Lady Gaga’s long-awaited Chromatica Ball concert film drops on Max tomorrow, and the pop icon held a special fan screening of the movie in Los Angeles last night — I guess my invite got lost in the mail. In typical Gaga fashion she wore an outlandish outfit on the red carpet, this time one with a Jalopnik twist: Her dress was constructed using a Mercedes bumper.
Specifically, it’s the front bumper from a 2014-2016 E-Class coupe or convertible, the facelift of the W212, and more specifically one that doesn’t have the AMG Line bodykit. The bumper has obviously been modified, with some additional holes cut out to put your arms through, but it’s absolutely from that E-Class.
How was my brain able to deduce that within seconds? It’s basically mush filled with nothing else but car knowledge and Gaga facts, so I’m glad that this intersection of my interests is actually beneficial to my life and career in a meaningful way. In social media posts showcasing the look Gaga said she was asked on the red carpet what kind of car part it was and her answer was “I don’t know, I’m not a mechanic,” so I’m happy to have solved this mystery for her.
The outfit was created by Berlin-based fashion house SELVA, led by Argentinian designer Selva Huygens. Huygens uses the term “Brutalist Functional Art Movement” to describe his latest collection, which uses all sorts of discarded materials and repurposed items, including lots of other car parts. One look has a similar bodice created with a Renault Twingo front bumper, while another uses an entire dashboard and center console mold.
Gaga is a known E-Class owner, having even owned an E350 from the same W212 generation used for this look, albeit a sedan. She also owns what must be the nicest W123 sedan in New York City, which you can see below. Other cars that have been (or still are in) Gaga’s stable include a first-gen Ford F-150 Lightning, an original Ford Bronco, a suicide-door ‘60s Lincoln Continental on airbags, a Chevy Nova SS and a rad El Camino, multiple Rolls-Royce Phantoms and a Corniche II, and supercars like an Audi R8 and a Lamborghini Huracan. Gaga once owned an ‘80s Alfa Romeo Spider, but got rid if it because it was such a maintenance nightmare. She’s also been seen driving a Cybertruck, but that’s her fiance’s so I’ll let it slide.
