Looks like the designer of choice for Super Bowl LI was Versace. The Italian fashion house dressed Lady Gaga for her mind-boggling halftime performance. And the night before, Taylor Swift chose a Versace design for her AT&T DirecTV Super Saturday performance at Club Nomadic.
Lady Gaga launched her performance from the roof of NRG Stadium in a heavily embellished long-sleeve bodysuit with big shoulders that evokes the brand's '80s powerwoman vibe. Donatella Versace flew to Houston to help Gaga into the outfit, which is official described as “custom fully beaded iridescent jumpsuit with sculptural shoulder detail paired with fully embroidered boots, both embellished with Swarovski crystals" and was backstage to help zip it up, according to reports.
Versace posted a backstage photo with Gaga on Instagram, along with a video of herself on her private plane traveling from Italy to Houston to attend the Super Bowl.
Gaga also wore a "custom gold cropped jacket accented with spiked shoulder pads” by Versace before changing to hot pants and a white jacket with metallic hardware for the ending number.
Her stylist and close friend, fashion designer Brandon Maxwell, told Vogue that the costume was meant to evoke the singer's more freewheeling "Poker Face" days. The custom Atelier Versace design, with a vaguely Blade Runner feel,“was always about celebrating all that she has done in this first decade of her career,” Maxwell said.
Swift also chose Versace for what she said will be her only live concert this year, donning a sheer embroidered black mini-dress with fringe skirt that moved as she sang "Shake It Off" and other hit songs at the Club Nomadic concert. She accessorized the dress with embellished black booties.
As CultureMap noted in a concert review, the room was hot, and we're assuming so was the dress, as Swift toweled off between songs as her bouncy hair went limp in the humidity.
All the attention to the brand comes as Riccardo Tisci recently left Givenchy after 12 years as artistic director at the French fashion house and is rumored to be set to join Versace.
