This summer, Lady Gaga is returning to the stage when she kicks off her highly-anticipated Chromatica Ball tour (her first show is in Germany on 17 July). While the pop star will be playing new songs from her sixth studio album, fans can also expect Gaga to pull out some major performance looks on stage.
After all, Gaga is one of the world’s most fashion-forward, risk-taking celebrities (remember the meat dress?). In anticipation of her tour, Vogue is taking a look back at some of the star’s best ensembles over the years – the best 73 of them, to be exact.Since bursting onto the scene in 2008 with her critically-acclaimed album The Fame, Gaga’s fashion evolution has kept us guessing along the way.
She’s the queen of eras – drastically transforming and changing her look with each album release. When she was first starting out, for one, Gaga was all about a futuristic disco look, wearing pieces such as hooded bodysuits and architectural dresses. This is the year she also introduced The Haus of Gaga to the world – her small creative team who would be responsible for her costumes, props and sets for many years to come.
The 2010s, however, are when Lady Gaga emerged as the flamboyant red-carpet dresser we know her as today. At the 2010 MTV VMAs, she paid tribute to Alexander McQueen in a custom bosch-print gown, a gold feather mohawk and staggering armadillo shoes (she loves death-defying shoes).
“I’ve always been inspired by Alexander McQueen – I think he’s potentially the greatest designer of all time,” Gaga shared in her Vogue “Life in Looks” video. That same night, she switched into her infamous meat dress, which was designed by Frank Fernandez but envisioned by her Haus of Gaga – complete with a meat hat and meat purse, of course. (Fun fact:
In her Life in Looks video, Gaga shared there was actually a corset sewn underneath the meat, to give the garment some much-needed shape.)Throughout the past decade, Gaga’s only continued to experiment with different moods and fashion flavours. For her 2013 album Artpop, she went full on kooky-chic, wearing theatrical ensembles such as a giant feathered Louis Vuitton headpiece,
or an inflatable spike dress designed by Central Saint Martins alumni Jack Irving. For her 2016 album Joanne, she went more country-western, often wearing denim cut-off shorts and accessorising with the pink cowboy hat that she wears on the album cover.
In more recent times, however, Gaga has traded in her headline-worthy fits in favour of classic Old Hollywood gowns – a fitting move, given she’s turned into an A-list actor herself. After starring in films such as A Star Is Born and House of Gucci, Gaga has proven herself a true triple threat, and her fashion choices have gotten more elevated.
During her press tour for 2018’s A Star Is Born, she wore one striking couture gown after the next – her pink feathered Valentino gown she wore to the Venice Film Festival being a particular standout.
For her House of Gucci tour, she channelled “painful Italian glamour” in the Italian label’s purple gown with giant, billowy sleeves – which she flung around in dramatic Gaga fashionIt’s safe to say Gaga has never failed to command the step and repeat throughout her impressive career.
Whether she’s shocking with her meat dresses or delighting with her fresh off the runway gowns, there’s no denying it: She’s one of this century’s best-dressed stars. And we simply can’t wait to see what her Chromatica Ball serves up later this week.
