I’m Renée Nicole Gray, a fashion historian, writer, artist, performer, and graphic designer based in the NYC area. I hold a Bachelor of Liberal Arts with concentrations in art history and graphic design from UMass Lowell. I am also a proud member of SAG-AFTRA, The Association of Dress Historians, Actors Equity Association and the Textile Society of America.
I moved from Maine to NYC at eighteen years old to pursue a career in performing arts. After training in acting and musical theatre at HB Studio and LIU Brooklyn I began to work in numerous films, TV productions and as a commercial actor. Some of my favorite experiences on set were for the pilot episode of Mad Men, getting to be a background actor on SNL, and working on Girls and A Star is Born. I also appeared in numerous theatrical productions, with lead roles in shows at the NY Fringe Festival and Midtown International Theatre Festival. In 2010 I won a Lady Gaga lookalike contest which unexpectedly led to nearly a decade of performing worldwide in my tribute show The Lady Gaga Experience.
During this incredible journey I portrayed Lady Gaga in productions for MTV, E! Network, in The Fashion Planet on Dutch/German TV, and performed at private events for ABC, Polaroid, Bravo, Lan Kwai Fong (China), The Tower Of David (Israel), Resort Worlds Casino, Nordstrom, Citi Field, and at hundreds of weddings, birthday parties, and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs. Additionally, I headlined at Pride events across the country and opened for Rachel Platten at Long Island Pride.
Though being a tribute artist brought me many unique opportunities, I realized that I was far more passionate about developing my own voice, art, and unique path instead of following someone else’s. I retired from gig life in 2019 and began to seriously immerse myself in creating original art, writing, playwriting, and studying fashion history. In 2020, I returned to college to study graphic design and art history, and recently graduated Summa Cum Laude. I now specialize in graphic design for theatre, given my background in the area.
In addition to working as a freelance writer, designer, fashion historian and historical consultant, I also curate my two fashion history websites, Dresstorian and Streisand Style Files.