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“I don’t feel like I look like the other perfect little pop singers. I think I’m changing what people think is sexy.” Immortal words from Lady Gaga, 2009’s poster child for avant-garde pop and the Ambassador of No Pants Land. Surrounded by a latex-clad coterie nicknamed Haus of Gaga (loosely modeled after Warhol’s Factory), Gaga’s remarkable wardrobe is like architecture from outer space. So what cutting-edge designers and architects might the Lady be referencing? Our speculations after the jump.
The artist formerly known as Stefani Germanotta adopted a bubble-wrapped leotard during her first solo tour in March 2009. She was likely following the lead of Buckminster Fuller (stage name: Bucky) and this outré version of his signature geodesic dome.
At first glance, this coiled silver tube dress reads Zaha Hadid, but there’s no escaping the comparison to Renzo Piano’s Parco della Musica auditorium in Rome.
Nice facets! Angular forms and a white palette reference Konstantin Gricic’s Bench One for Magis. See also: “aesthetically controversial, technically demanding.”
Laser-cut lace is both old school and modern thanks to new production techniques, as both Lady Gaga and designer Marcel Wanders know well.
A structured, geometric frock with a freewheeling swoop of skirt reminds us of the controlled exuberance and architectural daring of Santiago Calatrava, as seen in his design for an airport railway station in Lyon.
Dressed like a demented Delft figurine, Gaga is clearly going for Tord Boontje’s contemporary china pattern as seen in his old school Rough and Ready series from 1998.
The priest of industrial design himself, Monsieur Philippe Starck, should be a major point of reference for the Lady. Check out the Prive Caprice’s sexy black leather and sleek stems. Hot.
Only the most conceptual attire is appropriate for an appearance on Ellen. Suitably, we’re thinking about the sublime architecture of Etienne Boullée, such as the 1784 cenotaph in honor of Isaac Newton.
Okay, this is getting too easy. A Kermit suit may seem like a nutjob getup, until you realize the Campana brothers started producing their stuffed animal seating in 2003 when Stef was probably still working at Def Jam. Or stripping.
And we like to think Gaga’s tipping her teacup to the biggest design lothario of them all, master swordsman Frank Lloyd Wright, when she explains in this clip that a little lovin’ shouldn’t damage one’s creative output:
So tell us; what Gaga design inspirations did we miss?
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32 Responses
brilliant. you actually made gaga interesting! i feel like a kid that just got tricked into eating her vegetables :)
[...] when I was starting to think Gaga had played herself, Kelsey Keith from Flavorpill’s blog Flavorwire put up this awesome visual diagnosis of the freaky avant-pop icon. Fucking amazing. Favorite pics [...]
homegirl just got exponentially cooler. amazing. :)
[...] Lady Gaga as Architectural Cipher [Flavorwire] BACK TO Buildings: The Section Email [...]
[...] curious as to how lady gaga matches her outer space outfits to this piece of architecture and others? we’d suggest clicking through, and adding your two cents. [...]
Well done. It's good to see such hermetic souls as you and L. are conscious of the wonders of postmodern appetite. Everything can will, will be, must be, consumed, whether the table is actually set and utensils are in hand, or the meal is entirely imaginary. I no longer regard my senses as truth-telling organs. Information comes in, is processed, is interpreted and then expelled as poetry, prose or excrement. I simply move into the next day as the dreamer opens the door in front of him. I have no agency, no autonomy. The hand reaches for the doorknob. Whatever you have posted has confirmed that anything can be constructed out of anything to resemble anything at any time in any place, for any purpose. Well done, which is rare, indeed, to say nothing of words.
Still doesn't change the fact that her music is watered down disco-Goldfrapp retreads. But after reading this, maybe I'm missing the point!
[...] Flavorwire Blog Archive More Than Just a Pokerface: Lady Gaga as Architectural Cipher [...]
I think she knows her music is pointless..she is about making a statement. What is shocking is that people actually buy the music. This article does make her more interesting. I was at a loss for words regarding her stardom, but now I kinda get the gist of her and that helps. Thanks.
yuck. she attacks the interviewer for asking about her sexuality, because she thinks he is making an assumption based on her gender (that women being sexy is a distraction) but then states that she's not a feminist because she likes men. hating men does not a feminist make. talk about missing the point!
I had always assumed she dressed like that to take the attention away from that thing she calls a face. But your idea is much more interesting…. ;)
Lady Gaga is a very attractive young lady under all that makeup and hair. Just Google old pictures of her before she was Lady Gaga.
As far as what she wears. A lot of her outfits are inspired by what fashion designers are putting out. The bubble outfit is a copy of a designers' dress. The Kermit dress was on a French runway. The crazy, metallic headpiece? Also a designer's. She makes no bones about being attracted to outrageous designers and lifting directly from pop culture. Her mantra when she first broke on the scene was, "Pop culture is not low brow."
No, the interviewer did not ask her if being a sexy woman is a distraction. He asked her if her sexual lyrics and her open talk about sex distracted from her music. Two very different things. And she was right. When was the last time that a male performer was asked if his sexual antics detracted from his legitimacy as a performer? Talk about not being able to understand a video.
[...] Posted by Deusdies as General Maybe it’s not about fashion, or music, or Andy Warhol. Maybe it’s not about disability devotees, fame, or the hatred of pants. Maybe Lady Gaga does whatever it is she does because of architecture? An argument in pictures. [Flavorwire] [...]
[...] another note: here’s an interesting take on her unconventional fashion choices–that she’s doing it to [...]
[...] dizainerio, tačiau sąsaja dažnai būna akivaizdi. Ypač tai akivaizdu perskaičius Flavorwire straipsnį apie Lady Gaga ir jos architektūrišką aprangą. Pateikiu įdomiausias [...]
No disrespect to your concept of attractive, ngonzogo, but I'm looking at that picture of her up there, she's wearing a green dress, and those criss crossed eyes and thin lips probably don't change when the makeup comes off.
these comparisons and relationships are ridiculous
[...] Awesome spaceship, girl. See the rest (and check out the running commentary) at Flavorwire. [...]
[...] Lady Gaga as architectural cipher includes comparisons to works by Zaha Hadid, Marcel Wanders and as above, Buckyminister Fuller. tags:architecture lady gaga music [...]
You are giving her a whole lot of credit…comparing her style to the greats. She is doing nothing more than keeping her finger on the pulse of fashion…she is wearing what was on the runways one and two years ago…as a pop artist she has an obligation to be fashionable. Furthermore, she is just recycling what has already been done. Have you ever heard of the band Missing Persons?
[...] delightful website under the title Banquete. This was also a Flavorpill find… actually in a review of pop star Lady Gaga’s fantastical [...]
[...] Lady Gaga et l’architecture: une source d’inspiration vestimentaire? [via [...]
[...] Gaga as architectural cipher | Louis Vuitton | toned down design | a puzzle for Brad | style conscious architects | I’ve [...]
Let's have some, this beat is sick, I want to take a ride on your disco stick.
Okay, I'm a little late with this, but I just wanted to point out that Lady Gaga's Delft getup — compared here to Tord Boontje — could have been influenced by the Frank Gehry-designed "A Rose For Lily" sculpture at Disney Hall.
This story was pure genius and a hell of a lot of fun to read — thank you!!
[...] fusionado lo mejor de cada mundo. Por fin lo superficial trasciende hacia la posteridad. Según el visionario Kelsey Keit en Flavorwire, detrás del estrafalario gusto estético de la artista se escondería un homenaje a [...]
You missed one:
Lady Gaga's VMA acceptance outfit
http://buzzworthy.mtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2009...
and La Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona:
http://more.rjdj.me/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/p_...
[...] love this article on Lady Gaga and her architectural moments. You must check it out. And seriously, the frog outfit toward the bottom?? « GleePeek [...]
[...] the eagle-eyed folks over at Flavorwire point out, it’s pretty clear that she’s got a gift for lifting from famous architects and [...]
[...] Lady Gaga. The music is totally uninteresting, but the visuals, oh the visuals… [...]
[...] si mai multe aici. [...]