Pop Royalty: Queen Madonna, the anglophile, reigns supreme as she descends on London
Style editor Chandler Tregaskes reports from the Celebration Tour, the glittering show that everyone is talking about
LIVING LEGEND: MADONNA WEARS CUSTOM JEAN-PAUL GAULTIER, THE ORIGINATOR OF THE QUINTESSENTIALLY MADGE CONE BRA
Kevin Mazur
In the ever-twinkling world of celebrity culture, there’s a battle of the pop princesses. They’re fighting valiantly to claim ‘Queen’ status, their legions of devoted online fan armies poised ready to like, comment and share every glimpse of their favourite idol in a bid for world domination. Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour caused countless silver-clad salutations from the BeyHive all summer long, while the Swifties (Taylor Swift’s regiment) have been fiercely calling for unified adoration of the star’s Eras Tour. In an age where a world tour is merely not enough, you’ll need feature films (Swift’s concert film has had the Swifties at the cinema for weeks) and Balmain collab merch drops (yes, that literally happened at the Flannels department store take-over in London for Renaissance) to cut it in 2023. Their weapon of mass destruction is fan-based one-uppery, and both camps boast endless artillery, however, there is one sovereign that they still all bow down to: Madonna.
Her reign is one that smites the other two combined in duration alone. 14 studio albums, 27 feature films and countless fashion moments that have created a living tapestry of style for the past four decades. The Celebration Tour promised to be a retrospective like no other. So, you can imagine the excitement that gripped the soul of this pop-loving style editor when an invite landed in my inbox.
‘Aunty Tracey’: Princess Eugenie opens up about her close relationship with the artist Tracey Emin
Picture perfect: Princess Leonor proves she’s the glamorous selfie Queen at a palace gala
Harry and Meghan jet away to where ‘billionaires go to escape millionaires’
Happy birthday Madonna! The material girl’s most stylish moments
TATLER, MARCH 1986
‘Aunty Tracey’: Princess Eugenie opens up about her close relationship with the artist Tracey Emin
Picture perfect: Princess Leonor proves she’s the glamorous selfie Queen at a palace gala
Harry and Meghan jet away to where ‘billionaires go to escape millionaires’
ADVERTISEMENT
In the heady sweat of anticipation, I delved into the Tatler archive. My half a decade at this title has been littered with trips to see my favourite retro stars undergo the Tatler treatment. Queen Madge got it four times. First, in March 1986, the star was shot by Herb Ritts and styled by Michael Roberts in avant-garde silver bangles and a quintessential crucifix atop her head. One year later, in September ‘87, Madge appeared again in a black lace bustier and a cropped bleach ‘do. Ever the paradoxical figure, Tatler staffers had an ask-around of society starlets and fashion industry icons on what they thought of the star for the issue. John Galliano and Jasper Conran fought over who discovered her first: ‘Madonna, I just love her. In fact I was the first person in London to get into her,’ claimed Galliano. ‘No you weren’t, I was,’ Conran retorted. ‘Shut up. Even when everybody said she was just a slag I knew she was a star,’ Galliano clapped back. Meanwhile, Lady Antonia Fraser and Nicky Haslam were less enchanted. ‘I never think about Madonna at all,’ said Lady Fraser. ‘Not really the immaculate conception, is she?’ Haslam pondered. She was back 13 years later in 2000 talking candidly with Juliette Hohnen. And once more in 2005. Geordie Grieg, then editor of the magazine, interviewed her. Now a self-confessed anglophile, she said she had been ‘practicing my posh English accent all week’. Is Tatler where all that started?
TATLER, SEPTEMBER 1987
I spent my day trying – and somewhat failing – to concentrate. I had an appointment at Hermès to see next season’s collection and a lunch with New & Lingwood at Langan’s (bangers and mash to line the stomach) then back home for glam pre-o2. I knew I wanted to nod to Madonna with my look and I’ve always adored the white wide-leg trouser suit with matching waistcoat she wore when running round a sexy warehouse with Britney in the Me Against The Music video. So, I opted for a Tatler take on that (i.e with a tweed jacket and statement bling).
My invite came through Klarna. The buy-now-pay-later financial service that has ascended on New Bond Street, opening up the world of high-luxury to a new glitz-loving customer. Flagship luxury houses such as Balenciaga, Jimmy Choo, Dolce & Gabbana and Bulgari, are now available for frugal fashion fiends, and even the Harrods set are tapping away on the Klarna app. My hosts booked out an Encore Suite, so I was certainly in for a treat.
MOST POPULAR
‘Aunty Tracey’: Princess Eugenie opens up about her close relationship with the artist Tracey Emin
Picture perfect: Princess Leonor proves she’s the glamorous selfie Queen at a palace gala
Harry and Meghan jet away to where ‘billionaires go to escape millionaires’
ADVERTISEMENT
Evita premiere
I arrived an hour after doors opened, I’d spent an entire commute listening to Madonna’s sprawling catalogue. ‘You’ve got style, that’s what all the girls say. All your suits are custom-made in London,’ the eternal anglophile sang in Material Girl which spoke to me on a Savile Row level. Elsewhere on my journey, that pulsating synthesiser in Die Another Day – which has the second-most expensive music video of all time at a colossal $6.1 million – got me in the mood to dance like no one was watching.
MADONNA, WITH HER BACK-UP DANCERS, OOZING EIGHTIES EDGE
Kevin Mazur
MOST POPULAR
‘Aunty Tracey’: Princess Eugenie opens up about her close relationship with the artist Tracey Emin
Picture perfect: Princess Leonor proves she’s the glamorous selfie Queen at a palace gala
Harry and Meghan jet away to where ‘billionaires go to escape millionaires’
ADVERTISEMENT
I embarked on the labyrinth-like trip through the winding floors of the o2 before hitting our private booth for the night. I must say, the suite life sure is sweet. The space, fitted with silk-fringe curtains, its own tiered seating, personal bar, and, most intriguingly, a life-size cut out of Paris Hilton holding up the all-important Klarna App, was the ideal rendez-vous. Endless Lanson champagne flowed, and, for me, the height of hedonism ensued; skinny fries on the private dancefloor. And just like that, the show opened. Bob the Drag Queen warmed up the crowd in a Regency-era pink brocade mantua, dialling up the fanfare in a quintessentially camp fashion.
Now, unlike real-life royalty, Queen Madge is not known for punctuality but, as any fan will tell you, it’s all part of the essence of an icon. Luckily for us, however, her opening number, the turn-of-the-century dance track complete with a music video of the star in a red Jean-Paul Gaultier kimono, boomed throughout the stadium right on-time, and there she appeared, coming up through a podium centre-stage, like Aphrodite emerging from the ocean.
QUEEN MADGE IN A LACE LINGERIE-INSPIRED ENSEMBLE
Kevin Mazur
MOST POPULAR
‘Aunty Tracey’: Princess Eugenie opens up about her close relationship with the artist Tracey Emin
Picture perfect: Princess Leonor proves she’s the glamorous selfie Queen at a palace gala
Harry and Meghan jet away to where ‘billionaires go to escape millionaires’
ADVERTISEMENT
Mert & Marcus House of Love party for Madonna
The Celebration Tour is exactly that; a riotous retrospective of a star whose artistry has spanned decades of reinvention. The fishnets, bustiers and crucifixes of the eighties, the Americana drama of the Ray of Light era, the androgynous appeal of the mid-90s sex symbol; all arms of Madonna’s chameleon-like charisma was on show for generations of Madge fans.
But, as a style editor, it was undoubtedly a night of fashion, and a catwalk of couture like no other. I spoke to Ukrainian hatmaker extraordinaire, Ruslan Baginskiy, ahead of the show, knowing he had specially created pieces for this moment. If his name doesn’t ring a bell, you’ll surely know his work. His hand-embroidered ‘RB’ logo Baker Boy caps are the uniform for Chelsea cool-kids and arty It-girls alike.
YEE-HAW! MADONNA SERVES COWGIRL-COOL IN CUSTOM RUSLAN BAGINSKIY
Courtesy of Ruslan Baginskiy
MOST POPULAR
‘Aunty Tracey’: Princess Eugenie opens up about her close relationship with the artist Tracey Emin
Picture perfect: Princess Leonor proves she’s the glamorous selfie Queen at a palace gala
Harry and Meghan jet away to where ‘billionaires go to escape millionaires’
ADVERTISEMENT
‘Working with Madonna, an icon of creativity and style, has been a dream come true. I have been, for lack of a better word – blessed – to have this relationship for almost eight years. Her support has been present since the very start. To be included in the tour was an absolute reward of a beautiful history together,’ Baginskiy gushed. He also managed to outfit some of the most legendary hits for this show. ‘The goal was to create hats that embody the spirit of the songs. Don’t Tell Me to Stop, Die Another Day, but also for her son, David Banda, for La Isla Bonita and Bitch I’m Madonna. They had to be edgy, strong, provocative and fun.’ Certainly a labour of love for any style savant, Baginskiy relished in the chance to dress the original Material Girl, as any designer who has ever got the chance will attest. ‘In general, Madonna’s energy and passion for pushing boundaries, reinvention, really align with my design philosophy. Creating bespoke hats for her performances is an honour, and it’s amazing to see the magic that unfolds on stage,’ Baginskiy shared.
READ MORE
Abbey Clancy, the chatelaine: as the model enters her glamorous interior design era, she throws open the doors of the most magnificent homes in the land
As her new ITV show makes a splash, Abbey Clancy talks Crouch, kids, castles and the future King
MADONNA WEARING CUSTOM ATELIER VERSACE
Kevin Mazur
MOST POPULAR
‘Aunty Tracey’: Princess Eugenie opens up about her close relationship with the artist Tracey Emin
Picture perfect: Princess Leonor proves she’s the glamorous selfie Queen at a palace gala
Harry and Meghan jet away to where ‘billionaires go to escape millionaires’
ADVERTISEMENT
Sharing in the glory of Celebration Tour couturiers was, of course, Versace. The star’s relationship with house founder, Gianni Versace, conjured myriads of red carpet moments in the 90s and led to Madonna becoming, essentially, the first pop-star fashion house ambassador – think back to those 1995 Versace ads of the icon in lilac sequins lying down a stone staircase, painting a poodle’s nails in a baroque-print bikini, and playing croquet in a crystal-bedecked gown shot by Stephen Meisel. In 2023, it’s Donatella continuing the partnership of esteemed pizzazz, creating a shattered-glass-effect custom catsuit as well as pieces for her daughter and back-up dancer, Estere. ‘My amazing friend Madonna – you are a ray of light in Versace,’ the designer shared on Instagram. ‘Your talent and creativity inspires us all.’ Other haute highlights included modernised cone bras from originator Jean-Paul Gaultier, confections of costume heaven from Eyob Yohannes, and dramatic decadence from London Fashion Week Stalwart, Dilara Findikoglu. Eminent designers will always jump at the chance to dress [her] up in [their] love.
With the superstar set to return to London in December due to high demand, it’s time to book your tickets. If not, set sail further afield to any of the other continents the tour will head to. Travelling the globe for Madonna? It’s totally Tatler-approved.
