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Madonna is nothing short of a style icon. Getty Images
From the moment that she released her self-titled debut album in 1983, Madonna has shown audiences that she understands the power of a multifaceted performer—and she’s been delivering ever since. Whether through multimillion-dollar world tours or on-screen in films, the Michigan native has become so influential (and at times, controversial) that she’s surely earned her moniker as the Queen of Pop.
On stage, fashion has always played a major part in the singer’s career, serving as a tool to help create looks that are as memorable as her music. Drawing inspiration from various periods in history as well as from religion, Madonna’s fashion choices have included everything from feminine lace- and lingerie-inspired looks to more masculine suiting.
And while fashion has undoubtedly been at the center of Madonna’s reinventions over the past 40-plus years, offstage, she’s also played muse, model and even creator in the design world. She championed designers like Olivier Theyskens and fashion houses like Dolce & Gabbana at the start of their respective careers, and strutted the runway for Jean Paul Gaultier (her most constant fashion collaborator) on multiple occasions. No stranger to style campaigns, Madonna has starred as the face of advertisements for luxury fashion houses like Versace, Dolce & Gabbana and Louis Vuitton, and she’s ventured out into the design world herself, too. First collaborating with H&M on her M by Madonna fashion line in 2007, Madonna and her daughter Lourdes later launched the teen clothing brand Material Girl in 2010.
Still, it’s her sartorial choices for music videos and live performances that have been the most enduring. From the signature Jean Paul Gaultier cone bra that catapulted her to fashion icon status, to the current barely-there ensembles that prove she still knows how to cause a stir, take a look back at the fashion moments that have helped to define Madonna’s career.
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Madonna. Getty Images
1984, MTV VMAs
From the start, Madonna wasn’t afraid of making waves, taking to the stage at the first-ever MTV Video Music Awards for a now-infamous performance of “Like a Virgin.” Wearing a lingerie-inspired wedding dress, complete with white lace gloves, strings of pearls and her ‘Boy Toy’ belt,...