That’s Camp

BY AMANDA FLYNN

Fifty-eight years ago, writer, Susan Sontag, defined a term that still has influence to this day – camp. In terms of fashion, you may either love it or hate it. It is a type of fashion that has you turning your head back and forth asking, “Does this even make sense?”

Nonetheless, camp has certainly made waves in the fashion industry, granting room for play and imagination in the wardrobe. It is an aesthetic that can be contributed for breaking down stereotypes, exploring gender identity and personal expression. At its fundamental roots, it involves experimenting with clothes, without any constricting rules.

In recent years of pop culture, you may remember camp being the driving force of the 2019 Met Gala. Fans of fashion saw attendees walk up the infamous stairs, decked out in show-stopping garments, in celebration of the night being centered around Sontag’s essay. But what is camp?

In her essay, “Notes on Camp,” Sontag defines this taste as, “A certain mode of aestheticism. It is one way of seeing the world as an aesthetic phenomenon. That way, the way of Camp, is not in terms of beauty, but in terms of the degree of artifice, of stylization.”

With the 21st century of fashion in full swing, the unconventional, eclectic styles that have sprouted from this aesthetic have been seen in major fashion houses such as Moschino, Viktor and Rolf and Diesel.

In the recent Moschino fall 2022 show in Milan, creative director Jeremy Scott brought furniture to the runway — models were seen wearing garments that replicated grandfather clocks, chandeliers and dressers. A collection like this, can be considered the epitome of camp.

However, you do not need to go far and wide or scour down pieces from high-end brands to find this aesthetic — camp is everywhere around us, and most importantly, it is about having fun.

Sontag emphasizes that, “Camp taste is, above all, a mode of enjoyment, of appreciation — not judgment. Camp is generous. It wants to enjoy.”

“Fashion is a fun, creative outlet,” says fourth-year Sage Kugler, president of the Fashion Society at Penn State.

With camp, the excitement of putting outfits together is amplified to a whole other level. It may seem intimidating at first to mix and match, but Kugler says it can be as simple as pairing statement pants with a black tee.

“You don’t have to go all out right away,” says Kugler. “If you try that one new necklace or new t-shirt that you really like, you can try to work around that … Maybe you’re like, ‘Hey these colors go well, I haven’t tried this yet.’”

When asked about people in fashion who embody this style and who aren’t afraid to play with different patterns and textures, Kugler mentioned @TinyJewishGirl, a.k.a Clara Perlmutter. After chatting with the 23-year old, recent New York University graduate, who is certainly making a name for herself in the fashion world on TikTok, with a following of over 770,000 and counting.

Perlmutter designed her major at NYU around cultural criticism and creative writing. She actually never took a fashion course throughout her academic career, instead, fashion has always been a “personal interest” of hers. Along with creating TikToks, Perlmutter works full time in social media marketing for Steve Madden.

“I’ve always been into dress-up,” Perlmutter says. “I have approached fashion in a way where everyday I get to put on a costume.”

In her TikToks, viewers can find Perlmutter putting together oneof-a-kind pieces ranging from her lime green, 90s reminiscent, SWEAR Air Revive Xtra sneakers, to her ironic OGBFF skirt that quite literally is a black skirt with “mini skirt” written on it, to eclectic headbands such as her Spacec0wgirl headband made from barbie doll heads.

At first glance and on their own, pieces from her wardrobe may seem unconventional, but Perlmutter creates camp magic once she begins styling.

“When I see an outfit, I see it in its entirety,” says Perlmutter. In her videos, Perlmutter shows her viewers how she puts pieces together — step-by-step, layer-by-layer.

As with any style, Perlmutter emphasizes that it is important to play with what makes you feel most comfortable.

“I think that you should dress in a way that's true to yourself and not copying anyone … I think that you need to look inside yourself and think about what you like,” says Perlmutter. “I try to be a role model in that, I am true to myself and I am expressing myself. I don’t think anyone needs to dress like me. I think that everyone needs to dress in a way that makes themselves happy.”