Her coming to the ceremony in a stereotypical-GaGa outfit that would make headlines and then shedding that look for a normal yet beautiful and natural look for The Sound of Music tribute.. where people would only be noticing her and not her "costumes" or her "gimmicks." She won the audience twice over.
And maybe the stage set up (the trees implying a forest setting) was a tease to the Into the Woods scene where Cinderella is running away from the prince in the forest? Maybe this is Gaga's way of saying that she's had a taste of royalty and doesn't particularly like it?