MADONNA RECENTLY BROUGHT BACK her goth look, which defined much of the early to mid ’80s, with her leather jacket and lingerie tops, layered heavy chain necklaces, crosses and ropes of beads. In a photo this month, she was wearing a more hip hop blend of fashion, but the jewelry brought to mind the pop icon we remember from the film Desperately Seeking Susan, which helped to launch her career and a look that girls everywhere wanted to emulate.
I believe the shot was taken before she appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, as she is “striking a pose” in front of Radio City Music Hall. In the Instagram post she wrote about New York City: “Reminding me again and again to never forget where I came from-The blood, sweat and tears—the loneliness-the struggle- But most of all the Dream—that kept me afloat like a lifeboat.” Later in the post she added, “There are many more beautiful places in the world but there’s no place like New York City. Unrelenting and unforgiving. She does not suffer fools gladly. But She will teach you how to survive.”
And who could have said it better than Madonna, a singer/songwriter who learned how to survive and thrive after struggling to gain the recognition she deserved as a strong, independent and multi-talented woman. Madonna knew about marketing in the music business, starting as a young woman who got her first big break in the city and showed us street style at its best. From there, one of the keys to her success was the ability to recreate herself time and time again.
She showed us how it was to be “Like a Virgin” and “Material Girl,” conjuring up the dream of Old Hollywood, imitating her own favorite icons of the silver screen. But no style could compare with the girl who gave us rubber bracelets, vintage clothes and piled-on faux silver and gold jewelry to great effect.
Here she is then and now. How do you feel about the goth/punk girl look coming back into style?