She dazzled at the 2016 Oscars but she had backups. Several of them, actually. Lady Gaga wore a custom, Brandon Maxwell-designed gown at the 2016 Oscars. It was a strapless white ensemble with a train and pants, but it actually looked like a full skirt from certain angles. She paired the ensemble with Old Hollywood glam waves. While Mother Monster is devoted to her stylist Maxwell and even served as his assistant during NYFW last September, she made him work overtime for her 2016 Oscars look. This is the one amazing thing you need to know about Gaga's Oscar outfit.
It was actually one of five (!!!) custom looks Maxwell created for the event! Gaga admitted that her stylist made multiple looks during her red carpet interview. Maxwell probably sacrificed sleep for at least a week. Or five.
It might seem excessive, but it isn't. Gaga often changes outfits multiple times a day. But for this year's Oscars, she was both a performer and nominee, so she had to be over prepared with her fashion options. What if she had a change of heart? What if she found out one of her looks was too similar to something someone else planned to wear? That "Dressgate" situation actually happened with Anne Hathaway and Amanda Seyfried back in 2013.
It was as though Gaga left nothing to chance when it came to the 2016 Academy Awards. She looked so pretty and princess-y.
At first glance, it was sort of safe for Gaga. But knowing it was pants with a train... made it very Gaga. Remember when she used to ditch pants on the regular?
Gaga wore custom white Alaia to the Oscars in 2015, so it's clearly a shade the bride-to-be is comfortable with at black tie events.
One can't help but wonder what happened to or will happen to the other handful of dresses/outfits that Maxwell created but that were not chosen. I am sure they were fabulous but unpicked for whatever Gaga's fashion whim was at the moment.
Was the origami-like outfit she wore while performing "Till It Happens to You," which ultimately lost to Sam Smith's Bond theme "Writing's on the Wall," one of the other four? That's sort of secondary, since her performance was so unforgettable, since she invited abuse survivors to share the stage with her.
That said, maybe Gaga's unworn Oscar 2016 ensembles will end up on her frame in some other way at some other time. At least she keeps us (and Maxwell) guessing all of the time. It was no doubt a labor of love for him.
