Lady Gaga is famous for building one of the most outrageous wardrobes in modern pop music.
But hidden inside her collection is something even more extraordinary.
Hundreds of pieces once belonging to Michael Jackson.
The story became public in December 2012, when Julien’s Auctions held a huge sale featuring costumes created for Michael by his longtime designers Michael Bush and Dennis Tompkins.
Gaga walked away with 55 pieces.
Among the major items sold at that auction were a Bad Tour jacket for $240,000 and crystal-encrusted gloves that sold for well over $100,000 each. The entire auction generated more than $5 million.
But Gaga made it clear she was not buying Michael’s clothing simply as celebrity memorabilia.
After the auction, she wrote that the 55 pieces would be “archived & expertly cared for” out of love and respect for Michael and his fans.
Then, four years later, she revealed just how enormous the collection had become.
During her 2016 Carpool Karaoke appearance with James Corden, Gaga casually dropped an astonishing number.
She said:
“I must have at least 400 pieces.”
She mentioned having a “Thriller” jacket, one of Michael’s gloves and numerous tour costumes. Even more importantly, she revealed that the items are stored in a temperature-controlled room to keep them in pristine condition.
Lady Gaga Reveals Her Michael Jackson Collection
The Michael Jackson discussion begins during the famous 2016 segment, where Gaga explains how carefully the historic clothing is preserved.
There is one interesting twist.
Gaga does not keep every Michael piece locked away forever.
In November 2016, she appeared at Hillary Clinton’s final campaign rally wearing a black military-style jacket that had belonged to Michael. Jackson had worn the jacket during a 1990 White House appearance with President George H.W. Bush.
So Gaga’s collection is not simply about owning expensive celebrity clothing.
She has treated much of it like a private fashion archive while occasionally using individual pieces to publicly honor the artist who inspired her.
And the number is remarkable.
Most Michael Jackson fans treasure an album, photograph or concert ticket. Lady Gaga has preserved at least 400 pieces of the King of Pop’s actual fashion history inside a climate-controlled collection.