From “Just Dance” to “Shallow”, every single that Lady Gaga has released since 2008 has had a distinct artistic vision. This off-kilter fabulous concept, in turn, filters into her videos, stage production, costumes and personal wardrobe. Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta is Lady Gaga 24/7. There is no off button for New York’s experimental pop polymath, who took her alias from Queen’s 1984 song “Radio Ga Ga”.
Between the Franc Fernandez meat dress (the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards); the latex egg collaboration between Hussein Chalayan and Mugler (the 2011 Grammys); the McQueen, Hedi Slimane and Versace eras; and her recent Old Hollywood doyenne phase (courtesy of A Star is Born), there has been one constant: Gaga’s boots. Specifically, the 10-inch platform boots that Haus of Gaga (her team of creatives modelled on Andy Warhol’s Factory) has been purchasing for her from Pleaser since 2010.
The 411 on Pleaser: the US brand majors in sky-high alternative footwear. “When you buy Pleaser shoes online, you’re getting firsthand experience of what other brands might find to be too bold,” it promises of its “fun, evocative, and vivaciously genuine” heels that are popular among dancers. (See its Instagram account for the kind of moves you might be able to pull off in a pair of Pleasers).
Gaga’s preferred style – the Beyond-1020 boots, which retail for £115 – come with the disclaimer: “Warning: Extreme High Heels. Not Recommended For Walking.” Gaga naturally isn’t bothered about the small print, and has been boosting her 5ft 1” frame to 5ft 11” with the boots, which come in leather, vinyl and vegan leather, for a decade. No one has seen her tumble. “They’re tried and true and they are worth it,” says Gaga in her tell-all Vogue video, in which she recounts her life in looks.
Other Pleaser styles have come and gone, but the subtext of the shoes remains the same. “They are actual stripper shoes, which are worn a lot in the underground circuit where Gaga first started,” Sandra Amador and Tom Eerebout, the Haus duo behind her 2019 awards season wardrobe, explain. “Her style evolves, but the boots reference those early days”
Pleaser highlights include the 2016 Grammys, which saw Gaga channel David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust persona in a pair of 10-inch red Beyond-087 ballet-inspired heels that matched her flaming hair colour and custom Marc Jacobs look. The year after, Gaga walked the red carpet at music’s big night in a pair of 8-inch thigh-high vinyl Flamingo-3000 boots that complemented her spiky high-shine leather look, which verged on bondage wear. For the Met Gala 2019, which saw Gaga unveil four looks on the museum’s hallowed stairs with the help of long-time collaborator Brandon Maxwell, the Haus commissioned a pair of 8-inch faux leather Xtreme-1020 ankle boots, which were then rhinestoned by the Haus of Gee (a Swarovski crystal expert who has also “stoned” Ariana Grande’s stagewear).
This is not to discount the other platforms that Gaga has used to elevate her limitless looks over the years. The singer-turned-beauty entrepreneur wore Alexander McQueen’s Armadillo boots in her “Bad Romance” video, and then purchased all three pairs of the famed shoes at a UNICEF auction five years later. “When a gift comes to you from heaven,” she captioned the picture of her win on Instagram. Giuseppe Zanotti boots with prominent lace detailing have also been interchanged with her Pleasers in recent years.
Nothing, however, says “Gaga ooh la la” quite like a pair of Pleasers, which capture every subculture Germanotta sees, from neo-burlesque to fetish and drag. Name another pair of shoes that packs such a punch.
