"The Story Behind Lady Gaga's Meat Dress"

Jaws dropped when Lady Gaga took the stage at the 2010 Video Music Awards last night wearing meat from head to toe. And, surprise — her VMA meat dress was made with REAL MEAT! Franc Fernandez, the Los Angeles-based designer/artist behind the dress, confirmed that it was real meat when we caught up with him this morning. But now that we know it’s REAL, we’re left with so many more burning questions for Franc Fernandez! Did it smell? Was it bloody? Was it heavy? Was Lady Gaga comfortable? So, we chatted with designer Franc Fernandez tonight to find out all the juicy details. Find out everything you ever wanted to know about Lady Gaga’s meat dress below!

What was your inspiration?
Franc Fernandez: “I was contacted by her stylist, Nicola Formichetti, and they had already shot the picture with Terry Richardson in the meat bikini for Vogue Hommes Japan. They told me that they wanted to make a main dress [out of meat], so I did it.”

What kind of meat was it?
“I don’t know what it’s called in English, but in Argentina, it’s called matambre. I went to my butcher to get it, in Los Angeles in the valley. He’s the butcher that my family goes to. I’m trying to get him a signed picture of it.”

How many pounds of meat did you buy?
“I bought a lot of meat because I wanted extra. I would say more than 50 pounds of meat. Is that a lot?”

How heavy was it?
“It was fairly heavy. She said it was the most comfortable dress of the night, though. I’m guessing it weighed around forty pounds. It’s built on a corset, so the weight is distributed on her chest, so it’s not like it’s hanging off her neck.”

Was it comfortable?
“She said so.”

Were there leftovers?
“Not very much, no.”

Did it leave a blood trail?
“No, not at all. It’s actually very clean meat, very sturdy and strong and doesn’t run at all. It’s the meat you use to make a roast, where you roll it in a tortilla and put it in the oven. Hence, the shoes — that’s why they were wrapped in butcher twine.”

Did it smell?
“Gaga said it smelled good. It had a sweet smell. It hadn’t been sitting out for more than five hours. And it’s not a heavy gross meat.”

Did you have to keep it refrigerated?
“While it was being made it was refrigerated, [worked on] and then refrigerated. It took a span of two days on and off. Maybe three with sourcing and getting materials and everything.”

Will this dress “go bad”?
“Well, yes. And it’s a dress that will dry out. The meat dries out, rather than rotting. It becomes jerky. But, it shouldn’t be worn again.”