Lady gaga full body outfit

WHETHER THROUGH FASHION, music or acting, Lady Gaga has been creating transformative art since she first stepped onto the scene in the late 2000s. Gaga — born Stefani Germanotta — utilises fashion as an expression of her individuality, a rejection of societal expectations and a powerful political tool.

In a 2010 interview with T Magazine, Gaga explained her connection to art beautifully: “I see myself as a person who chooses to live my life in an open way — artistically. I am a walking piece of art every day, with my dreams and my ambitions forward at all times in an effort to inspire my fans to lead their life in that way.”

In similar esteem to Prince and David Bowie before her, Gaga embraces complete creative freedom in her artistry, with her fashion forming an inextricable extension of her artistry and activism. Just think of her meat dress — a dress so famous it has its own Wikipedia page — which she wore to the 2010 VMAs in protest of the US military policy ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,’ which permitted queer people to serve in the military as long as they didn’t openly express or disclose their sexuality. “We decided to do the meat dress because I thought to myself if we were willing to die for your country, what does it matter how you identify,” Gaga explained to British Vogue in 2022, 12 years on from the occasion.

Female artists who fail to reinvent themselves often fall into obscurity — but luckily, reinvention is something Gaga does incredibly successfully, as is evidenced in the varying looks she’s served up throughout her career.

Gaga has utilised fashion as the most visual form of her artistic expression since her debut. In celebration, scroll on to discover the best looks from the activist, musician and courageous artist whose creative expression knows no bounds.

Ever the artist and entertainer, Lady Gaga has a slew of exciting projects coming up. This month, the singer and actor is Vogue’s new cover star, and she will also star in the Joker sequel alongside Joaquin Phoenix. We're waiting with bated breath to see her red carpet looks during the press tour; Gaga is, after all, one of the world’s most fashion-forward, risk-taking celebrities. (Cue memories of the meat dress.) In anticipation of her very busy 2024, Vogue is taking a look back at some of the star’s best ensembles over the years—87 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 transformation—drastically changing her look with each album release. When we were first introduced to Gaga, she was all about a futuristic disco look, wearing hooded bodysuits and architectural dresses. This is the year she also introduced The Haus of Gaga to the world—a small creative team that would be responsible for her costumes, props, and sets for many years to come.

In the 2010s, however, is 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, gold feather mohawk, and staggering armadillo shoes (she loves a death-defying shoe). “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 Haus of Gaga—complete with a meat hat and meat purse, of course. (Fun fact: In her Life in Looks video, Gaga revealed that a corset was sewn underneath the meat, to give the garment some much-needed shape.)

I've learned a lot about my body and style throughout my almost 29 years on this planet. High-waisted is the best pant rise for my pear-leaning-hourglass figure, and black is a flattering color. One time, I heard a guy working at an expensive Lower East Side menswear boutique tell his coworker that "wearing color isn't interesting," and for whatever reason, that stuck with me. I don't agree with him, but what an interesting hill to die on.

These learnings have led me to wear the same thing almost every day: a slim-fit black tee tucked into high-waisted black slacks. One might call it my "uniform" or a tried-and-true "outfit recipe." I call it "stagehand chic." They're my comfort clothes, not because they're particularly comfortable, but because I don't have to form any thoughts or opinions before putting them on. I can confidently wear my monochrome black ensemble, knowing it won't attract any unwanted attention, or any attention at all, for that matter. It's basic, yet vaguely stylish (especially with the right shoes). It's mysterious, but also says, "Please do not try to solve me." It's a low-risk look. And apparently, one Lady Gaga relies on, too.

Seeing Lady Gaga wear my signature rags at today's Joker: Folie a Deux photocall gave me the rare opportunity to perceive myself from an onlooker's point of view. We are of similar height: she's 5-foot-1, and I'm about 5-foot-3-and-a-half. She has a more athletic build, but our shapes impart a comparable effect in the tee-shirt-cinched-waist-loose-pants silhouette. "Not bad," I thought.

The singer, actress, and mogul has been keeping with the black-on-black theme all week. Last night, on the Joker: Folie à Deux premiere red carpet, she wore a lacy, horned headpiece and a black ballgown, featuring a drop-waist and a larger-than-life skirt that curved like a ribbon. Earlier in the day, she wore a black, avant-'50s-feminine tea-length velvet d

The world has always been a stage for Lady Gaga. From towering sky-scraper platforms to spiky wearable art, she’s never been afraid to take a fashion risk. These days, she explored more of a glamorous Old Hollywood dress code, but avant-garde outfits defined her early career.

Perhaps the singer’s most infamous look arrived in 2010, when she attended the MTV Music Awards in a garment made from raw meat. Forget risqué “naked dresses”, the “meat dress” was – and still is – one of the most divisive outfits in history. Stylist Nicola Formichetti called upon Franc Fernandez to design the unique piece, which was fashioned from flank steak.

Animal rights groups condemned Gaga’s look, but Gaga herself insisted the dress – which she wore one month before a little app called Instagram was launched – was a protest. Wondering what happened to it? A taxidermist was tasked with preserving it, beef jerky style.

Of course, Gaga’s vegan unfriendly outing is far from her only outrageous look. The meat dress was succeeded by sculptural headwear, daring sheer catsuits, fuzzy coats, horns and a look made entirely out of Kermit cuddly toys. You name it, Gaga’s done it.

Take the time she wore a flaming bra on stage in 2009, for example. Or her performance in a bubble dress at the House of Blues that same year. Gaga didn’t tame her outré sense of style to meet the Queen, either: she shook Her Majesty’s hand while wearing a red Latex dress and theatrical eye make-up.

Gaga also loves a costume change. At the Met Gala in 2019, which had the theme of Camp: Notes on Fashion, the artist wore no fewer than four outfits, courtesy of longtime friend and collaborator Brandon Maxwell. She opened her show on the pink carpet in a gargantuan hot-pink gown, then changed into a flowing black number. Another pink dress followed and finally, she wore shimmering lingerie, fishnets and her signature vertigo-inducing heels.

Below, we celebrate G