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<i>By Patrick Kevin Day and Whitney Friedlander</i><br>
<br>
We hate to say it, but are Lady Gaga's award show arrival outfits getting a bit stale? She used to go bigger. In case you forgot, there was that <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/alltherage/2010/01/grammys-red-carpet-lady-gaga.html">Armani Prive orbit dress at the Grammys</a>, for one. So it's the VMAs and a perfect opportunity to do something totally shocking. Instead, she walked the white carpet in a relatively demur gown from her beloved Alexander McQueen's last collection, flanked by military personnel. Has she simmered down or is the joke on us and is going conservative her new way of going provocative and keeping us on our toes?

Lady Gaga's arrival outfit

( Chris Polk / Getty Images )

By Patrick Kevin Day and Whitney Friedlander

We hate to say it, but are Lady Gaga's award show arrival outfits getting a bit stale? She used to go bigger. In case you forgot, there was that Armani Prive orbit dress at the Grammys, for one. So it's the VMAs and a perfect opportunity to do something totally shocking. Instead, she walked the white carpet in a relatively demur gown from her beloved Alexander McQueen's last collection, flanked by military personnel. Has she simmered down or is the joke on us and is going conservative her new way of going provocative and keeping us on our toes?