Observations: All decades of Madonna are now the height of fashion
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Your support makes all the difference.If you couldn't spare £160 to see Madonna thrusting her crotch in concert last year, don't despair. A new exhibition of her film and stage costumes arrives at the Old Truman Brewery in London on 21 February, providing both diehard fans and those who like their culture about as substantial as one of Madge's macrobiotic meals with another chance to get their fix of the material girl.
Highlights of the month-long exhibition – Simply Madonna, Materials of the Girl (... geddit?) – will include the black satin bustier from the video to "Open Your Heart", complete with pointy bust and nipple tassels; outfits from the videos to "Music" and "American Pie", when Madonna was in her pimp-cowboy phase; the wedding dress from the film Evita and the hot pink dress from the "Material Girl" video, which paid tribute to Marilyn Monroe singing "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The clothing will be displayed alongside photos, film props, magazines, videos and installations to create an atmosphere, "in keeping with the glamour and sense of theatre that the queen of pop has made her trademark," promises curator Ted Owen.
The timing could hardly be better, as many of this season's key trends take their inspiration from the signature looks her Madgesty has sported over the years. The pale ripped denim she wore in the Eighties and Nineties? Very Balmain. Those Eighties rag hairbands? They reared their heads at Danielle Scutt and Topshop Unique. Madonna's beloved crop tops showed up at Chloé and are all over the high street, while bra tops, as seen on her Blonde Ambition tour, were a strong feature of the Prada show. So, while this might not be the most culturally groundbreaking exhibition, it's certainly the most fashion forward retrospective in town.
Simply Madonna: Materials of the Girl, Old Truman Brewery, London E1 (www.marqueecapital.com)
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