It’s hard to imagine pop music without Madonna. It seems like she’s always been there, changing the game and reinventing herself. From being a waitress at Dunkin Doughnuts to becoming the poster girl of pop music, the queen of pop’s story is absolutely stellar.
Madonna has travelled to the former imperial city of Marrakech in western Morocco to celebrate her 60th birthday. She has launched a collection for the charity ‘Raising Malawi’, which supports orphans and vulnerable children. The plight of orphans is dear to the heart of Madonna who has adopted four children from Malawi in 2006. ‘For my birthday, I can think of no better gift than connecting my global family with this beautiful country and the children who need our help most’, she wrote on Facebook. The Papa Don’t Preach hitmaker has joined forces with Facebook for the fundraiser, which is due to run from Monday through until August 31.
As the pop sensation turned 60 and almost gave us four decades of celebration with her hits and stage performances, we bring to you the top 15 iconic and ballsy outfits she wore, from her jaw-dropping Jean-Paul Gaultier corsets to elegant Dolce & Gabbana gowns, through the years and set a trend that would inspire the army of Madonna wannabes who followed the emerging star’s every move back then.
1. Early 1980- Her early 1980s club-kid look comprised of lace, statement eye shadow, bold brows, fingerless gloves and an endless amount of rubber bracelets and her hair ribbon fashion jewellery.
2. May 1986- She had a brand-new, understated “bad girl” look during the filming of her “Papa Don’t Preach” music video. Her cropped, peroxide-bleached hair and black biker jacket showed a different flavour of her edgy street style.
3. June 1990- During her “Blonde Ambition” tour with many ambitious outfits, the show-stopping pink cone bra ensemble, designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier, remains one of her most infamous looks.
4. Sept 1990- Madonna turned back the clock and embodied Marie Antoinette as she performed her smash hit ‘Vogue’ on the MTV Video Music Awards. The Victorian-era costume was one actually worn by Glenn Close in the 1998 film Dangerous Liaisons.
5. March 1991- Madonna arrived at the 63rd annual Academy Awards after-party dripping with $20 million worth of Harry Winston diamonds and channelling screen siren Marilyn Monroe.
6. May 1991- A brunette Madge attended the Cannes Film Festival in France looking like a Catholic schoolgirl with an edgy twist in a Jean-Paul Gaultier miniskirt and thigh-high stockings making it an outrageous outfit.
7. Sept 1992- The singer took to the catwalk bare-breasted while the designer, Jean-Paul Gaultier, himself escorted her down the runway. She let it all hang out yet again.
8. Oct 1993- During her sexually charged Girlie Show tour in New York, Madonna opened the show in an enticing, Indian-inspired stage costume drenched in glitter, religious symbols and plenty of sex appeal.
9. Oct 1998- After toning down her look for a couple years post-pregnancy, the star stunned at the 1998 VH1 Fashion Awards in Olivier Theyskens yellow gown, accented by her gothic, jet-black hair.
10. Oct 1998- Madonna went in an entirely different direction for her second VH1 Fashion Awards outfit- a traditional royal-blue sari that referenced her growing interest in Eastern cultures and religions.
11. Nov 2005- At the MTV Europe Music Awards in Lisbon, Portugal, Madonna boldly revealed her new ‘Hung Up’ disco phase in a purple bomber jacket and matching purple boots.
12. Dec 2005- The disco queen rocks glittering sequenced sleeves and genie-pants along with her ever-present purple leotard during a press conference in Tokyo, Japan hailing her ‘Confessions on a Dance Floor’ album.
13. Nov 2008- Head-to-toe Louis Vuitton to a Gucci event is something only Madonna could elegantly get away with. She rocked a green-feathered mini at Gucci’s launch of the Tattoo Heart Collection to Benefit UNICEF dinner at The Plaza in New York City.
14. May, 2013-The singer steals the show at the “PUNK: Chaos to Couture” gala at the New York Metropolitan Museum of art in a custom Ricardo Tisci plaid and silver embellished blazer dress paired with fishnets, black leather gloves, a blunt cut black wig and hot pink pumps.
15. Feb 2015- Madonna took her bull-fighter look to another level during her Brit Awards performance, but the cape ended up being a bit of a work hazard, which caused her to fall down the stairs. Once the cape was off, her S&M-inspired bull-fighting outfit stole the show.
‘It’s the rest of society that cares. I don’t ever think about my age until someone says something about it. I feel that I have wisdom, experience, knowledge and a point of view that is important’, the young and wild at heart star thinks people pay more attention to her age than she does herself.
