BY CHARLIE DAWSON
For a while there, Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta – aka Lady Gaga – was more famous for wearing her pants out in public than for her music. But she won us over in a wave of 80s-influenced electro pop, and today the world is gaga for the lady. Her crazy fashion has undoubtedly helped pique our interest: from über-giant shoulder pads and bubbles to giant bat wings and crazy corsetry, she’s an unending source of sartorial surprises (even when she looked like a Muppet on German TV, in a dress made entirely from Kermit the Frogs!).
The directional dresser employs a team of stylists – all under the age of 26 and known collectively as the Haus of Gaga – who pull outfits from the world’s top designers. But it wasn’t always this way: “I used to buy dollar bras and add on sequins and beads,” says Gaga of her days customising corsetry. Wannabe Gagas on a budget can do some fashion DIY themselves, otherwise there’s an easy way to look like the lady – do some clever shopping on your hols! yeahbaby brings you the best Euro boutiques to pick up a kooky party dress, so that you can stand out from the crowd when Gaga comes to tour this spring…
B E L F A S T
Go Gaga for: Gráinne Maher Millinery
Christian Siriano (the 2008 Project Runway winner now designing for the likes of Victoria Beckham and Pink) made Gaga an oversized black patent bow for her hair – and a dramatic headpiece is essential if you want to look like the popstress. Belfast milliner Gráinne Maher’s Pluck & Devour label reworks vintage hats using hand-dyed feathers, Swarovski crystals and antique buttons. Each piece is a one-off, so you won’t find any copycats – and if you become a fan on Facebook, you can check out her designs before you visit the studio. 400 Ravenhill Road, Belfast, www.grainnemahermillinery.com
A M S T E R D A M
Go Gaga for: Individuals Statement Store
The Haus of Gaga may have met its match in this all-white boutique which houses a new collection – called Individuals – by a different 13 fashion students from the AMfi (Amsterdam Fashion Institute) every six months. The chosen 13 collaborate over colour and fabric swatches to make sure the collection is unified and works together in the store. Last season’s pieces included shirts with oversized collars open from the neck to the waist and sheer dresses. Cutting-edge student fashion? Just what La Gaga ordered! 23 Spui, Amsterdam, www.individualsatamfi.nl
P A R I S
Go Gaga for: Les Néréides
The new concept store in le Marais – home to Pascale and Enzo Amaddeo, co-creators of this Parisian jewellery line – is the kind of space Alice might find at the bottom of the rabbit hole (and therefore perfect for Lady Gaga!). There are chandeliers, hooks on the walls in the shape of red patent hands and blinking trinkets to accessorise the most avant-garde performer. Check out the cooler, edgier N2 diffusion range: Gaga would love the lime green and purple diamanté drop earrings in the shape of hands making the peace sign, or the collection based on the circus, which includes a charm necklace featuring a big top and a tiny lion tamer in action inside. 5 rue du Bourg l’Abbé, Paris, www.lesnereides.com
B A R C E L O N A
Go Gaga for: Josep Font
One of Spain’s hottest fashion designers, Font closed Fashion Week in Paris last year, earning this review: “For his fourth couture display, Spanish designer Josep Font continued to shore up his avant-garde credentials with a ravishing collection of think pieces.” Did someone say avant-garde?! Perfect! His latest collection is all corseted dresses with lace sleeves and high necks, pantaloon trousers and bow details. If you need further persuasion, we’ve seen photographic evidence of Gaga in a white, cropped, fishtail jacket with fringe shoulder pads from his spring 2009 haute couture collection. The price tags may be scary, but the futuristic store itself is worth a visit. 304 Provença, Barcelona, www.josepfont.com
P R A G U E
Go Gaga for: Ivana Follova
You’ll have to practise your poker face when aiming to coolly peruse the racks of this store and not gawp in amazement. The quality materials Follova uses are fun and quirky, from a jacket cut from material printed with a photograph of the Canadian Rockies, to satins in vibrant brights and a neck ruff made from feathers. Influenced by both Japanese and Czech folklore, the designer is definitely from the school of Gaga in her thinking: “More than the general dictat of fashion trends, I’m interested in the atmosphere of a specific person who wears my clothes.
My creations play with material, lines, colours and all kinds of heritage.” Gotcha. 36 Vodickova, Prague, www.ivanafollova.cz
L I S B O N
Go Gaga for: Outra Face da Lua
Formerly in Bairro Alto, this ultra-cool shop has now moved downtown where retro fashion (at least 25 years old), accessories and gadgets sit alongside a tearoom in a large vaulted store, so you can have a cuppa after hunting for those vintage prom dresses, Versace shades or tuxedo trousers à la Gaga. There’s also a good stash of vinyl and Fado music to give you some musical inspiration. And, if you like the look, they’re now selling wallpaper as well, so your home can have the Gaga treatment too. 22 rua da Assunção, Baixa, Lisbon, www.aoutrafacedalua.com
Having a ball
La Gaga kicks off the UK leg of the Monster Ball tour in Manchester on 18 February. Other bmibaby cities playing host to the megastar include Belfast (22 Feb), Glasgow (1 Mar), Cardiff (3 Mar), Birmingham (5 Mar) and Nottingham (8 Mar). For details, go to www.ladygaga.com
