This article was taken from the August issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content bysubscribing online
Lady Gaga’s Living Dress dominates the finale of her Monster Ball tour. As she sings, the gown begins to move, the crystal-covered headdress fans out like a peacock’s tail, the plastic and woven-steel skirt opens up, and wings unfold from behind her back.
The dress was created by Vin Burnham, a London-based costume designer whose work includes the iconic rubber suit worn by Michael Keaton’s Batman, and Adam Wright, an animatronics expert who worked on Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr Fox.
The original brief was for a “firefly dress”, says Burnham. “My early sketches were fairly literal with antennae, but Lady Gaga wanted something more like couture fashion.”
It was later in the design process that Burnham decided to add the animated features -- the bustle and train conceal motors and cables. Wright explains: “The wings are operated by Gaga with bungee chords. The headdress, dress movements and face fans are all connected to motors and remote-controlled from offstage.
“We operated it ourselves for three gigs,” he continues. “But the dress is easy to operate. If I make myself obsolete, then I’ve succeeded.”
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
