The Fame era started in March of 2008. The Fame era is divided into two phases, 2008 and 2009. 2008 featured a lot of catsuit and latex outfits along with her Origami Dress. 2009 was defined by the Fame Ball and many of her oufits from this tour in particular like her Mirrored Dress and the Bubble dress. Her early performances in 2008 had a lightning bolt on her face, which acted as a tribute to David Bowie.

Lady Gaga is a natural brunette, but she bleached her hair blonde due to the confusion between her and fellow musician, Amy Winehouse. A natural and solid blonde colored wig is seen in the music videos for her first four singles off The Fame. She then began experimenting with different colors, such as her lavender wig. When the music video for "Paparazzi" was released, she had moved to a short cut, blonde wig.