Meet ultra talented drag artist Alexis Stone: the Brit uses clever make-up to transform into everyone from Madonna and Meryl Streep to Lana Del Rey – but did a botched surgery prank go too far?

In June 2024, make-up artist and drag superstar Alexis Stone stole the spotlight at Paris Couture Week by transforming into Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada for the Balenciaga show. According to The Independent, Stone went all out, nailing the look with impeccable prosthetics, a chic white wig, and Miranda’s iconic sunglasses. “We started working on the Miranda Priestly for @balenciaga 2024 Couture transformation three months ago,” the make-up artist shared on Instagram. “Thank you Demna, the team, and of course Meryl Streep.” The 30-year-old is no stranger to jaw-dropping transformations, though. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Alexis Stone (@thealexisstone) From nailing Miranda Priestly to embodying Amy Winehouse, Zayn Malik, and Jennifer Coolidge, Alexis constantly leaves her followers in awe. Here’s what you need to know about the incredible drag performer. Alexis Stone is originally from Brighton, England Originally from Brighton, Alexis Stone – whose real name is Elliot Joseph Rentz – left home at 16 for a fresh start in London. In a 2019 Dazed interview, he shared the challenges of his move, including a stint in rehab during his late teens. As a child, Stone loved wigs and dresses, dreaming of transforming into different characters. “I remember asking for highlights in my hair when I was around 11 which I was allowed, but my appearance was never something I thought about until recently, since I now have the ability to be anyone,” Rentz told the outlet. His dramatic transformations were tied to his sobriety journey Rentz told Paper Magazine in 2019 that, newly sober, he channelled his anger and creativity into his transformations. “The more I got into it, the more personal the whole project became. This project and my sobriety went hand in hand,” he said. A career highlight involved turning himself into Jean Paul Gaultier View this post on Instagram A post shared by Vogue France (@voguefrance) In 2023, Stone had a career-defining moment by transforming into French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier. Captured by photographer Grant James-Thomas, he embodied the designer in a Breton stripe top, kilt, and full make-up – and it was genuinely hard to tell the difference. Per WWD, the photos were part of a campaign by the French designer to highlight his spring collection at the time. Rentz praised Gaultier, saying his work “encouraged you to be yourself”, adding that the transformation had been easy because “I see myself in this community that he has created”. He once pretended he’d had catastrophic facial surgery In 2018, Rentz shocked fans with post-op pics that seemed like a plastic surgery nightmare. Those “extreme” changes? Just a few tweaks and prosthetic magic. For three months, he convinced his followers he’d had disastrous surgery, only to reveal the truth later, peeling off the mask to expose social media’s illusions and unreal beauty standards. Rentz has been open about his real surgeries Though the extreme surgery was a prank, Stone has never been shy about the cosmetic enhancements he’s had in real life. According to Dazed, he’s spent US$30,000 on cheek fillers, a nose job, hair transplants and Botox, and shares every detail with his fans. His most dramatic transformations Rentz has wowed fans by transforming into icons including Madonna, Shrek, Lana Del Rey, Megan Fox, Mrs Doubtfire, Adele and many more. Another of his stand-out moments came in February 2023, when he disguised himself as actress Jennifer Coolidge for Milan Fashion Week. Rentz wore Diesel cargo jeans and a biker jacket, nailing The White Lotus star’s look and mannerisms with prosthetics. In 2021, Rentz told Attitude that art-directing his face and body as Alexis Stone wasn’t something he planned, “but as my lifestyle has changed and I’ve gained access to more drastic self-expression, it’s something I’ve become fond of”. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Alexis Stone (@thealexisstone)

Meet ultra talented drag artist Alexis Stone: the Brit uses clever make-up to transform into everyone from Madonna and Meryl Streep to Lana Del Rey – but did a botched surgery prank go too far?

Through a combination of make-up artistry and prosthetics, Elliot Joseph Rentz – aka Alexis Stone – has fooled fashion paparazzi into thinking he’s everyone from Meryl Streep to Jean Paul Gaultier

Alexis Stone is originally from Brighton, England