How Cara Delevingne’s Rainbow Platforms Defined the Met Gala’s Camp Theme

In May 2019, Cara Delevingne fully embraced the 2019 Met Gala’s “Camp: Notes on Fashion” theme in a custom Dior Haute Couture romper crafted from sheer tulle layered with multicolored satin bands, a piece that reportedly required more than 600 hours of atelier work.

The rainbow styling was widely interpreted as a nod to LGBTQ+ pride ahead of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, adding another layer of meaning to one of the evening’s boldest fashion statements.

Cara Delevingne wearing a crazy banana teeth headpiece with candy-wrapped eyeballs, glitter-nailed fingers, and fried eggs custom-made by Machine Dazzle

Her look combined towering Swarovski crystal-covered platform heels, matching striped hosiery, a surreal custom Machine Dazzle headpiece, and a dramatic orange stripe painted horizontally across her face by makeup artist Molly R. Stern — one of the night’s most memorable beauty details.

The custom Machine Dazzle headpiece pushed the outfit further into theatrical camp territory with dangling fried eggs, glitter-nailed fingers, candy-wrapped eyeballs, and chattering wind-up dentures layered into the chaotic design.

The exaggerated styling worked intentionally at odds with the precision of the Dior construction, creating the kind of visual overload that defined the night’s camp aesthetic.

Cara Delevingne wearing a Dior Haute Couture rainbow-striped romper, a custom Machine Dazzle headpiece, and rainbow-striped legs at the 2019 Met Gala held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on May 6, 2019 (Credit: Andres Otero / WENN)

The Suicide Squad actress continued the rainbow motif with matching horizontal-striped hosiery layered beneath the sheer Dior romper. Underneath, she wore crystal-studded nude undergarments and embellished nipple pasties, reinforcing the intentionally exaggerated, theatrical mood of the look.

Delevingne completed the outfit with towering clear platform heels featuring vertical rainbow crystal striping, a deliberate contrast against the horizontal rainbow bands running across the romper and hosiery. The custom platforms and matching cane were embellished with Swarovski crystals by A-Morir, creating a dizzying clash of color and geometry that leaned fully into the Met Gala’s camp theme.

Details of Cara Delevingne’s crystal rainbow platform sandals and crystal rainbow cane custom-bedazzled by A-Morir

In one of the night’s more chaotic behind-the-scenes moments, the crystal-covered cane reportedly snapped in the hotel lobby shortly before the event, forcing Delevingne’s team to repair it with a borrowed hot glue gun while en route to the red carpet.

Cara Delevingne’s Crystal Platforms Remain One of the Met Gala’s Most Unforgettable Camp Fashion Statements

While the headlines surrounding Cara Delevingne and Ashley Benson briefly dominated celebrity gossip coverage in 2019, Delevingne’s Met Gala styling has had far more staying power. From her rainbow crystal platform heels to the surreal Machine Dazzle headpiece, the look captured the exaggerated theatricality that defined the “Camp: Notes on Fashion” theme and helped cement platform shoes as one of the night’s standout footwear trends.

Years later, the Met Gala continues to deliver some of fashion’s boldest shoe moments, with celebrities using towering platforms, sculptural heels, and couture footwear to complete their red-carpet storytelling.