Gaga graced the VMAs red carpet for the very first time in 2009 -- one year after the release of her debut album, "The Fame" -- wearing a black lace Jean Paul Gaultier gown paired with a feathered Keko Hainswheeler neckpiece and "Phantom Of the Opera"-esque gold mask.
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Her "Poker Face"/"Paparazzi" mashup performance featured a belly-baring, bejeweled white lace costume and buckets of fake blood.
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But it was the red lace archival Alexander McQueen dress and matching crowned mask she wore to accept her Best New Artist award that really turned heads.

Backstage, the pop star celebrated in another Gaultier look, this time a futuristic couture corseted bodysuit paired with glittering black boots.
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2010 was a big year for Gaga at the VMAs; she was up for a whopping 13 awards, and arrived on the red carpet looking like royalty in a voluminous Alexander McQueen gown, along with the designer's towering "Armadillo" boots and a gold feathered Philip Treacy headdress.
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She accepted her Video of the Year award wearing a meat dress designed by Franc Fernandez that instantly went viral. Intended as a protest of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, the beefy creation's since been displayed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland -- after being preserved, of course.

Meet Jo Calderone. In 2011, Gaga showed up and performed at the show in drag as her male alter ego, complete with sharp suiting and facial hair.
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Gaga's look for the 2013 VMAs red carpet, a black satin Prabal Gurung gown with a tulle train, was a surprisingly subdued choice for the star.
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But she was back to her usual ways by the time she hit the stage, opening the show in a white nun-like look and pearls, her face framed by a blank canvas.

Gaga then burst into "Applause," baring it all in a teeny-tiny seashell bikini and waist-length, mermaid-worthy waves.
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And the 2020 VMAs might as well have been called the GMAs. Gaga reigned supreme over the entire evening, taking home four Moon People -- along with MTV's first-ever Tricon Award -- and performing a "Chromatica" medley onstage. She also made quite the splash on the red carpet, showing up in an futuristic silver Area ensemble accessorized with a space helmet.

"I was wearing face shields before it was a thing," Gaga quipped on Instagram of her pandemic-appropriate headgear.
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Her series of over-the-top face coverings continued with this hot pink muzzle mask by Cecilio Castrillo, which she paired with a wild Iris Van Herpen dress to accept the Best Collaboration award for "Rain On Me."

Next up? This apple green Christopher John Rogers gown teamed with a horned mask by Lance Victor Moore to collect her Song of the Year award.
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To perform "Rain On Me" with Ariana Grande, Gaga buckled herself into a bright latex look from Vex, adding a digital "Chromatica"-themed mask by Smooth Technology.
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To accept Artist of the Year, the pop phenom sported a sparkling silver catsuit and over-the-top white feather coat from Valentino Haute Couture, along with a sequined Maison Met face mask.

And to transform her metallic catsuit to take home the Tricon Award, Gaga layered on a silver Candace Cuoco jacket and Manuel Albarran bra. "I might sound like a broken record, but wear a mask. It's a sign of respect," she said during her acceptance speech.
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This story originally appeared on: PageSix - Author:Elana Fishman