Lady Gaga Turns TikTok’s Favorite Pickleball Dress Into Goth Balletcore
It’s safe to assume that Lady Gaga takes absolutely no style advice from TikTok fashionistas, but her latest garment is currently wildly viral over on the social media platform.
Following two concerts in Mexico City over the weekend, Gaga showed off Norma Kamali’s flared Pickleball Dress in a post shared to her Instagram yesterday. The skin-tight piece contrasts a fitted bodysuit with a sheer circle skirt. Gaga added her own spin to the viral dress, of course. She wore opera-length gloves, goggle-style glasses from Port Tanger, and Enfants Riches Déprimés boots that no pickleball enthusiast would ever dare to wear out on the court.
Now, in a sea of LBDs why is this particular one so popular? For starters, the dress is reasonably priced at a cool $265. Similar styles to Gaga’s look, which Kamali also refers to as the Pickleball Dress, retail for as low as $145.
It not only leans into the surge of minimalist designs that are popular currently, but also taps into Kamali’s signature athleisure style. (The designer made a name for herself in the 1980s and ’90s with designs like her Sleeping Bag coat and jogging suits that blended fashion with function.) Take Gaga’s dress, for example. The fitted piece, from its more sporty under-layer to the feminine touches seen in the skirt, is perfect for some physical activity—whether that be racket sports or, in Gaga’s case, a stage rehearsal. It’s an approach that was intentional, according to Kamali.
“Having a bodysuit under the mini gives you a lot of movement,” the designer told the New York Times in 2023, not long after she first launched the Pickleball Dress after being inspired by her sports-obsessed friends. “You can do whatever you want and it will never be too short.”
