Watch Katy Perry Revisit Her Iconic Britney Spears and Carmen Miranda-Inspired Outfits on ‘The Walk In’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Mike Wass
·4 min read
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Fabulous fashion and Katy Perry go hand-in-hand, making her an ideal guest for Season 3 of Mo Heart’s Amazon Music digital series, “The Walk In.” The concept is simple: The “RuPaul’s Drag Race” alum pokes around in the closets of music’s biggest stars to admire their most iconic outfits. In Perry’s case, Heart gets up close and personal with that all-denim VMAs tribute to Britney Spears as well as her, er, fruity 2009 Grammys look.

“It was inspired by Carmen Miranda, fruit on the head and fruit on the body,” Perry says of the sequined bodice in the glitzy clip. “I haven’t seen this for years.” The hitmaker, 37, then reminisces about the time she wore it for her very first Grammys performance. “It was right when I was making it and everything was happening,” she says, “singing ‘I Kissed A Girl’ — my [religious] parents were deeply ashamed — and I was on my way up.”

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Perry is visibly touched by seeing the grape-embellished costume, which she keeps locked away in a “professional warehouse.” She then riffs on her love of fruit, revealing that it was not only the ruling aesthetic of her debut album, but also the subject of a tattoo on her ankle: a strawberry, which she dubs “Straw-Perry.” In another teaser for “The Walk In,” Perry tells Heart about the all-denim ensemble she wore to the 2014 MTV VMAs. (The segment was filmed behind the scenes at Perry’s Las Vegas PLAY residency.)

“I asked [rapper] Riff Raff to come with me,” Perry says, “and we both wore matching Versace that actually pays homage to Justin and Britney.” She reiterates that the look was intended as a tribute: “That moment Britney gave us was the moment, and I wanted to pay my respects.” Holding the outfit in her hands sparks a realization in the singer. “I have spent so much time thinking I was fat,” she admits. “I was never fat.” She turns to the camera: “Girls, you are not fat!”

While the experience appears to have been both fun and cathartic for Perry, Heart also had a blast. “It’s Katy Perry! She’s one of the most talented artists, songwriters, performers of our generation and she has been dropping fashion for years,” Heart says. “She brought so many of her iconic outfits, from the VMA outfit to the ‘California Girls’ bra, it truly was a special time with her.”

Heart will share additional content from “The Walk In” on Ace of Hearts live radio show via Amazon’s AMP. “It will go more in depth into the things you won’t see on the show,” the drag diva explains. “For example, we got an alert that Katy was ready to shoot, and the bow on my outfit popped off. My team ran around backstage to fix it in under five minutes and it was finished by the time she arrived on stage. No one had a clue!”

While Heart has carved out a niche as an in-demand radio and TV host, she has many irons in the fire, including a new EP titled “Redemption.” “I really wanted to practice my songwriting while still leaving the girls gooped and gagged,” she says. “It’s been amazing to be able to perform my own music at venues all over the country.” Heart and her manager, Cory Andersen, also launched Mo’s Rainbow Library in partnership with GLSEN.

“We’ve been seeing attacks on queer spaces and legislation targeting our community be introduced at a state and federal level,” Heart says. “Enough is enough.” Heart’s initiative will raise money to send books with queer storylines, written by queer authors, to libraries across America. “It’s so important to preserve these safe spaces we’ve created,” she says, “and to foster safe spaces for our children to express themselves and explore their individuality.”

Previous guests on “The Walk In” include Lil Nas X, Kim Petras, Rico Nasty, and Maren Morris. This new season features Perry, Tove Lo, Gayle, and more.

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