For almost two decades, Lady Gaga has been producing art and using fashion as a form of communication to further express this art.
Gaga's storytelling in clothing is a resolved, complex, and very often misunderstood form of artistic storytelling that brings a lot of purpose in visual appeal to the work that Lady Gaga is producing.
For Gaga it’s not about producing controversial looks, or dressing, a certain way, just for the sake of having the attention of the paparazzi’s. There are statements, questions, stories, and political fashion moments in her looks that are rich in meaning and purpose.
Lady Gaga has just released Mayhem, her 7th studio album. The album brings back many of the pop sounds that her fans were craving for, with the gothic extravagant storytelling that only Lady Gaga can tell.
Let’s go over the role that fashion has played in Mayhem’s Lady Gaga so far.
Lady Gaga in Coachella
Lady Gaga’s presence at Coachella was so much more than an artist singing songs —it was performative art. The almost 120 minutes were divided into Acts where the stages, lights, choreography, and plot in the scene were changing.
For the opening act, she was cleverly standing at the top of an almost 20ft structure with the shape of a bell skirt and a cage. There were dancers inside the cage making the entire look even more surreal.
This first scene was an immediate captivating moment that shows how well fashion design and stage design interact with each other and blend seamlessly. It was about making a powerful impact —expectations were high for this comeback of Mayhem, often referred to as ‘Gaga reheating her nachos’.
A very powerful asset in Gaga’s fashion is the skills that she and her team have to deliver several looks layered and revealing them one after the other as part of the spectacle. The most famous reference to this phenomenon is the Met Gala 2019 when Gaga co-chaired the Gala and for 17 minutes stopped the carpet to deliver a performance that was all about fashion and camp. During the performance at Coachella, something similar happened with the revelation of one look after the other. The seamlessness of showing up in a gigantic red dress to perform Bloody Mary (a 2011 song that many fans have loved for 14 years but became widely popular in 2022 to soundtrack Jenna Ortega’s character in the Netflix show Wednesday. Then, Gaga climbs down while performing Abracadabra wearing a red coat with puffy sleeves and hardware that she takes off during the song to show a burgundy asymmetrical dress. There is cohesion within the looks as layers are being taken off and Gaga sings one song after the other. There are no decisions taken randomly, and from the colors to the cut of the dresses and the shape of the sleeves, there is intentionality.
Mayhem and Duality
Mayhem focuses on duality and chaos. Gaga explores the internal struggles that she has faced dealing with who Stefani Germanotta is (her real name), and who Lady Gaga is. Where does one start and where does the other end? How can she live life peacefully while essentially working hard to satisfy the needs of two personas?
This duality is expressed visually in the music videos of Mayhem. In " Disease, we see a 'darker more chaotic' version of Gaga wearing a full black ensemble and a leather accessory covering her face and her head while singing to another version of Gaga wearing a white softer feminine dress.
In her performances, we saw Gaga at Coachella playing chess against an older version of herself in the performance of Poker Face with a theatrical set that was a nod to Alexander McQueen's SS fashion show from 2005 —beloved fashion designer and friend of Gaga.
The narrative of duality in Mayhem explains why most of her costumes are red, black, and white. The red and black represent Mayhem, or the most chaotic version of herself. While the white costumes represent a more vulnerable, soft and feminine version of herself. Through the Coachella performance and Viva la Mayhem in Mexico, Gaga's soft and vulnerable version was outspoken about her pain. Her white dress was ripped by her skeleton dancers but she kept singing and performing Paparazzi in a slower and more dramatic version of the classic —almost as a new and elevated critic of fame.
Then, for the closing act in Bad Romance, Gaga wore a white bodysuit with feathers with red scars. The red scars may represent the blending and peace agreement of both versions of herself to continue moving forward in life and in her career. Additionally, the red scars make a cross on her chest, a symbol being used in Mayhem, but they also go around her hips, perhaps in reference to the hip injuries she had during the Born This Way Ball tour that forced her to cancel a few dates.
Mayhem as a Fan Engagement Opportunity
It seems as though no decision is taken arbitrarily when it comes to clothing selection for the artist. As the Mayhem Ball Tour is about to begin, it is noteworthy to highlight that many of the outfits that Mother Monster has been wearing throughout her press tour and her few public appearances during the ‘Mayhem era’ are rich, complex and fabulous, but at the same time, they are easy to be replicated by fans with a passion, a Joann’s closing down in their neighborhood, and tickets to see Lady Gaga this summer.
In today’s entertainment industry, concerts have become an interaction between the artist and the crowds where the fans dress up, uplift each other and fashion becomes part of the celebration of the music that they are listening to live.
It’s almost as if Mother Monster is giving little monsters a dress code she’d like them to follow for the Mayhem ball.
As we continue to observe more details and connect the dots between the lyrics, and the performances, perhaps we will continue to find more meanings to the clothes, makeup and theatrics that Gaga is showing us during this Mayhem Era. Let ourselves be surprised and captivated by art, duality, and Mayhem.
Lady Gaga arrived at the Grammys wearing Australia-Taiwanese designer Samuel Lewis.
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