Global — Madonna fashioned in a Jean-Paul Gaultier metallic gold spiral-cup bustier, fishnet leggings, and an “I Dream of Jeanie” ponytail is etched in the minds of any fashion crazed, pop culture zealot who remembers her 1990 Blonde Ambition tour.
The pop star turned mega mogul is a pop culture phenomenon. Not only is she a songstress and actress but a fashion icon, too. Her avant garde sense of style ignited a fashion frenzy in the 80s and 90s with legions of teeny boppers sporting oversized bows in their hair and wearing underwear as outerwear. When she hit the music scene in the 80s her beats were off the chart and her style out of the box, launching her career and branding her image, which quickly became synonymous with edginess and rebellion, from her risqué videos to her racy wardrobe.
Although her fashion forward sense of style has also been a source of controversy in the past, from her penchant for the bazaar to her love of the revolutionary, her current look is sleek and pulled together; a look that says she has matured into a woman and so has her style. Her longevity in an otherwise fickle industry has been sustained in part to her chameleon-like presence.
At 51, Madonna is still the perennial “it” girl. In more than two decades, her look has evolved from kitschy bustiers and tutus to sophisticated suits and dresses, toning down her provocateur image. She wears her revamped look well and is often spotted at charity galas, awards shows, and other red carpet events cozying up to a celebrity BFF like Gwenyth Paltrow, her love interest of the moment Jesus Luz, or her daughter Lourdes Leon.
In stellar style she wears looks from myriad designers — whether it’s the ruched knit dress by Gucci she donned for “A Night to Benefit Raising Malawi and UNICEF,” the silk jersey dress by Issa she wore to a party at the Boom Boom Room in New York, or the long satin trench by L’Wren Scott that she sported to the “MTV Video Music Awards.”
Grammy Awards (2004) in Versace
In 2004 at the “Grammy Awards” she wore a silk Versace halter wrap dress with a ruffled neckline. The look was a stark contrast from Madonna circa 1990. It was a hot pink Barbie-esque confection, but it was a prelude to her style metamorphosis. She wore a similar frock to an aids benefit in Cannes. The salmon pink Stella McCartney dress had a tubular silhouette with a banded waist, slightly puffed long sleeves, and a scarf tie at the neck.
Madonna is a prominent presence in the fashion industry and is often captured sitting front row at runway shows of well-known fashion designers like the Marc Jacobs spring 2010 show where she wore a black leather bomber jacket atop a sheer lace mini dress. Her relationship with Jacobs isn’t limited to front row invites, though.
The material girl’s fashion savvy has landed her a coveted role as the famous face in marketing campaigns for Louis Vuitton — for which Jacobs is the art director — serving almost as a muse for the luxury label. Fashion alliances between brands and celebrities are not rare, but Madonna reportedly inked a 10 million dollar deal with the brand that is rumored to surpass that of highly paid supermodels like Kate Moss.
Marc Jacobs Spring 2010 Show (2009)
Madonna’s claim to fame is not only in her reigning pop star status, but her mark on the fashion world, too. She hasn’t chosen to design her own label like many of her contemporaries have done, yet what she wears and how she wears it has cemented her as a leading fashion force. Whether as a trendsetter or fashion muse, Madonna remains on the pulse of fashion and the epicenter of pop culture.
(Photo credits: louisvuitton.com and style.com)
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The Chic Spy
