Lady Gaga’s Coachella Rebellion
Lady Gaga turned Coachella 2025 into a fashion fantasy, mixing old memories with bold new looks.
Lady Gaga performs at the Coachella Stage during the 2025 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California. Photographed by Kevin Mazur for Getty Images. Available via Getty Images. © All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
Coachella 2025 once again blurred the lines between music and fashion, and Lady Gaga was at the heart of it. She reflected her vision of an authentic, unapologetic style and completely shattered expectations this year. Throughout the performance, she switched between several costumes that respected her earlier periods and avant-garde pieces that belonged to the future. Her costumes evoked strong emotions and a sense of time and place while challenging the conventional ideas of what fashion should be.
Opening Look: The Red Queen
Gaga first performed her 2011 song "Bloody Mary" in a dramatic gothic atmosphere in a vast red Tudor dress inspired by Thierry Mugler's 1985 Lady Macbeth costume. The piece, which is designed in conjunction with Mugler's current creative team, featured voluminous puffed sleeves, an aggressively structured corset, and a floor-length skirt that rippled like blood across the stage. Red was a hue representing strength, passion, and blood, ideal for the mood of "Bloody Mary." Gaga's clothing choice emphasized the song's emotional depth and gave the audience a theatrical experience during her performance.
The Reinvention of "Paparazzi"
She sang her well-known song "Paparazzi" in an off-white dress by a London-based Turkish designer, Dilara Findikoglu, who reimagined historical fashion. This costume was a modern upgrade of her 2009 "Paparazzi" VMA performance armor. Metallic elements wrapped the gown's asymmetrically overflowing fabric, resembling rib cages, while the crutches she used symbolized her fragility. Symbolism was unmistakable: Fame is both a wound and a weapon, and Gaga refuses to give up!
The Chessboard Fantasy of “Poker Face”
In the rock version of "Poker Face," Gaga recreated a chess tableau and referred to McQueen's "It's Only a Game collection from Spring/Summer 2005. Wearing a unique black-and-white armored bodysuit made of overlaying panels that resembled chess pieces, Gaga assumed the role of Queen on the board. In the role of the Queen on the board, Gaga embodied power and strategy through her costume. This performance turned the stage into a live work of conceptual art, showcasing Gaga's remarkable ability to combine devotion with fashion style.
Fashion as Living Narrative
Her Coachella 2025 show boldly stated the true meaning of style. In other words, Gaga demonstrated that fashion is a dynamic art form with each appearance and movement in this show. Gaga made fashion its own language by experimenting with strength, force, and memory through couture.She reminded us that style cannot simply be copied or mimicked; it is about creativity, effort, and living it.
