MAYHEM in Motion: Lady Gaga’s Best Fashion Moments of the Era
From razor-sharp tailoring to gothic glam, Mother Monster’s "Mayhem" era proves she’s still fashion’s wild card—here’s a breakdown of her most unforgettable looks!
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It's time for me to put my paws up! Brooklyn-Italian music sensation Lady Gaga—born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta—is nothing short of a multi-industry juggernaut. From creating countless fashion conversations (handing Cher a meat purse at the 2010 MTV VMAs, making technological fashion sexy) to receiving backlash from the Catholic Church and singlehandedly re-popularizing the singer-to-award-winning-actress pipeline, Gaga has always been in a league of her own. Oh, and let's not forget how she made bold makeup cool again with Haus Labs.
Only one question remains… Is there anything Gaga can't do?!
During a Milan Fashion Week Q&A, Anna Wintour asked Donatella Versace, “Did you ever dream of living another life and, maybe, having another career?” Without hesitation, Donatella answered: “I would always loved to be born as a rockstar. […] I want to be Gaga in my next life.” And honestly? Same!
Just as the world went Gaga-crazy during her 2008 debut "Just Dance," a similar Gaga renaissance is happening right now with the release of her daring seventh studio album, Mayhem. It's electrifying. It's chaotic. And most importantly—it's fashion.
Although longtime fashion director Nicola Formichetti isn't as hands-on this era, his influence is still woven into the fabric of Gaga's fashion ecosystem—most notably through former protégé Hunter Clem, who has risen from assistant stylist to an in-demand force, thanks to making waves with Chappell Roan's lead stylist Genesis Webb. Clem’s styling feels deliberate, elevated, and a little dangerous—a signature of longtime Gaga collaborators. Meanwhile, newer entries like Chloe and Chenelle Delgadillo bring a fresh edge, proving that Gaga's evolving roster of stylists isn't just keeping up but setting the pace.
What makes the Mayhem era so thrilling is its dynamic range—and if there are two defining visual trends here, it's texture and layering—an intentional reflection of the metamorphic transformation Gaga underwent while creating this record. The visuals effortlessly swing between A Star Is Born-style Hollywood polish and the outlandish extremes that originally made Gaga a fashion icon. But as her career (and net worth) have skyrocketed, so has the precision in her fashion choices.
While her past looks leaned on decades-long relationships with powerhouse designers—many likely pulled from Formichetti's orbit like Versace and Mugler—to keep her red carpet moments unexpected yet modern, Mayhem signals an evolution. Gaga's embrace of emerging designers has never felt more intentional, making her fashion choices as dissectible as her music. And I have to wonder: Is Hunter Clem behind this new shift?
Gaga has always understood how to tell a story through clothes, and the Mayhem era is no exception. From razor-sharp tailoring to unapologetic camp, she's serving a sartorial feast that reminds us why she's one of the greatest visual artists in pop history. So naturally, I had to break down my favorite looks from this era—because Mother Monster didn't just come to play. She came to dominate.
*My research would be incomplete without La Maison Gaga!*
As you see, I even use their exquisite collages, which capture Gaga's wardrobe perfectly. If you are interested in a deeper analysis of the world of Gaga's fashions or simply want to have a healthy diet of fashion knowledge, La Maison Gaga is the place for you!
Not sponsored, but it would be totally improper not to state a major article resource reference before digging into my favorite looks. Let's begin!
Saturday Night Live Extravaganza
Styled by (1st Look) Hunter Clems; (2nd and 3rd Look) Chloe & Chenelle Delgadillo
Gaga had an eventful month in New York, starting with a pre-Mayhem moment at 30 Rockefeller Center for the 50th anniversary of SNL, where Hunter Clems styled Stefani in a steely head-to-hem monochromatic look from Atlein Spring/Summer 2025 as she sported jet black hair with micro bangs.
Later in the SNL50 season, Gaga double-booked herself as the show's host and musical guest as Mayhem's promotional activities kicked off. For her performance of Prince-inspired "Killah," Gaga was styled by sister-duo Chloe and Chenelle Delgadillo in a custom "Purple Rain" birding suit from Robert Wun with exaggerated, puffy shoulder pads and pleated accents on the sleeves and flared pants.
Styled again by the Delgadillos, Gaga arrived at the show's weekly afterparty in a sparkly number— Christian Louboutin pumps included— wearing a custom bedazzled, feathered black Luis de Javier x Betto Garcia headpiece with a matching Victoria's Secret constructed bodysuit.
Street Fashion
Styled by Chloe & Chenelle Delgadillo
While Gaga has always been a street photographer's dream catch with her eccentric, left-field fashion taste, the Delgadillos dared to make Gaga's moody monochromatic palette as textured as the dynamic and gritty Mayhem.
But it's also the age-old styling rule that if an outfit isn't interesting by color, it should be made visually appealing by incorporating other elements like texture, shape, or patterns. In the Delgadillos' case, why not all three?
Topping the sidewalk head-turners is this black-and-white plaid wool Diesel coat with a mouth-watering transition into a fringed, feather-like effect in the lower half. On another occasion, she donned a fresh-off-the-runway Loude Betoly jacket made of reworked old leather jackets. Eco-conscious Queen!
ELLE February 2025 Cover
Styled by Pau Avia
Kicking off the new year on the cover of Elle, Gaga told the magazine that LA-born designer ILONA is her designer to watch right now.
Pulled from the singer's own closet, Gaga wears the Lotta dress from ILONA's "Psychosis" collection, featuring an antique ivory French silk velvet with a pleated tulle trim— it's no wonder she feels like a porcelain doll in ILONA's designs, especially when completed with matching La Bagagerie gloves and floral lace tights from Valentino's S/S 25 "Pavillon des Folies."
Grammy 2025 Looks
Styled by Peri Rosenzweig and Nick Royal of HARDSTYLE
Before earning her fourteenth Grammy for the Bruno Mars collaboration "Die With A Smile," Gaga stormed the red carpet in a gothic warrior-inspired Samuel Lewis all-black leather ensemble featuring a full, draped skirt— styled by HARDSTYLE duo Peri Rosenzweig and Nick Royal.
For her trophy photoshoot, Gaga wore a corseted noir silk moiré Vivienne Westwood Tabitha gown.
Vogue October 2024 Cover
Styled by Alex Jordan Harrington
At the time of this Vogue cover, Mayhem was still called LG7, and "Disease" was called "the first single in October. Even if Mother Monster was still promoting Joker: Folie à Deux and her subsequent character-study Harlequin EP, the photoshoot is punk enough to be a Mayhem easter egg.
Photographed by Vogue-favorite photographer Ethan James Green, legendary stylist Alex Harrington layered Gaga in Dior's Scotland-inspired Resort 2025 collection, wearing a knitted argyle sweater and tartan wool maxi dress, which was layered underneath a mesh and metallic lace dress.
Mechanic Chic at Gaga Chromatica Ball L.A. Movie Premiere
Fashion Direction by Nicola Formichetti / Styled by Hunter Clems
Another Mayhem easter egg. From Argentinian Berlin-based emerging designer SELVA's (Cristian 'Selva' Huygens) "[603.628]km²" collection. This white corseted dress, distressed car-part shoulder sculptor look, was made in only two days (!), and it hints at Mother Monster waking up on Mistress Mayhem's car hood in the October single, "Disease." The brutalist, industrial look was pulled together with Pleaser Xtreme-1020 white vinyl platform ankle boots, my favorite part of this outfit.
Press Fits
Styled by Chloe & Chenelle Delgadillo
My favorite part of Mayhem's promotional run is how visually understated yet chic her outfits are until you clock the designer label. Her Black Girl Nerds interview look is perhaps my favorite non-music video look from the Mayhem era. She stuns in a charred black leather coat with lacing detail and a distressed corset waist belt from Vettese's Fall/Winter 2025 collection.
But, it's, of course, tied with Gaga's “Lil Monsters" Press Conference at Spotify's NYC HQ, where she wore emerging designer Colleen Allen's Victorian black velvet coat and contrasting white crinoline underwear peeking out from the back, from his Fall/Winter 2025 collection.
And who styled them? It was none other than the Delgadillo sisters again!
“Disease” Music Video
Styled by Peri Rosenzweig and Nick Royal of HARDSTYLE
My favorite part of the "Disease" music video is when Mother Mayhem removes her wide-brimmed hat from Stephen Jones and the plague doctor-esque headpiece created by HARDSTYLE for that wicked header photo. But all of the first looks of Mother Mayhem (above collage from La Maison Gaga) are a behemoth of different fashion pulls.
For the one above, Gaga enlisted Turkish designer Dilara Findikoglu for a black mixed media blazer with a lace appliqué on the collar. The blazer was also lined with flannel under-sleeves.
Mixed into the gothic maximalist look is a treasure trove of vintage pieces— all from Peri's personal vintage collection, A FETISH ARCHIVE— including a vintage Yohji Yamamoto fishnet dress, which served as the based base, and then topped with vintage Comme des Garçons zip-embellished leather faux sleeves.
Finishing the look is a lace and satin bustle dress from Meruert Tolegen's S/S 25 collection and a vintage Maison Margiela gaffa tape belt from The Arc London.
As a newborn Gaga emerges from Mother Mayhem in the music videos cinematic outro HARDSTYLE and Samuel Lewis embrace the slimy, doomed reality of Mayhem in a stunning custom grey ombré double layer illusion hand-dyed silk gown with long sleeves, turtleneck, and distressed hem.
Oh, and the two looks' black lace gloves were custom Wing & Weft Gloves.
“Abracadabra” Music Video
Styled by Peri Rosenzweig and Nick Royal of HARDSTYLE
Before her iconic dance break, the Mistress of Mayhem went behind-the-scenes for fittings of this-one-a-kind monochromatic red look custom made by Samuel Lewis and Seth Pratt, complete with padded hips underneath a red lacing bodysuit, matching sleeves, and destroyed moiré silk bustle skirt.
The photos don’t give Stephen Jones justice for his red floral lace hood and matching boater hat with overlapping cut brim. The red lace gloves were, of course, custom-made by Wing & Weft Gloves. And not shown are the custom red Chrome Hearts leather boots Gaga danced in.
Although, again, not pictured much, this custom lace cape collaboration made between Samuel Lewis, Suman Gurung, and ILONA was a main character in itself, and not only because it’s based on the breathtaking closing number from Alexander McQueen for Givenchy’s Fall/Winter 1998 Haute Couture collection.
Both designs have, of course, have similar elements: an extravagant white lace jacket with oversized dramatic Elizabethan collar and tiered stiffened long train.
In the same sequence, Gaga ditches the cape for her dance number, revealing a custom Olivier Theyskens white pleather catsuit with strong shoulders, lace panels, and hook-and-eye embellishments in a distinct cross formation and incorporated gloves, based on Theyskens’s S/S 1999 collection.
If you made it this far—congrats! You survived my deep dive into Mayhem-era fashion. Now, let’s discuss:
✨ Did I miss a standout look?
👀 Which Mayhem fit has been your favorite so far?
💥 And the real question: Will Gaga ever release Artpop Act II?
Drop your thoughts below. Or don’t. Either way, I’ll still be obsessing over these outfits.
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Bye for now, xo. Enjoy the Mayhem!