Okay so here’s how this deep dive actually went down – bunch of screenshots, messy notes, coffee spilled on my mood board, the whole nine yards. Started cause I kept seeing those “Christian Siriano saved Gaga’s Oscars look” comments and thought, how many times did they actually work together? Figured it was maybe twice. Boy was I wrong.
Stage One: Falling Down the Google Rabbit Hole
Cracked open the laptop around 10 AM. Just typed “Lady Gaga Christian Siriano outfits” like a normal person. Google images explodes. Red dresses, pink feathers, that giant yellow Oscar thing. Panic set in. This wasn’t just Oscars 2019? Scrolled… and scrolled… 2018 MTV awards? 2016 Met Gala rehearsal dinner? Hold up. Needed a system.
- Step 1: Made a stupidly simple spreadsheet. Year, Event, Look Description. Basic.
- Step 2: Went straight to Siriano’s own site. Digging through his past collections was easier than some gossip sites. Found the exact names: “Bubblegum Pink Cape Gown (VMAs 2018)”, “Powder Blue Tulle (Grammys Press Tour 2019)”. Felt smug.
- Step 3: Hit the “Lady Gaga Style” fan blogs. Bless those obsessive angels. They had dates, event contexts, sometimes even fabric guesses. Found pictures I missed. Added 4 more rows to my sheet.
- Step 4: Youtube rabbit hole. Searched old red carpets. Found the interview where Gaga whispers “It’s Christian!” before the 2016 Grammys. Confirmed another look. Scribbled frantically.
Stage Two: The “Why” Mess
Okay, I had dates and dresses. Now what? Why Siriano for Gaga? The articles kept saying “he understands curves” and “he’s bold.” Felt too easy.
Started comparing looks side-by-side. His red carpet stuff for other stars looked… nice. Safe? But with Gaga: HUGE. Pink mountains of tulle. Architectural shoulder pads you could launch a rocket from. Pure theatre. Then I watched an interview where he said Gaga basically gives him a vibe or story, not exact sketches. Big freedom. Made sense why the Gaga stuff felt wilder than his usual bridesmaid line.
Tried to list common threads:
- Volume Monster: Skirts wider than my car, sleeves swallowing hands.
- Color Bombs: Like someone kicked over a paint factory. Hot pink, electric yellow, cobalt blue.
- Texture Party: Feathers, sequins, fringe, weird plastic bits – often all at once.
- Waist Snatched: Tight bodice middle holding the chaos together.
Noticed something else: a lot of these big Siriano-Gaga moments happened after she kinda ditched the raw meat dress phase and went more “Hollywood Star.” He gave her glam, but weird glam. Like, “Oscars gown made of inflatable pool toys” glam. Felt strategic.
Stage Three: My Epic FAIL Moment
Got cocky. Tried to “rank” their collaborations visually for the blog post. Opened Photoshop. Cropped 12 different Gaga-Siriano looks onto one grid. Instant regret. Looked like a toddler attacked a glitter factory. You couldn’t see the details AT ALL. Just a painful rainbow explosion. Deleted it after 20 minutes of eye strain.
Pivoted hard. Went old school. Pinned tiny printouts of each major look onto my actual corkboard. Stepped back. Still overwhelming, but at least I could see the shapes now. The huge bell sleeves vs. the bubble skirts. Lesson learned: sometimes analogue wins.
Final Count and Mind Blown
Tallied the confirmed looks from my trusty (now coffee-stained) spreadsheet. Over 12 major red carpet/public moments since 2016. That Met Gala afterparty look with the giant black bow? Him. The bright green strapless at ArtRave? Him. The crazy striped pantsuit for Jimmy Fallon? Yep. More than just one Oscars save. A whole dang partnership.
The biggest takeaway wasn’t just the big skirts. It was how Siriano took Gaga’s “look at me” energy and built a physical stage around her wherever she walked. Each piece is basically wearable architecture. Still amazed his atelier actually constructs those things without gravity winning. Finished around 4 PM. Brain officially full of tulle. Time for a beer.
