What does one wear to space? If you’re the first all-female flight crew, like that of Blue Origin, the dress code calls for custom designer suits by Monse and gravity-defying $10 makeup setting spray.
Monse’s cofounders, Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim, created the bespoke astronaut outfits for the star-studded lineup, which included pop star Katy Perry, broadcast journalist Gayle King, entrepreneur and activist Amanda Nguyen, aerospace engineer and former NASA scientist Aisha Bowe, film producer Kerianne Flynn and more.
Blue Origin’s expedition lasted just over 10 minutes; however, no shortage of thought or time went into creating the latest crew’s high-fashion fits, which had been in the making since 2024.
According to Women’s Wear Daily, the Monse collaboration has earned the luxury brand a whopping $2.1 million in media impact value since the flight’s launch on Monday, per a new report from Launchmetrics. (MIV is a proprietary metric that assigns an actual monetary value to marketing strategies across print, online and social media to calculate return on investment.)
Katy Perry Kisses the Ground After Landing From Space
Crafted by Creative Character Engineering in ultra-comfortable and surprisingly chic flame-resistant stretch Neoprene (a major upgrade from polyester), the designs offered a modern silhouette that eschewed bulk for clean lines inspired by motocross and ski wear. The suits also achieved a perfect, couture-like fit, thanks to individual 3D body scans that allowed the space attire to be tailored to each passenger’s own personalized measurements.
Usually, astronaut suits are made for men, then tailored for women… or not, according to The New York Times, which pointed out that “an all-female spacewalk, planned in 2019, had to be canceled because NASA did not have two space suits that fit two women.” As a result, they sent one woman and one man instead.
In a pre-flight interview, the outfits prompted Perry to tell Elle that she and her mission-mates were going to “put the ‘ass’ in astronaut.” Nguyen, 33, perhaps anticipating those who might question the crew’s priorities, said that it was “so important for people to see us like that.”
When King, 70, tried hers on, she said she loved it. She thought the suits looked “professional and feminine at the same time.” Which, when it came to space, happened to be “something we had never seen before,” she shared with The New York Times.
Gayle King Reacts to Her Scared Face Becoming a Meme After Spaceflight
Still, the crew made good on their commitment to arrive in full glam ahead of lift-off on Monday, April 14, at 9:30 a.m., and shared their looks on Instagram before the 11-minute voyage. All six women had blowouts for the flight and were dressed in said matching, skin-tight suits, which were cinched at the waist with slim zippers, ensuring they appeared flawless from every angle.
Above the neck, Perry’s look was admittedly more lo-fi. According to her makeup artist, Alexandra French, the “ET” singer wore a full face of L’Oréal Paris products as well as the brand’s Infallible 3-Second Setting Mist setting spray, which retails on Amazon for just over $10.
“Knowing the emotion of the day, we double set the makeup… and it truly held, from lift-off to landing,” French stated in a press release. Perhaps Perry’s “ET” lyrics, “feels like I am floating/leaves my body glowing,” had something to do with her admittedly otherworldly radiant appearance, as French also revealed that she used L’Oréal Paris’ celebrity-approved True Match Lumi Glotion in shade 902 to give Perry, 40, a “space glow.”
“We wanted to capture something soft, beautiful and timeless — because this moment will live on forever.” French added, explaining that Perry “envisioned a look that honored the strength and grace of women making history.” And who says you can’t look good at the same time?
Martha Stewart Throws Shade at Katy Perry’s Blue Origin Spaceflight
Apparently, a lot of people, as the mission was blasted by social media users and A-list stars alike, including Emily Ratajkowski, Olivia Wilde, Amy Schumer and more, who didn’t mince words when it came to calling out the mission’s opulence and “misuse” of feminist language.
“That’s end time s***,” Ratajkowski, 33, said in a TikTok video. “Like, this is beyond parody.” She added, “I’m disgusted.” Wilde, 41, wrote, “Billion dollars bought some good memes, I guess,” via her Instagram Story.
Even the official Wendy’s account, which has a history of trolling, replied to a tweet announcing that Perry had returned from space, and wrote: “Can we send her back.”
Perry’s camp was less than thrilled, including one source “close to the situation” who told People in an exclusive interview published on Thursday, April 17: “Wendy’s didn’t make a joke — they made a choice. Their recent posts on X aimed at Katy Perry were not only disrespectful, but blatantly inappropriate,” the source said.
Gayle King ‘Very Disappointed’ by Criticism of Blue Origin Spaceflight
“This wasn’t harmless banter; this was a billion-dollar brand using its platform to publicly demean a woman.” Calling the move “irresponsible” and “hypocritical,” they continued, “Telling a woman that she should be ‘sent back’ is shameful bullying and reflects a troubling willingness to tear down in today’s society.”
In response, Wendy’s then issued a statement to People, “We always bring a little spice to our socials, but Wendy’s has a ton of respect for Katy Perry and her out-of-this-world talent.”
Post-flight, when a BBC reporter asked Perry how she felt about being “officially an astronaut,” she said the experience showed her “how much love you have to give and how loved you are.”
