Twenty years since Madonna’s raunchy “Like A Prayer” video was unreservedly condemned by the Vatican, some of her most outrageous outfits are now making a grand reappearance. Paying tribute to her exotic and provocative sense of style, not to mention her reputation as a stellar fashion icon, a unique retrospective at London’s Old Truman Brewery is hosting an exhibition of Madonna’s costumes – those from “Material Girl”, “American Pie”, and “Evita” are amongst those on display.

Madonna's career burgeoned at a time when fashion was becoming increasingly more flamboyant. Are these pieces important as a reflection of this movement, or as an example of her desire to continually push these boundaries? Or are we fending off a woman now in her 50’s who refuses to swap sex for slippers?

Curator Ted Owen, Managing Director of Fame Bureau and one of the world’s most distinguished experts on celebrity memorabilia, is responsible for creating the Marquee Capital exposition, explains to Naomi Thompson.



Naomi: Madonna's provocative style has definitely helped to make her one of the most talked about women of the twentieth century. How far does Madonna owe her success to her wardrobe, and not her voice?

Ted: She has a great voice, but more importantly she’s the real package: good choreography, great style, she can dance and sing. Plus her lyrics are good (Ali G anyone?) and she sings with passion not for speed - all this, making wardrobe and music inseparable.



Naomi: Madonna has been touted as the “Queen of Reinvention”. Is there anything really consistent about her look?

Ted: She is essentially a chameleon, discarding one image for another. She went from punky to shabby chic, to her conical bra image via sophisticated Dallas to English lady. Her consistency lies in continuously rebranding herself over time.



Naomi: Given that Madonna's looks have been so consistently "on-trend", what make her outfits relevant today?

Ted: She has reached an iconic status – she may not influence generations to come with some of her more contemporary looks, but if you go to Portobello Road, Brighton, or any other fashionable enclave, you will find people buying their Ferragamo shoes and teaming them with a second hand chic. Her influence has been so great that it has almost become mainstream, but in a way this happens to all great acts.

Naomi: What, if any, was Madonna’s defining “fashion moment”?

Ted: She blossoms in so far as variety in Desperately Seeking Susan (Susan Seidelman 1985). She veers between expensive and trashy. Her look in this film is much emulated today.

Naomi: What new Madonna influences are going to be gracing the sidewalk catwalks?

Ted: In reaction to her recent photo shoots, everyone will be wearing underwear next season, Look at Lady Gaga, Dita and the neo-burlesque movement – it’s all down to Madonna.

Naomi: To what can Madonna accredit her success as a Gay Icon?

Ted: We have transvestites flying in from New York especially for the opening night - the more male Madonna looks the better! What happened was during the ‘Sex’ period many of the dancers were gay and had an almost gynaecological relationship with her on stage – her in a g-string, him licking her bum, leading to an acceptance of multi sexual behaviour. She was a child of the studio 54 era and has carried on with the idea of blurred sexuality.

Naomi: Celebrity memorabilia is becoming a safe ‘Alternative Investment’. My shares in RBS have taken a tumble. Who should we be collecting now? Should I be bidding for old Steps costumes or is holding out for Kylie’s hot pants a safer bet?

Ted: No one is as iconic as Madonna – even Kylie with all her popularity is no-where near as collectable as Madonna. Her imagery, with her twist of homosexuality (remember ‘that’ kiss with Britney?) means she is literally up there is a league of her own in terms of collectable female artists. Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood Mac) was once on a par. The trick is to make a social change. Bob Dylan, John Lennon, the Beatles, they all changed the way we think – celebrity has almost nothing to do with it. Hendrix brought sex into music. The Beatles pretty much single handedly generated a feel good period by introducing LSD and LSD fashion to the world. John went to India and all of a sudden we had this peace movement. With out wanting to sound like a grumpy old man, the kids today need to pull their fingers out. Your set lists are not going to be worth the paper their lyrics are written on. What do we have? Coldplay, the vegetarians of the music industry, a distinct lack of good clubs and too many sheep.

Naomi: Is she aware you are trying to sell her 1985/87 signed personal American Express Card? It looks like it was cut in half and then stuck back together again.

Ted: Yes she does! She is fully aware of all aspects of the exhibition and we have ensured that everything if fully compliant with the law.

Naomi: Did you fish it out of her bin?

Ted: I am not saying! But there is in fact an interesting character in LA called ‘Pauly the Pitcher’ who is partial to a bit of a rummage. A card belonging to Elvis went for $100,000 recently.

Naomi: What makes this exhibition more than just another show room of risqué party frocks?

Ted: It’s more than an exhibition, it’s a celebration of her life, especially designed to cover all aspects of her career. The idea was to make it an installation, creating an atmosphere representative of her most iconic moments using music, lights and sound. As you walk into the space, you will form part of that experience.

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‘Simply Madonna: Materials of the Girl’ is at the Old Truman Brewery, London.

Dates and Times:
February 21st – March 22nd 2009

The exhibition will be on 7 days a week between 09:30am – 18:30pm.

There will also be two evening openings on February 23 and March 2. The evening viewing times will run from 18:30-20:30 and 20:30-22:30.
For more information please visit ...

Entry:
£9.50, £7.50

Donations will be made to the charity Barnardos.