Lady GagaChromatica Ball’s long-awaited concert film premieres tomorrow at Max, and the pop icon hosted a special screening of the film for fans in Los Angeles last night – my invite seems to have gotten lost in the mail. In typical Gaga fashion, she donned a quirky outfit on the red carpet, this time Jalopnik-style: Her gown was constructed using a Mercedes bumper.
Specifically, this is the front bumper from the E-Class coupe or convertible from 2014-2016, after facelift. W212, or more precisely, one that does not have the AMG Line body kit. The bumper has obviously been modified and has a few extra holes cut out in it so you can put your hands through it, but it definitely comes from this E-Class.
How was my brain able to deduce this in a matter of seconds? It’s basically pulp filled with nothing more than car knowledge and Gaga facts, so I’m glad that this intersection of interests is actually positively impacting my life and career in a significant way. In social media posts showcasing the look, Gaga said she was asked on the red carpet what type of car part it was and her response was, “I don’t know, I’m not a mechanic,” so I’m glad I solved this mystery for her .
She created the outfit Berlin fashion house SELVA, run by Argentinian designer Selva Huygens. Huygens uses the term “brutalist functional art movement” to describe his latest collection, which uses all kinds of discarded materials and repurposed objects, including many other car parts. One look has a similar bodice created from the Renault Twingo’s front bumper, while another uses the entire dashboard and center console mold.
Gaga is a celebrated E-Class owner, even owning an E350 from the same W212 generation that was used in this look, albeit in sedan form. She also owns the nicest W123 sedan in Novel York, which you can see below. Other cars that were (or still are) Gaga’s stable include the first-generation Ford F-150 Lightning, the original Ford Bronco, a 1960s Lincoln Continental with airbag suicide doors, the Chevy Nova SS and the rad El Camino, multiple Rolls-Royce Phantoms and Corniche IIs, and supercars like the Audi R8 and Lamborghini Huracan. Gaga once owned an Alfa Romeo Spider from the 1980sbut I got rid of it because it was a maintenance nightmare. She was also seen driving a Cybertruckbut he’s her fiancé, so I’ll keep it to myself.
