hype from this year's MET Gala.   Billy Porter got it right on the pink carpet with his outlandish & show-stopping get-up at the Gala.  The series POSE starring Billy Porter oozes with camp and is well worth watching.   The audio in the last gallery had a compelling rundown on camp and worth listening to.  The phrase that encapsulates camp best was "Absurdity that becomes desirable."  There were guilty pleasures to be found but note most of the modern fashions with an irreverent wink were by contemporary haute couture fashion houses:  Chanel, Jacobs, Mugler, Moschino, Balenciaga, and Vogue.  Also note these designers are major corporate sponsors of the MET's Costume Institute and benefactors of commercial items sold as you exit.  I did find a few favorite outfits: Moschino's deep purple taffeta dress splayed with vibrant, multi-colored butterflies and Theirry Mugler's "Venus" previously seen on Cardi B at this year's Grammys.  Bob Mackie's dresses were prominent as his style is a prototype of camp fashion.  But there were gross oversights from this show:  Liberace, Elton John and even Madonna in many of her incarnations.  Integral to the oeuvre of camp is the energy & attitude conveyed by the person behind the clothes.  Mannequins lack the capacity to exude the joie de vivre essential to carry off camp.  Pay no attention to this tongue in cheek cynic as a critic.  Go and have fun with "CAMP Notes on Fashion" meant to be savored like rainbow colored cotton candy.