Every Aspect of Bevy Smith's Met Gala Look Is a Tribute to Black Excellence — and Camp, of Course

Leading up to the Met Gala, (and even during the red carpet), there was a bit of debate behind what exactly the year's theme, "camp," actually meant. But for Bevy Smith, TV personality and host of Bevelations on Sirius/XM Radio, the inspiration behind her look was crystal clear: “I’m going all black everything,” she tells Allure — and she’s not talking about the color of her gown. Smith’s idea of camp is celebrating black designers and creators from head to toe. “Everything from my gown to my fragrance and lotion is made by a black person — it’s a total black-out” says Smith. She describes her look for the night as The Wiz meets the black Mae West.

Tapping black creators and a glam team was a no-brainer for her. “When I hear camp, I’m definitely imagining doing too much. I see camp as the black gay ballroom scene, hair shows, the 1970s barmaids that I saw growing up with hot pants, fur jackets, four-inch long nails, and a myriad of gold and diamond necklaces,” Smith explains. She says that as a black girl from Harlem, she loves the extravagance, exuberance, and excess of it all. “We have a very camp aesthetic when it comes to style. When you think about the 1990s, Misa Hylton, June Ambrose and Puff (Daddy)’s shiny suits, when you think about the ghetto fabulous movement. What is that if not camp?” she asks.

Smith’s gown was designed by Kimberly Goldson, of Project Runway fame. “I wanted something to accentuate my hourglass shape. The exaggerated feminine body is very campy in itself,” says Smith who referenced Jessica Rabbit and Mae West when describing the design inspiration. But in keeping with the brand of excess, she’s taking it up a notch. “I'm known for my cleavage, but this time, I’m having heaving cleavage, reminiscent of the court of Louis XIV. Boyant, bouncy, my cups-runneth-over cleavage.”

The highlight of the whole look is an extravagant, brocade and bejeweled cape created by Harlem icon and Met Gala co-host, Dapper Dan. Although she’s not a Met Gala newbie, this year is a particularly special one for Smith as she’ll be attending as the guest of Dapper Dan. “When I was a kid I dressed well, but I couldn’t afford Dapper Dan, his clothing was custom. It was always the goal of mine to own a piece of Dapper Dan, so when he invited me I was like OMG, I’m finally gonna get a piece of Dapper Dan — and for the Met Gala at that,” she gushes.

She went with shoes by designer Tiannia Barnes to accent the gown and cape. The cape informed the design for her nails, done by by artist Janet Deschamps, owner of The Nail Bar in New York City. “Bevy's nail are sculpted to a stiletto shape, then set encased in Swarovski crystals and chrome pigments, adding the final touch of drama to complete her look,” says Deschamps.

The Met Gala is primarily about fashion, but a look is never complete without the right hair and makeup. “Bevy’s makeup is our definition of camp combined with moments of beauty that we celebrate daily. The woman shopping from the neighborhood hair store, the girl that enjoys long nails ornately designed, the African braiding salon, lashes done religiously and weekly,” says makeup artist Mimi Kamara. Kamara referenced Dorothy Dandridge, Grace Jones, Cher, the La Belles, and the Mende people of West Africa when putting the look together.

Glitter and shine are the core of Smith’s hair and makeup with a strong glitter brow, emphasized cheekbones, and a soft lip. Her skin was prepped with Dior’s Prestige Le Grand Masque. “This was key, as I wanted her skin to glow from within,” says Kamara. She topped it with Dior Prestige eye and face serums, as well as the moisturizer. Kamara’s go-to for this budge-proof red carpet makeup look is the waterproof version of the iconic Diorshow mascara, paired with the brand's Lip Tattoo on her pout. Smith used her staple moisturizer Mama Sita’s Miracle Butter to get her skin glistening. What you won't see, but will definitely smell on Smith is the Harlem Night’s fragrance by black perfumer Chris Collins.

Of course, if you're going to pay homage to black creators and cultural icons, you've got to rock the natural. “I wanted my hair to regal, but it was very important for my Met Gala hair to be kinky-textured hair. That didn’t mean that it needed to be plain or simple,” Smith explains. The sky-high mashup of styles done by hairstylist Shelli Mosley includes a fishtail braid, a Grecian braid, a jeweled bang, and on the back of her head, a crown. “I thought of the girls in Harlem that would wear a french braid with finger waves and a bang all thrown together. I married the Harlem girl with Marie Antoinette,” says Mosley.

Mosley wanted the hair to complement the cape, so she used a hair clip from Lab of Luxury and then added in a crown made by hat designer Anthony Maxwell, which was placed at the back of Smith’s head. The goal wasn’t for the hair to be a literal interpretation of camp, but as Mosley explains, a literal interpretation of Bevy Smith’s lifestyle. “Bevy is the queen, the queen of Harlem.” she says.

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