Madonna’s Most Iconic Style Evolutions, In Honor of Her New Album

Madonna, henceforth, would like to be known as Madame X. That is her new Carmen Sandiego-esque alter ego and the title of her new album, announced today. Over the weekend, Madonna posted a 90-second video teaser for Madame X, which will be her fourteenth album. Not many details are known, but we do know that the character the album will be centered around is many—truly, many—things.

“Madame X is a secret agent,” Madonna says. “Traveling around the world. Changing identities. Fighting for freedom. Bringing light to dark places. She is a dancer. A professor. A head of state. A housekeeper. An equestrian. A prisoner. A student. A mother. A child. A teacher. A nun. A singer. A saint. A whore. The spy in the house of love. I’m Madame X.”

She’ll be performing at Eurovision in May, and hopefully, we’ll hear more leading up to the show. On Wednesday, Madonna will also release a single off the album titled “Medellin” with Colombian reggaeton star Maluma. Madonna, like her new muse Madame X, is a woman of many personas. Below, here are some of her most iconic.

1984: The First-Ever MTV Video Music Awards

At her first VMAs performance, Madonna wore a lacy, white wedding dress, gloves, and a belt saying “Boy Toy” for her performance of “Like a Virgin”. She rose from a stage on a giant wedding cake.

1985: The 12th Annual American Music Awards

Early Madonna was all about strands of pearls and crucifixes, blonde ponytails, and Jean Paul Gaultier bustiers. At the January 28, 1985, American Music Awards,  she wore a black Gaultier-designed corset dress.

1990: Blond Ambition Tour 

Though the world’s most famous bra made its debut on the 1982 Gaultier runway, it became part of pop culture iconography when Madonna wore it onstage during her Blond Ambition tour. Worn for the first time on April 13, 1990 in Chiba, Japan, the cone bra was inspired by 1950s bullet bras.

1990: Blond Ambition Tour Part 2 

The Blond Ambition tour was packed with legendary Gaultier looks, including this fuschia-feathered ensemble worn onstage in Tokyo. The braid-wrapped high ponytail also cemented the hair style as a contradictory force of nature.

1990: MTV Video Music Awards 

Wearing Glenn Close’s costume from the 1998 film Dangerous Liasions, Madonna performed “Vogue” in true Marie Antoinette splendor.

1993: Girlie Show World tour

Following the release of her fifth album Erotica, Madonna wore an intricate Dolce & Gabbana costume during her New York stop.

1995: 12th annual MTV Video Music Awards

This casual satin pants-and-blouse ensemble, while perhaps not a sartorial standout, is worth mentioning for its extremely mid-1990s vibe. It was a transition from late-’80s vestiges leading up to the “Ray of Light” era.

1998: Ray of Light Video 

Ah, the Kabbala years! During the new-age nineties, Madonna’s Ray of Light album was like a soothing Pure Moods Volume I-esque pop journey. The album cover features her in a cool-blue silk shirt, and the accompanying “Ray of Light” music video debuts a great double-denim look.

1999: 41st Annual Grammy Awards

Madonna returned to her Gaultier roots during her 2000 Grammys performance wearing a red kimono with matching boots and eyeshadow.

2001: Drowned World Tour

She goes full early-2000s, ripped-jeans fashion during her Drowned World tour after her Ray of Light and Music albums. There were lots of American flag style references, and at one point, Madonna riding a bull in Dsquared2. This was absolutely the Queen of Pop’s Yeehaw era, with her country-flavored song “Don’t Tell Me”.

2003: That Moment from the 2003 VMAs 

This was the famous trifecta of early-200os pop—Madonna, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera kissing onstage during the 20th-anniversary performance of “Like a Virgin”.

2005: MTV Europe Music Awards

Confessions on a Dance Floor was Madonna’s homage to pure Abba-fied disco. Incorporating her love of fishnets and bodysuits, her look for this era involved colored leather, feathered Farah Fawcett hair, and big sunglasses.

2012: Super Bowl Halftime Show 

A precursor to the very-regal Givenchy dress she wore to the 2018 Met Gala, her Super Bowl half-time show ensemble was designed by Riccardo Tisci.

2014: 56th Annual Grammys 

A big Yeehaw Style moment for Madonna was her white cowboy hat and suit worn during her performance of “Open Your Heart” with Macklemore and Mary Lewis. It was a nod to her outfit in the 2000 video for “Music”.

2015: Rebel Heart Tour

Her Alessandro Michele-designed flamenco costume during her Rebel Heart tour could give us an idea of what the singer’s latest style incarnation for Madame X could look like. The album, she told Vogue Italia, was influenced by her year living in Lisbon, where her son David trained with a Portuguese soccer club.