Helping Madonna dress to thrill

somehow,she is still the queen of pop

As the ageless superstar begins a new tour, Hannah Betts talks to the woman behind her costumes

Madonna, who turned an unconvincing 50 at the weekend, is on the brink of a new tour – and inevitably it is generating a fashion frisson. For rather than opting for Country Casuals and elasticated waistbands, the woman who has enjoyed more incarnations than Proteus himself will, as ever, push the sartorial boundaries.

	Dressed to thrill: Madonna on tour

The Sticky & Sweet tour, which opens in Cardiff on Saturday, features an intriguing mix of gangsta pimp, dominatrix and gipsy costumes. And with looks designed by Givenchy’s Ricardo Tisci, shoes by Miu Miu, thigh-high boots custom-made by Stella McCartney and sundry items from Yves Saint Laurent and Roberto Cavalli, it leaves no fashion stone unturned, as these exclusive preview sketches show.

Although eyebrows are occasionally raised at the singer’s off-duty wardrobe – her penchant for grubby tracksuits and silk bloomers, not least – her stage attire provokes nothing but awe.

“Madonna was the first of her kind,” says Lorraine Candy, editor of Elle magazine. “Stars such as Debbie Harry, Patti Smith and Jane Birkin had distinct looks and their own natural styles. But Madonna really entered into the fashion world. Her relationship with Gaultier made her like the supermodels of the time. It’s never a catwalk look, it’s creating a whole new self, and exploiting cultural references to get this self talked about. In doing so, she transformed herself into a brand.”

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