Lady Gaga Honors Alexander McQueen In V‘s New Issue In A Big Way

V magazine went all out for its latest edition: Lady Gaga guest-edited the issue, and there are a whopping 16 different covers. A couple versions of the issue, which hits newsstands on January 14, have already been revealed — the buzziest being Karl Lagerfeld and Hedi Slimane reuniting a decade after working together to shoot each other for two of the covers. But the most poignant front pages released (thus far) involve the late designer Alexander McQueen.

A never-before-seen shot of McQueen, by photographer Steven Klein, graces one cover. Another, which was unveiled yesterday, features Gaga and Daphne Guinness — bedecked in McQueen pieces from Guinness' archive. It gets even more interconnected: Those gorgeous vintage McQueen items (including his iconic, cartoonish Armadillo heels) were purchased by Guinness from the estate of legendary late stylist Isabella Blow, a close friend of McQueen's. Yet another cover of this issue, which explores "Gaga's Fashion Guard," features a never-seen shot of Blow, also lensed by Klein. Still following?

Gaga penned an editor's letter for the issue, which she dubs "the church of fashion," explaining a bit more about the interwoven ties between these illustrious industry talents: "It's Daphne and I, two women who loved McQueen very much, and Steven Klein, a man who loved him very much. And it's a man and a woman who also loved Issie [Blow]. And another man, McQueen, who loved Issie. And a young girl [Gaga herself] who never got to meet her but admires and loves her very much." The star has been an avid, outspoken admirer of McQueen's work: She's frequently worn his designs everywhere (including in her "Bad Romance" music video) and has dedicated a performance to him. Last year, Gaga's fiancé even shelled out nearly $300K in an auction for Armadillo heels for her.

"My coverhumans share something profound in common that I have observed in myself since I was a young child. It's an ability through our innate sadness as creatives to find a glimmer of fantasy and hope through our art," Gaga wrote in her editor's letter. "Every person on our covers exemplifies the artwork or subject of someone who is a master curator of their own life." Stay tuned for the remaining crop of covers.