Gwen Stefani Looks Back at Her Iconic Looks, from Blue Hair and Bikini Tops to Major Met Gala Moments (Exclusive)

Gwen Stefani knows her iconic looks serve up serious Halloween costume inspiration.

“That little blue fur top that you guys like to wear for Halloween was something that I wore for real,” she says with a laugh while sitting out with PEOPLE to reflect on her most iconic looks over the past 25 years.

The singer’s career has brought just as many costume-worthy outfits as it has catchy songs. From a furry blue bikini top to unapologetic break-up hair, Stefani has never been one to shy away from a sartorial risk. 

At the beginning of her career, much of the star’s styling was low-budget. As far as the furry bikini she wore to the 1998 MTV VMAs, Stefani says, “it was free!” 

While Stefani did not have a stylist at the time, she didn’t let that get in the way of a bold look. When she paired the blue bikini with coordinating blue hair (a beauty moment inspired by Judy Jetson), she did it herself, using a paste she received in the mail. 

Another bold hair move was the result of Stefani breaking up with her boyfriend. The singer dyed her hair pink, and kept the style for a year. 

“I think I ruined every single hotel room and bathroom,” Stefani said. “So, I’m sorry for that. I owe you.”

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Stefani’s look at the 2003 Super Bowl Halftime Show consisted of a sparkly silver bustier top, baggy pants and statement accessories. The iconic outfit was fitting for the iconic moment – it was a reunion for Stefani and Sting (No Doubt and Sting performed, along with Shania Twain), whom Stefani first men when she was 13. 

“He gave me his autograph but he was really annoyed. Cut to: I get to do the Super Bowl with Sting, my idol.”

The “Hollaback Girl” music video wouldn’t be complete without the video’s relaxed look. Stefani wore a cut tank, baggy pants and belt that read “BANANAS.” 

For Stefani, it was a no-brainer:  “I was gonna dress the way that I always dressed. That’s the way I dressed my whole life.” 

A year later, in 2006, Stefani was pregnant with her first child, Kingston, and debuted her baby bump in a custom gown by Andrea Lieberman at the Grammys.

“I waited my whole life to have a baby,” Stefani said. “I just remember feeling so protective, being out pregnant for the first time."

Then, there’s Stefani’s and now-husband Blake Shelton’s red carpet debut as a couple in 2016: “This was the beginning of the rest of my life.”

“So in love, feeling so excited,” the singer remembers of the Vanity Fair Oscar Party moment. “That gown for me really represents just my whole heart and how I was feeling in that moment.” 

The 2019 People’s Choice Awards was the definition of an “iconic” moment, as Stefani wore a custom Vera Wang look. That night, Stefani solidified her fashionista status by winning the fashion icon award.  

“It all just feels fake in a sense that, ‘how can this happen in my life?’ To be able to wear such a beautiful dress, it never gets old,” Stefani said.

Wang and Stefani teamed up again in 2022, as Wang made the singer’s gown for the 2022 Met Gala. Whereas Stefani usually passes on the star-studded event (“How do you fly to New York just to go to a party?”), the singer decided it was the right year to attend. 

The day of the Met Gala, Stefani’s makeup artist had a family emergency, leaving the singer with nothing but her personal makeup kit and her own two hands. Just as she had once dyed her own hair blue for the VMAs, the singer got to work on her makeup for fashion’s biggest night. 

“I had to do my own makeup. It was definitely a blessing, because it was one of those do-or-die moments. It’s like, ‘Okay, show ‘em what you got. You got this.’”