Lady Gaga has worked her fair share of dramatic looks in the past, taking inspiration from a multitude of sources, including Kermit the Frog and seafood. But just when you thought she'd finally run out of ways to surprise, she goes and transforms herself into a Donatella Versace lookalike.
It all started in June, when Gaga wore vintage Versace throughout her "Edge of Glory" music video. Donatella exclusively opened up the Versace archive for the video, revealing she was "a great fan" of the headline-grabbing singer. The love affair quickly deepened, and Gaga began wearing Versace on a near daily basis.
All was perfectly normal (or as normal as things can be when Lady Gaga is involved) until the 25-year-old was spotted wearing a low-cut black Versace dress in Beverly Hills last week. Accessorized with ounces of cleavage, golden skin, long bleach-blonde hair, large gold earrings, red nails and over-sized sunglasses, she looked like a young Donatella. And it didn't stop there. The next day she was pictured in a Versace cocktail dress -- again styled in classic Donatella fashion -- followed closely by a floor-sweeping sheer number, and then a body-con snakeskin-print dress from the A/W 2011 collection.
Within a week Gaga will have moved onto her next OTT look, but the 1990's Versace revival is well timed. The Versace and H&M collection is due to hit stores in November, so if you're going to channel Donatella's signature style now it the time. As Gaga has proved, though, the look takes real commitment, so here are the three key steps to getting Donatella's iconic Versace look...
The Hair: This is the most important factor. Get the hair wrong and there's little point in following the next two steps. It must be ice blonde, long, thick, straight, glossy and fabulous. Roots are unacceptable. As is frizz. If you can't grow the Donatella mane yourself then head to the nearest salon and fake it until you make it.
The Clothes: Tight and bright. A flash of cleavage and more than a hint of thigh never lets you down. In the evening go for sexy cut-out detailing and sparkle, in the day skin-tight leather will do nicely. Flat shoes are always no-no and if you must wear denim make sure it's a pair of baroque print vintage Versace jeans. Baby Donatellas get theirs on eBay.
The Accessories: You must be tanned at all times. As with the hair, fake it if you must. Make-up should always be worn in public -- the nude lip and smokey-eye combo is a Versace classic. Teeny-tiny handbags look great for black tie events, but teeny-tiny celebrity friends hanging off your arm look even better.
Just remember, this style is not for fashion wallflowers. You must be bold and brave to rock the Donatella Versace look.