Sometimes, a costume design needs fabric that exists only in the imagination of the designer.

There was a handful of women so far ahead of the times that fashion didn’t catch up to them for fifty years. What ground breaking diva wore the man’s tailcoat first? Was it Josephine Baker, Louise Brooks, or Marlene Dietrich? No matter who wore it first, or who wore it best, it was costume designer Travis Banton, Dietrich and Swarovski crystals that minted an icon.

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Esteemed British costume designer Janty Yates has collaborated on 14 films with director Ridley Scott and won an Oscar for her work on Gladiator. She spent nine months in Rome designing House of Gucci. Yates sighs wistfully when she describes being invited to the Gucci archives in Florence. Multiple Gucci ensembles could strain the budget of a film, but the archive kindly shipped a handful of looks to Los Angeles where Yates’ assistant fit them on Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga also has a large fashion collection of her own, including vintage Gucci pieces. They amassed a vast closet for her. The movie covers a 20-year timeframe, with two or three looks established per day of shooting. By the end of the production, Yates developed over 74 outfits for Lady Gaga.

B. Akerlund is fashion royalty — after all, who can forget the stylist, costume designer, and self-proclaimed fashion activist’s iconic looks for Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Madonna?