Ever since the announcement that Gaga's stylist and right hand man, Nicola Formichetti, had been appointed to creative director of strict and futuristic French fashion house, Thierry Mugler, we've been chewing our plait-ends in anticipation! But in reality, the menswear show will come first and set the tone of the (doubtless, completely off the perch) women's ready to wear collection. And judging by the menswear is already creating this much anticipation then what will the build up to his debut womenswear collection be like?

Boy George and Leigh Bowery, cluubing back in the Eighties

Ahead of the menswear show this week in Milan, creative director of Thierry Mugler, Nicola Formichetti, has been dropping little hints and releasing internet teazles – like these fairly aggressive looking promo photos of a model, appearing to have been dipped in rubber or tar wearing a spiky helmet. Very Leigh Bowery is what springs to our mind. The performance artist died 16 years ago but his mental ideas and imagery have refused to die in the cultural consciousness and more than one or two of Gaga’s favourite themes – heavy makeup as a disguise, face furniture, giant platform shoes, were all Bowery trademarks in the 80s/90s.

Speaking of Lady Gaga, she has been confirmed as the “musical director” for the show, which will take place on Wednesday. Apparently the beef loving pop star will remix a never-heard track from her forthcoming album, which isn’t due out until May! (yay!) If memory serves us correctly, the last time Gaga got involved with showcasing a new song at a fashion show it had unexpected repercussions. Back in 2009, when Gaga tweeted that her new song would feature in Alexander McQueen’s S/S ’10 show (his last, as it transpired) SHOWStudio, the fashion website founded by photographer Nick Knight had their server crashed by a zillion of the Lady’s followers, when they were trying to live-stream the event. Oh dear.

The show is set to become a real high point of the entire menswear week, normally a quite sedate portion of the fashion calendar, but bearing in mind past form, we cannot rule out the possibility of some kind of chaos or disorder ahead of the new creations from Gaga's fashion mastermind.

Yikes!  

- Naomi Attwood