L'HISTOIRE: Lady Gaga’s Jean Paul Gaultier Couture Bodysuit at the 2009 MTV VMAs

L’HISTOIRE explores fashion history moments you should know, from what actors wore on a red carpet to celebrities who made cameos on the runway. Some are unsung, and some are better known. Each is part of the fabric of today’s fashion world, be it barrier breakers or culture makers.

In 2009, Lady Gaga was still a rising force—just 23 years old, with her debut album The Fame released only a year prior. But at the MTV Video Music Awards that September, she didn’t just prove she belonged—she made it unmistakably clear that pop culture would never be the same. With five outfit changes, a theatrical live performance, and a presence that hovered somewhere between avant-garde artist and pop provocateur, Gaga cemented herself as not just an entertainer, but a phenomenon.

Each look that night was a statement, but one in particular has remained etched in the visual archive of her career: a sculptural, Venus-inspired bodysuit by Jean Paul Gaultier. Styled by her longtime collaborator Nicola Formichetti, the piece had appeared on the Fall/Winter 2009 Haute Couture runway. With its padded curves and corseted detailing, the look fused celestial femininity with cyberpunk edge—a wearable piece of art that played with body and form. It was less about showing skin and more about reshaping it, reimagining what it meant to be adorned.

She paired the bodysuit with slouchy, sequined boots from Viktor & Rolf’s Fall/Winter 2009 collection—an unexpected styling twist that gave the look a kind of gritty elegance. Her beauty look pushed the surrealism further: a dramatic, jet-black cat eye that felt almost theatrical in its intensity, paired with a voluminous, teased bob by Peter Savic—dyed half soft pastel pink, half blonde. The effect was uncanny and unforgettable, like a porcelain doll reimagined.

But Gaga’s transformation that night wasn’t just visual, it was emotional. Her performance of "Paparazzi" was one of the most haunting in VMA history. She emerged vulnerable and wounded, delivering a dramatic, operatic rendition that culminated in staged blood and theatrical collapse. It was jarring, beautiful, and deeply intentional. 

While the 2009 VMAs were significant for Gaga (nine nominations and three wins, including for "Poker Face" and "Paparazzi"), what lingered was the sense that the world had just witnessed the birth of something far more lasting than a viral moment. 

To recreate Lady Gaga’s iconic look, try a JPG top that has sculptural lines similar to the original piece. Its clever trompe l’oeil design echoes the bodysuit’s illusion of shape, offering a bit more coverage without losing edge. Complete the look with sequined boots to finish the ensemble like Lady Gaga did in 2009.