The Year: 1985
The original material girl exploded onto our screens and into our lives in the 80s with high-energy, pop-tastic beats and a sense of style that has filled gossip columns for the past 30 years. Little did we know that the pink wiggle dress and the Marilyn Monroe hairstyle were just the start…
The Year: 1990
This could be the most iconic pop-fashion outfit. Ever. The Jean Paul Gaultier conical bra cemented Madonna as the boundary-pushing showgirl. It made the outrageous acceptable – underwear became outerwear, best teamed with acid-wash, ripped denim, torn fishnets, fingerless lace gloves and as many necklaces, bangles and bandanas as you could muster.
The Year: 1996
As well as selling more than 300 million records worldwide, Madonna can also add acting to her résumé. In 1996 she played Eva Peron in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical of Evita. Critics were harsh, as were the fashion police when she stepped out in this velvet/appliqué Christian Dior ensemble. But, with hindsight, we’d say the bonkers two-piece was visionary.
The Year: 1999
In 1999, Madonna performed Nothing Really Matters at the Grammys – in a kimono. Never one to do anything by halves, she also sported alabaster skin and poker-straight black hair. It was a sight to behold.
The Year: 2005
Not many 47-year-olds would be seen dead in a pink leotard. Not many 47-year-olds would then cavort around in said leotard in a ballet hall with an entourage of body-popping teenagers. But then again, not many 47-year-olds are Madonna. Thanks to Tracy ‘I want to keep her body looking like it’s 20 years old’ Anderson, Madonna had it and flaunted it, and her subsequent single, Hung Up, became her biggest-selling ever.
