Fashion Influential #29: Madonna
U.S. singer Madonna performs on stage at Olympic Stadium during a concert of the 'Sticky and Sweet' world tour on September 6, 2008 in Rome, Italy. (Getty Images)more pics » MADONNA Born:
August 16, 1958
Fan of:
Nancy Sinatra, Mozart, Karen Carpenter, The Supremes, Led Zeppelin, The Raconteures, The White Stripes, Andy Warhol, Frida Kahlo
Relationships:
Dan Gilroy, Stephen Bray, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Mark Kamins, Jellybean Benitez, Sean Penn, Warren Beatty, Tony Ward, Vanilla Ice, Dennis Rodman, Carlos Leon, Guy Ritchie
Net Worth: $490 Million
Beginnings.
You can’t really discuss trend-setters without bringing up Madonna. She basically owned the hipster set in the 80s and had them all wearing lace tops with skirts pulled over Capri pants or fishnets. And you can’t forget the bleached hair, the oversized crucifix and heavy makeup. 1982’s Like a Virgin (her second album) hit number 1 on the US charts and stayed there for 6 weeks. Madonna was in.
Career Highs.
Madonna has gone through so many successful phases of her career, it’s almost mindboggling. She’s put out 11 albums, gone 8 world tours, sold over 200 million records world-wide, is worth an estimated $490 million and her song “Hung Up” reached #1 in 45 countries. And on March 10, 2008, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
I'm tough, I'm ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay.
Madonna from her Sticky & Sweet Tour in 2008Career Lows.
Acting has never been Madonna’s strong suit. Yet, she keeps doing it. 1987’s Who’s That Girl was her 5th film and definitely a milestone in the realm of bad acting. Swept Away, though, was such a commercial and critical disaster that it arguably ruined the career of director Guy Ritchie, an otherwise clever filmmaker. The movie performed so poorly in the U.S. that it wasn’t even released in the U.K. and went straight to video. Rumor has it that it’s currently being used as a sleeping aid for the elderly.
Legacy.
When you’re the highest grossing female recording artist and actually pass Elvis Presley in most top 10 hits in history, your legacy more or less writes itself. In the late 1990s, Madonna began following the Kabbalah and its head, Rabbi Philip Berg. In 2004, she donated $21 million to its Kabbalah school for children. In 2004, she donated $21 million to its Kabbalah school for children. Anything she touches is instantly popular (Britney Spears just copied Madonna's stage costume piece-for-piece for a Good Morning America appearance).
When it comes to marketability, no one can touch this woman. Get the Look.
Next to impossible. Your best bet to getting the Madonna look is to examine the current fashion trends, think two steps ahead and go with what your gut tells you. That said, the Material Girl is still a big fan of fishnet stockings and big knee-high black leather boots. Hot.
Related Articles:
-
MARIO TESTINO Born: October 30, 1954 in Lima, Peru Famous subjects: Princess Diana , Claudia... Read Full Story » -
Designer Ralph Lauren walks the runway at the Ralph Lauren Fall 2008 fashion show during... Read Full Story » -
DAISY DUKE First Apparence: 1979 Last Apparence: 1985 Occupation: Server at the Boar's Nest, sex... Read Full Story » -
Grace Kelly as Frances Stevens in Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch A Thief . Photo via Hitchcock... Read Full Story » -
images via fashion encyclopedia and papier doll CLAIRE MCCARDELL Born: May 24, 1905 in Frederick... Read Full Story »
Comments
