There was a lot of gold on the red carpet, so much so that at one point I started making a list and then promptly gave up.

I think some people used gold and pink as a shortcut to camp, and that’s what I think Mindy Kaling did with this dress. While I could see why she chose a Moschino dress, blonde (some outlets are calling it rose gold) hair and costume earrings for Camp, the look doesn’t come together into a strong showing of Camp. I looked through Mindy’s Met Gala looks from past years and to be frank, she’s always a miss. She often dresses with style (particularly for appearances) but Camp isn’t about being stylish, it’s about contradictions and exaggerations. I don’t see theatricality or rebellion, but rather a red carpet look that would be slightly edgy for the Emmys. She wore something fun that she liked. Mindy likes to look chic and trendy, and favoured that over the theme. 

Another Ocean’s 8 gold was Awkwafina, a breakout star of the last couple of years, in Altuzurra. When I saw the dress in my feed, I knew it was camp, particularly the juxtaposition between the frivolousness of the shoulders and the seriousness of her expression (I have yet to find one photo of her smiling, which is the right choice). My friend Anya posted this photo of Awkwafina/Alexis Carrington and that’s all the camp proof I need. (Anya runs the great Instagram feed @whatalexiswore, so she knows of what she speaks.)

Sarah Paulson wore black – not a dominant colour this year. Because so many people are wearing headpieces and bright colours and “wacky” clashing fabrics, I think this might be overlooked, but I would consider it Camp. Consider the sum of the parts: her short, slicked back hair adds a touch of androgyny to juxtapose against the exaggerated femininity of the gown and earrings. Both Sarah and Mindy are in Moschino and both dresses have bows, but I think Sarah’s stands out more, much more, because of the placement and the size and the focus on it. Then there’s the champagne bag, which is irreverent, even though I wouldn’t describe the whole look this way. I think Sarah adhered to the theme, but also went for Met Gala light. The woman regularly collaborates with Ryan Murphy, she knows Camp.