Lady Gaga Meat Dress Costume
Channel pop history in Lady Gaga's most controversial red carpet look.
Lady Gaga shocked the world at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards by wearing a dress made entirely of raw beef. This costume replicates that iconic pop culture moment using realistic meat-print fabric or DIY felt. The complete look features a meat-textured dress, a matching headpiece, meat-wrapped boots, and Gaga's signature silver-blue hair.
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Time
- ~45 min
- Budget
- $40–120
Try it on
See yourself as Lady Gaga Meat Dress
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What you need for a Lady Gaga Meat Dress costume
Short on time? Buy it ready-made
Spirit Halloween sells the complete Lady Gaga Meat Dress costume — one box instead of 6 pieces.
Meat-print dress
An asymmetrical cowl-neck dress featuring a realistic raw marbled beef print.
DIY: Fabric-glue layers of red, pink, and white felt strips onto a basic red tube dress to mimic marbled steak.
Meat-print headpiece
A small matching fascinator or wedge of meat-print fabric secured to a hair clip.
DIY: Wrap a small piece of meat-print fabric or marbled felt over a foam block and attach it to a hair clip.
Meat boot wraps
Strips of meat-print fabric or butcher twine used to wrap around platform ankle boots.
DIY: Wrap red and white felt strips around your existing boots and tie them securely with white cotton butcher twine.
Silver-blue wig
A long, straight wig with blunt bangs in a pale silver-blue shade.
DIY: Use temporary silver and blue hair color spray on a long blonde wig.
Butcher twine
Thick white cotton kitchen twine to wrap around the boots and ankles.
Meat-print clutch bag
A small box clutch covered in matching raw beef print fabric.
DIY: Wrap a basic hard-shell clutch in meat-print fabric or marbled felt.
Rather not assemble it? See ready-made Lady Gaga Meat Dress costumes at Spirit Halloween ↗
How to put it together
- 1
Put on the long silver-blue wig, brushing it straight and ensuring the blunt bangs are neat.
- 2
Slip on the meat-print dress, adjusting the asymmetrical hemline and cowl neck.
- 3
Put on a pair of platform ankle boots.
- 4
Wrap the boots and your ankles with meat-print fabric strips or red felt, then tie them securely with white butcher twine.
- 5
Clip the meat-print fascinator headpiece into the side of the wig, angling it forward.
- 6
Carry the matching meat-print clutch bag to complete the red carpet ensemble.
Makeup & hair
Style a long, straight silver-blue wig with blunt bangs. Keep makeup glamorous with a classic red lip, dramatic winged black eyeliner, and defined eyebrows.
Lady Gaga Meat Dress for couples, groups, kids & more
- couples
- Pair with someone dressed as a butcher in a white apron with fake blood, or Bruce Deming presenting her VMA award.
- group
- Gather a group wearing Lady Gaga's other famous looks, such as the bubble dress, the paparazzi tape outfit, and the blue leotard.
- kids
- A simplified version using a red t-shirt dress decorated with white felt 'marbling' fabric paint.
- Plus size
- A meat-print tunic or A-line dress offers a comfortable, flexible fit for all body types.
- pet
- A small dog sweater painted with red and white marbled steak patterns.
Tips
- Use safety pins to adjust the drape of the dress for a more custom, fitted look.
- Ensure the boot wraps are tied securely so they do not unravel or trip you while walking.
- Carry a toy VMA Moonman trophy as a fun, recognizable prop.
- Opt for high-quality printed fabric rather than actual raw meat to keep the costume sanitary and odor-free.
Lady Gaga Meat Dress costume FAQ
- What is Lady Gaga's meat dress made of?
- The original dress was made of real raw flank steak, but this costume version uses realistic meat-print polyester fabric or felt.
- How do you make a DIY Lady Gaga meat dress?
- You can make one by cutting red, burgundy, and white felt into organic, wavy strips and fabric-gluing them in layers onto a red dress to look like marbled beef.
- What shoes did she wear with the meat dress?
- She wore platform shoes completely wrapped in raw meat and tied with white butcher twine.
Did you know? The original meat dress was preserved by taxidermists as a type of beef jerky and was put on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.