Lady Gaga: Extreme Style

by Lizzy Goodman

No other superstar has the full package like Lady Gaga. In less than one year, she transformed herself from pop singer to pop icon, thanks to her talent, drive, and oh yes–her fashion. She's reached a new level of "living the fame" with her collection of extreme, often controversial couture. Lady Gaga: Extreme Style takes an in-depth look at Gaga's litany of eye-popping leotards, asymmetrical dresses, and fashionably impractical heels.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Music, Fashion, Photography, Pop Culture, Art

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Lizzy Goodman is a journalist whose writing on rock and roll, fashion, and popular culture has appeared in the New York Times, Rolling Stone, and NME. She is a contributing editor at ELLE and a regular contributor to New York magazine. She lives in upstate New York with her two basset hounds, Joni Mitchell and Jerry Orbach.

Reviews

[Alex Kellgreen · Rating 5 out of 5]

this writing was stunning beyond belief. I've never read anything else that appreciates Gaga's art so intimately as this fun little book. Goodman was able to articulate EXACTLY what makes each piece of Gaga's musical/fashion/performance art so profoundly meaningful. BRAVISSIMO!!!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta learned piano at four, was writing her own song by age eleven, was a regular at open mic nights on the club circuit by the time she was fourteen and once had a boyfriend "who told me I'd never succeed, never be nominated for a Grammy, never have a hit song and that he hoped I'd fail". Well there's now at least one ex with a serious amount of egg on his face since most of the world knows who Stefani grew up to be...


Lady Gaga's shock approach to 'her art' is not new; She herself admits to getting her inspiration from the likes of David Bowie, Freddie Mercury and Grace Jones, and plenty of [mainly] singers have employed similar tactics in the past; From Christina Aguilera's Dirrty days and even a teenaged Dannii Minogue flirted with it, to MIA and Nicki Minaj. Heck, even the likes of Jodie Marsh and Jordan have been doing it for years.

But however many people have done it before her, no-one has the dedication or creative genius of Lady Gaga; For her this 'high concept performance art' has become her life and everything has a meaning. Ready to take a peek into her world?

Since the book is only 144 pages long and there is a photo on almost every page the book is admittedly not the most detailed, but it sill manages to sandwich in every aspect to Lady Gaga's image - both as a whole and individually.


Before we get to the good stuff, author Lizzy Goodman begins the book with a short introduction on who she is, a brief look at her pre-album deal shows with DJ Starlight [they went by the catchy name of 'Lady Gaga and the Starlight revue'] and all the way up to her 'Monster Ball Tour' [it started in November 2009 and is going until May 2011].

But what will make people pick up this book is undoubtedly for the author's sensible interpretations of Lady Gaga's famous outfits for her professional and personal life; We get to learn why Lady Gaga likes to shock, exaggerate, mutate and scare with her outfits and performances "creating a really interesting bridge between the desirable and the grotesque".

There are also little information boxes spread throughout the book which contain little tidbits of information or interview quotes from Lady Gaga and various designers, which gives the book a little diversity and keeps things interesting.

The introduction to Lady Gaga is short and most fans won't learn anything new, but I personally didn't know that she was in the Gallatin School of Individualized Study [a division of New York university] where she dedicated her time to studying various 'shock' artists. I also didn't know that she had signed a record deal with Def Jam, but was dropped before releasing anything through them.

The author doesn't just focus on the finalized result and comment on the range of influences the outfit is drawing from and the meaning behind them - she also pays attention to the parts-that-make-up-a-whole, ranging from Gaga's teacup, why many of her outfits include masks, to the explanation to why she almost-always dons sunglasses [her favourite and most worn pair are Versace 676]. There are chapters solely dedicated to her footwear, the Disco stick, head-wear, makeup, body accessories, her hair and the various piano designs she has used for her shows.

At the end of the book there is a section entitled 'Get the look' which lists designers and cosmetic manufacturers that Lady Gaga has been known to use, which many fans will be interested in.


Lizzy Goodman's use of wit and bluntness in her writing really appeals to me and I'll end the review which my favourite quote from Lizzy's text; Burlesque uses striptease as a form of storytelling. It's not just girls in pasties, it's girls in pasties with something to say! But seriously, the idea that you can deliver a complex narrative using pyro and t!ts was a revelation for Lady Gaga...

[Tara Brabazon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a coffee table book with extraordinary photographs, with a twist of Foucault. Indeed, there are not many fashion books that mention French theorists. This is one of them. It is not an academic book, but it is not a fan celebration either. It is a fine review of the key elements of Gaga's style and how they operate in her popular music career.

[Rebecca Gledhill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative.

Great pictures.

It’s hard to write a strong review on factual books as it’s factual… whereas novels need more imagination and effort behind them.

I’m obsessed with Lady Gaga. So of course I’m going to love this!

[Inma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Las fotos estupendas, la lectura bastante sosa. Pero todo lo que tenga "Gaga" en su título tiene que estar en mi estantería.

[꒰ soffii !! ⁠꒱ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 🌟

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I didn't really expect MUCH out of this book, seeing as Gaga's name is just another way to sell something. I expected some decent pictures, facts I already knew, and poorly researched background information. However, I was pleasantly surprised!

Lizzy Goodman really went all out for this book - her topic was well researched, the pictures were STUNNING, and I actually learned a few things. I'm a huge "Little Monster" and I've pretty much stopped expecting to learn new things about Gaga, but this book taught me a whole lot about her past I didn't know about.

It's a very fast read and that's the only grievance I have. All in all, great quotes from Mother Monster herself, beautiful pictures, wonderful organization, and good research. 4/5 stars.

[Luna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is all about the creation of Gaga- who she is and what she represents. Although Lady Gaga says Gaga isn't a persona, it's who she really is, I think we as an audience can state rather comfortably that Gaga is a character of Ziggy Stardust proportions.

This beautiful photographic book explores who this Gaga monster is and what she represents of today's society. It glosses over Stefani's early life and looks mostly into who Gaga is; her style, music, motives, tattoos and more. A fun book, even though it may be a touch shallow... like Gaga herself, maybe?

[Jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve had this book for ages and never properly read it, so when I was having a clear out I thought I’d give it a shot! I always loved flipping through this book when I was younger as Gaga’s early 2010s fashion was so captivating to me! This was just what I thought it would be; a quick, easy, fun read. I always love a fashion book especially one that covers pop girlies outfits and tour costumes. I did feel the book could’ve covered way more outfits and gone more in depth, but it was fun for what it was. It was however slightly repetitive.

5 / 10
Paperback, owned.

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this--at first it seemed like mostly a beautiful photo essay on one of my most favorite people but it is actually quite in depth. Has lots of quotes from the Lady herself as well as many gorgeous photos of her fashion and stage shows. Well written with a wry sense of humor and full of unusual photos as well as an amazing index, showing Gaga's influences, her favorite music, designers and where she shops. Great fun and actually learned a lot about my beloved Mother Monster.

[Lisalionheart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good. Not only are there lots of photos, but there is a discussion of Lady Gaga always being in "character" which we do not get from any other celebrity. The only issue I have with this book is that the author claims our enthusiasm for stars is "dampened" when we see photos of them out in public, doing the same kinds of things we do. Not at all true. I would like an updated version of this book, as Gaga has worn many other looks since the book was published.

[Cowgirlgem · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fine photobook for the Fame Monster portion of Lady Gaga's career, with a little bit of her pre-fame days touched on.

The photos are very good and most come with descriptions of where they were taken and who designed the outfits. I would have liked more photos of details.

The writing is okay, with quite a bit of info on Lady Gaga's life and influences.

This is not the best photobook I have seen, but not bad at all.

[Andreas Porwanto · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore this book, 'cuz yeah I'm such a Gaga freak. Never have I ever felt something like this to a singer before. She's just brave, outlandish, have a nice-and-edgy sense of fashion and anything. Gosh, I don't know what to say.

Stunning fashion pics with descriptions on each of them as well as some stories about her, this is a must-have for all Little Monsters!

[Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Synopsis: This book was published a few years ago (in 2010) and documents the first couple years of Lady Gaga's stardom through her fashion choices.

My Review: Well, it's a book about the strange things that Lady Gaga wears, with a bit of her back story and history mixed in. If you love Lady Gaga like I do, you might like this book too.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

The subjects of my paintings are often women with gothic, victorian, or fantasy fashion. Picked this book up because I love the creativity that goes into Gaga costumes. The photography and book arrangement are lovely and the biographical elements interesting.

[Crystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a fan of her music, but I can't deny she's sometimes interesting to look at. The meat dress was just gross, though. :|

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Lady Gaga. There were some great pictures but I actually read it and didn't learn much; probably burned a few braincells in the process.

[Kaitlan Sharpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author in this book, expresses the fashion and life of Lady Gaga <3

[Joe Greenaway]

Being the Little monster I am, I loved this book ! A must read for all you little monsters out there. WOO !!

[Theresa Kettler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Things I learned, Lady Gaga IS crtical mass. ::word::

[Rachel]

I thought that I would just skim the words and just look at the pictures mostly but it was actually an interesting read.

[Barendx van den Bergh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insight into Gaga's life, the photos is "GagaLicious"! Thanks Lizzy.
Sensational book that was lovely to read and the photos was lovely to look at.....xx

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cake like Lady Gaga.

[Marsella Macabre · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love her so i loved this book

[Pooch Parsons · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book mainly to look at the pictures of her costumes and iconic performances at the time it was published. So much eye candy!

[Caine · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing

[Jemz Thomson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great pictorial resource for anyone interested in Gaga's fashion

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous pictures and details of Lady Gaga's fashion.