The 2019 Met Gala, themed "Camp: Notes on Fashion," does not grant official competitive awards. Instead, "winners" are determined by fashion critics and cultural impact. Iconic highlights included Lady Gaga’s four-outfit performance and Billy Porter’s Sun God entrance, which successfully epitomized the aesthetic of artifice, exaggeration, and theatrical parody.
Understanding the "Awards" and Ambiguity of the Met Gala
When searching for the "2019 Met Gala awards complete winners list," it is essential to clarify a common misconception: the Costume Institute Benefit (the Met Gala) is a fundraising gala, not a trophy-based ceremony like the Oscars or Grammys. There are no envelopes opened or statues handed out. However, within the fashion industry and among the global audience, the "winners" are those who most successfully interpreted the year’s complex theme through their attire, presence, and performance.
The 2019 event is widely regarded as one of the most successful iterations in the history of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. By 2026, it remains a gold standard for how celebrities and designers can collaborate to turn a red carpet into a piece of performance art. The "winners" listed in this guide are categorized based on their adherence to the "Camp" theme, their viral impact, and their long-standing influence on fashion history.
The Theme: Camp: Notes on Fashion
To understand who "won" the night, one must understand the rubric: Susan Sontag’s 1964 essay, "Notes on 'Camp'." Sontag defined "camp" as the love of the unnatural, of artifice and exaggeration. It is style at the expense of content. It is "the spirit of extravagance."
For the 2019 gala, the Costume Institute challenged guests to embrace the "failed seriousness" of camp. Those who arrived in simple, elegant gowns—no matter how beautiful—were often deemed the "losers" of the evening because they failed to engage with the intellectual and aesthetic demands of the theme. The true winners were those who leaned into the ridiculous, the ironic, and the highly stylized.
The "Winner" of the Night: Lady Gaga’s Four-Part Reveal
If an overall "Grand Prize" existed for the 2019 Met Gala, it would have undoubtedly gone to Lady Gaga. As a co-chair of the event, Gaga collaborated with designer Brandon Maxwell to create a 16-minute performance on the steps of the Met.
Gaga’s entrance involved four distinct layers:
- The Fuchsia Cape: A massive, billowing pink gown with a 25-foot train, accompanied by umbrella-wielding dancers.
- The Black Asymmetric Gown: A structural black dress that she revealed after shedding the pink silk.
- The Pink Column Dress: A sleek, hot-pink slip dress paired with oversized cell phone props from the early 2000s.
- The Lingerie: A final reveal of sparkling black underwear, fishnets, and towering platform boots.
This was the "winner" because it captured the performative essence of camp. It wasn't just a dress; it was a theatrical production that blurred the lines between high fashion and absurdist comedy.
Top 5 "Best Dressed" Winners of the 2019 Red Carpet
Beyond Lady Gaga, several other celebrities secured their place in fashion history with their interpretation of the "Camp" theme.
1. Billy Porter: The Sun God
Billy Porter’s entrance is arguably the most memorable in the history of the Met Gala. Carried on a litter by six shirtless men, Porter appeared as an "Ancient Egyptian Sun God" in a custom gold-winged ensemble by The Blonds. The look featured a 24-karat gold headpiece and 10-foot wings. It was a "winner" because it embraced the campy tradition of "more is more" and utilized the red carpet as a stage for queer expression and regal artifice.
2. Cardi B: The Anatomical Quilt
Cardi B wore a custom Thom Browne gown that redefined the scale of the red carpet. The oxblood silk organza dress was filled with down and featured a 10-foot circular train that required its own entourage to move. With 30,000 burned feathers and a headpiece encrusted with rubies, the look was a technical marvel. It won critical acclaim for its blend of high-fashion craftsmanship and exaggerated, campy proportions.
3. Zendaya: The Techno-Cinderella
Zendaya, styled by Law Roach, transformed the Met steps into a fairy tale. Wearing a custom Tommy Hilfiger gown, she arrived as a "dark" Cinderella. The performance culminated when Law Roach, acting as the "Fairy Godfather," waved a wand that caused the entire dress to illuminate with LED lights. The look was a commentary on the "artifice" of the red carpet itself, ending with Zendaya "losing" her glass slipper on the stairs.
4. Katy Perry: The Chandelier and the Burger
Katy Perry provided two of the most literal interpretations of camp. For the red carpet, she wore a Moschino chandelier dress that actually lit up, designed by Jeremy Scott. Later, for the after-party, she changed into a hyper-realistic hamburger suit. These looks were "winners" for their refusal to be "tasteful," instead opting for the "deliberately bad taste" that Sontag identified as a hallmark of camp.
5. Jared Leto: The Severed Head
In one of the most unsettling yet perfectly thematic moves, Jared Leto arrived carrying a wax replica of his own head. Dressed in a red, jewel-encrusted Gucci gown, the accessory was a direct reference to Gucci’s Fall/Winter 2018 runway show. It captured the "Camp" spirit by being both macabre and vain, treating one's own identity as a detachable accessory.
Analysis of the 2019 Met Gala High-Fashion "Winners"
| Celebrity | Designer | Key Elements | Why It Won "Camp" |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lady Gaga | Brandon Maxwell | 4-layer reveal, massive train | Mastery of performance and artifice. |
| Billy Porter | The Blonds | 10ft gold wings, 24k gold headpiece | Extreme extravagance and theatricality. |
| Cardi B | Thom Browne | 30k feathers, anatomical quilting | Exaggerated proportions and scale. |
| Zendaya | Tommy Hilfiger | LED light-up dress, wand performance | Use of technology to create a "fake" fantasy. |
| Janelle Monáe | Christian Siriano | Motorized blinking eye, stacked hats | Surrealism mixed with high-concept tailoring. |
| Katy Perry | Moschino | Working chandelier, burger suit | Commitment to the "ridiculous" and literal. |
| Celine Dion | Oscar de la Renta | 22-pound gold fringe, peacock feathers | Sincere "failed seriousness" and glamour. |
Notable Honorable Mentions and Viral Moments
While the "winners" above focused on grand gestures, other attendees won the night through subtle irony or sheer subversion of expectations.
- Ezra Miller: Wearing a Burberry suit and a mask of their own face, Miller revealed a hyper-realistic makeup application featuring seven eyes. It was a dizzying display of optical illusion that fit the "Camp" theme's focus on the "doubling" of identity.
- Kacey Musgraves: Arriving in a hot pink leather Moschino gown, Musgraves was a literal "Life-Sized Barbie." She even arrived in a pink convertible, leaning into the campiness of plastic, consumerist perfection.
- Lupita Nyong'o: Her Versace gown was a vibrant explosion of neon, but it was the gold "picks" in her hair—referencing the 1968 film The Great White Hope—that added a layer of political and cultural "camp" to her look.
The Role of Designers in the 2019 "Awards"
In the context of the Met Gala, the designers are as much "winners" as the celebrities. The 2019 event was a major victory for Alessandro Michele (then at Gucci), who served as a co-chair. His vision of maximalism had been trending toward camp for years, and the theme felt like a coronation of his aesthetic.
Jeremy Scott for Moschino also "won" by proving that his brand of pop-art fashion was exactly what the Costume Institute needed to stay relevant in a social-media-driven world. Similarly, Christian Siriano solidified his reputation as the go-to designer for high-concept, inclusive red-carpet moments, dressing both Janelle Monáe and Laverne Cox in standout looks.
FAQs: 2019 Met Gala Awards and Highlights
Did Lady Gaga actually win an award at the 2019 Met Gala?
No, Lady Gaga did not win a physical award. The Met Gala is a non-competitive event. However, she was a "winner" in terms of media coverage and critical praise, as her four-outfit reveal was the most discussed moment of the night.
What does "Camp" mean in the context of the 2019 winners?
In 2019, "Camp" referred to an aesthetic of "extravagance, artifice, and irony." Winners were those who avoided "traditional beauty" in favor of something theatrical, funny, or exaggerated. If a look made you laugh or gasp at its audacity, it was likely successful camp.
Who was the best dressed man at the 2019 Met Gala?
Billy Porter is widely considered the best dressed man of the 2019 Met Gala. His "Sun God" ensemble and dramatic entrance surpassed traditional menswear boundaries. Other notable mentions include Harry Styles in sheer Gucci and Ezra Miller in Burberry.
How much did tickets cost for the 2019 Met Gala?
In 2019, individual tickets were approximately $35,000, while tables started at $200,000 to $300,000. These costs are usually covered by fashion houses that invite celebrities as their guests. The funds raised benefit the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.
Was there a "worst dressed" list for 2019?
While many outlets published "worst dressed" lists, these were subjective. Generally, celebrities who wore simple, "pretty" gowns without any element of exaggeration or irony (like Gisele Bündchen or Karlie Kloss) were criticized for "missing the theme."
Summary of the 2019 Legacy
Looking back from 2026, the 2019 Met Gala stands as a pivotal moment where the event shifted from a "fancy party" to a "global performance stage." The winners of that night—Gaga, Porter, Cardi B, and Zendaya—did more than just wear clothes; they interpreted a complex philosophical essay through the medium of fabric and movement.
For those looking to relive the highlights, the "winners list" is best viewed through the lens of thematic accuracy. If you are studying fashion history or looking for inspiration, the 2019 gala provides the ultimate blueprint for how to balance brand identity with a specific, demanding creative brief.
