While Priyanka Chopra may have failed to make a strong impression among social media users with her Met Gala look, fashion designers appreciate her over-the-top boldness, says Team Viva

With netizens analysing celebrities at the Met Gala 2019, both with criticisms and praises, actress Mandira Bedi summed it up best when she  took to social media to express her opinion. She wrote, “People are oooohing and aaaahing all day, over some women who are looking absolutely ridiculous in the clothes they are wearing... Follow the theme, ‘yes’, but don’t look absurd for God’s sake.” We couldn’t agree more. There has to be a line drawn between being avant garde and downright crazy.

From ‘Nobody sits at the Met Gala’ outfit of Katy Perry that was emblazoned with candlesticks and a chandelier to Cardi B’s gigantic red dress that needed its own entourage, Kim Kardashian’s droplets-falling and seemingly-wet skin-tight dress to Lady Gaga’s four seasons of fashion — camp fashion-themed Met Gala 2019’s red carpet showcased all things extravagant, glamorous and over-the-top.

Talking about the outfits and looks by Indian women on the floor, actress Priyanka Chopra played it bold as she wore a silver Dior gown with colourful, feathered ruffles at its bottom and a high leg slit. Going whimsical, she carried a similar-coloured cape with a silver spiked crown on the top. Her silver-frosted brows and eyelashes and a dark burgundy lip colour, however, failed to make an impression among the global audience as her curly, back-combed hair waves couldn’t complement the overall look. Deconstruction is good but certainly that doesn’t mean being destructive. No wonder she kicked off a meme fest with comparisons to Sri Lankan cricketer Lasith Malinga’s hair and Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter character from Alice in Wonderland. In other trolls, she was shown to have been hit by a thunder shock.

Frankly Deepika Padukone’s Barbie-look was too plastic and lifeless while Isha Ambani’s ‘simple’ mauve ball gown with hand-embroidered crystals and ostrich feathers, turned out to be fit for a Disney set.

Designers, of course, complimented the boldness of PeeCee’s spirit.  Varun Bahl described her look as “giving major fashion goals” in the genre of quirk. Said he, “Channelling her inner Mad Hatter, Priyanka made heads turn with her flamboyant Dior gown and added a touch of Indian tradition with bindis. She truly incorporated the meaning of the theme and went it with it really well.”

Designer Nikasha disagreed as she felt that Priyanka’s look “needed little more of a story.” She said, “She did try to stay authentic to the theme and I must compliment her for the efforts. Having said that, I felt that she could have added more gravitas to her look. It could be more reasoned.” Being unrecognisable is one thing but burying her strong facial accents wasn’t certainly on point.

Nikasha, who called camp fashion as “ironic, kitschy and tongue-in-cheek,” felt that exaggerated and tacky are also other associated words. “It is something so outrageously artificial, affected, inappropriate or out-of-date as to be considered amusing. But did it really amuse us in the end?” she wondered.

Talking about Deepika’s look, she said, “I consider her a gorgeous style icon who is always one step ahead on her glamorous avatar. However, this pretty Barbie-look was just that — too pretty and glamorous but there was nothing iconic or tongue-in-cheek about it.” On Isha’s look, she said, “Lavender is definitely her colour but the pretty pouf and volume did very little for camp fashion. She could have carried a Mata Hari or an Indian goddess look with more oomph.” Lastly, calling Natasha Poonawalla “pretty and predictable,” she said, “Let’s go easy on her as she is not really a media star, a fashion diva at best.”

Designer Abhinav Mishra identifies camp fashion as something “that has everything to do with irony and the humour of being way too extra but be visually appealing at the same time.” Appreciating PeeCee’s vibrant stance, he said, “This was her third appearance at the Met Gala and as usual, all eyes were on her. I loved the fact that she incorporated her make-up with bindis as she said she wanted to add a touch of the Indian traditions to her look but overall the ethnicity didn’t perhaps gel too well.”

While he rated “drop-dead gorgeous” Deepika’s look as the “truest to the theme,” he found Isha Ambani “undoubtedly beautiful.” However, he added, “It didn’t relate much to the gala’s theme. I feel she could have experimented a little more with the outfit.” On the other hand, he compared PeeCee’s Indian touch with Natasha Poonawalla’s sparkling maang tika. “She surely had her princess moment on the red carpet with that pleated train.” Calling Deepika a style inspiration, Varun said, “Bringing her zaniest best to the red carpet this year, I found her look more of a dramatic flair which took everybody by storm.” Isha, he added, “could have carried a clutch to complete the look even though she was absolutely stunning at her debut.”

However, global critics panned the Met Gala as an outrageous, presumptive show that was too intent on making a statement than honouring the true spirit of creativity. Also, the presence of youtubers and wannabes was something that trivialised what once used to be a culture statement. From the looks of it, it was not even a pantomime, but a freak show.