Lady Gaga‘s industrious career in the arts has partially been defined by her wardrobe. The singer and actress has sported no shortage of flamboyant fashions, ranging from her meat dress at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards to her sheer Versace frock at the 2023 Oscars.
As the singer celebrates her 38th birthday on Thursday, WWD looks back at over a decade of her most dramatic looks.
2010 Grammys
Lady Gaga looked out of this world in a custom Armani Privé ensemble featuring a structured silhouette and crystallized undergarments. On stage, Gaga sported two more looks by the Italian label, including a green bedazzled bodysuit with bold shoulders and exaggerated hips, which she wore to perform alongside Elton John.
“I am honored to be wearing Armani this evening. The series of pieces Mr. Armani created for me are truly iconic; they represent not only beautiful fashion, but my spirit and essence as an artist,” Gaga said in a statement at the time.
2010 MTV Video Music Awards
Perhaps Lady Gaga’s most memorable look is her meat dress at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. Designed by artist Franc Fernandez in collaboration with the singer’s fashion director, Nicola Formichetti, the entire ensemble was eventually preserved and turned into “jerky” with the help of a taxidermist. Today, it’s on display at the Haus of Gaga museum, located at the Park MGM in Las Vegas.
At the time, Gaga said that her look symbolized her disapproval of the military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy, which was repealed in 2011. “If we don’t stand up for what we believe in and if we don’t fight for our rights, pretty soon we’re going to have as many rights as the meat on our own bones,” the singer told talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.
2016 Golden Globes
In a departure from her typically overstated attire, Gaga had a Marilyn Monroe moment at the 2016 Golden Globes in a black velvet gown by Atelier Versace. The singer’s custom off-the-shoulder frock featured a plunging neckline and padded hips, accentuating her hourglass figure. Gaga’s accessories included diamond earrings and cuffs by Neil Lane.
That evening, Lady Gaga accepted her first Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television, which recognized her role in “American Horror Story: Hotel.”
2017 Super Bowl
For the 2017 Super Bowl, Lady Gaga descended into Houston’s NRG Stadium wearing an Atelier Versace bodysuit and boots encrusted with iridescent Swarovski crystals. She also put an avant-garde spin on football gear, changing into layered white shoulder pads, fishnets and crystallized micro shorts.
2018 Venice Film Festival
Even a little rain couldn’t stop Lady Gaga from strutting down the red carpet in powder pink plumes. Supermodel Kaia Gerber originally modeled this strapless gown on the runway during Valentino’s fall 2018 couture presentation.
2019 Golden Globes
At the 2019 Golden Globes, Lady Gaga gave Cinderella a run for her money in a puff-sleeve periwinkle gown complete with a 10-foot train. Designed by Valentino’s creative director Pierpaolo Piccoli, it appeared to reference a similar look worn by Judy Garland in 1954’s “A Star is Born.” At the Golden Globes, Lady Gaga won Best Original Song – Motion Picture for “Shallow,” which was written for the 2018 reboot.
Lady Gaga accessorized her voluminous gown with $5 million worth of Tiffany & Co. jewels, including a custom-made necklace adorned with over 300 diamonds.
2019 Oscars
Lady Gaga channeled Audrey Hepburn in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” wearing a strapless Alexander McQueen gown with exaggerated hips and a flared skirt. The singer accessorized with leather opera gloves and naturally, Tiffany & Co. sparkle. Gaga wore the jeweler’s eponymous Tiffany Diamond, a 128-carat yellow gem worn by Hepburn in publicity photos for the 1961 film. Beyoncé later sported the stone in a 2021 Tiffany & Co. campaign.
2019 Met Gala
Lady Gaga made a dramatic entrance at the “camp”-themed Met Gala in 2019. The singer and actress put on a performance in not one, but four Brandon Maxwell looks, beginning with a larger-than-life hot pink robe. Gaga removed it to reveal a skin-tight midi dress, a black strapless gown and finally, a matching Swarovski-encrusted lingerie set with fishnet tights.
President Joe Biden’s Inauguration
Lady Gaga performed the National Anthem at the inauguration of President Joe Biden in 2021. The singer’s Schiaparelli couture ensemble consisted of a navy cashmere jacket and a flowing scarlet silk faille skirt. She added on a large gold brooch in the shape of a dove carrying an olive branch — an age-old symbol of peace, freedom and love.
“Like so many of us, I have been inspired by Lady Gaga,” Schiaparelli’s creative director, Daniel Roseberry, said in a statement at the time. “Her inauguration performance, and the symbolic Dove Brooch, is a milestone in the history of this Maison and in my life.”
2023 Oscars
Lady Gaga attended the 2023 Oscars in a Versace gown fresh off the runway. Her sheer frock, which featured corsetry and a thin Medusa logo belt, debuted during the label’s fall 2023 presentation just days before the ceremony.
