14th Jun, 2016 10:00 GMT+1/BST

Passion for Fashion

 
Lot 258
 

A fine Jean Paul Gaultier gold lamé stage ensemble designed for Madonna's 'Blond Ambition' tour, 1990, labelled Jean Paul Gaultier, Paris, and initialled in ink 'MC' to the corset-like bodice, with top-stitched conical breast cups, curved top-stitched hip panels, gold thong laces laces front and back, zip to front and nude elastane lining; with matching knickers of nude elastane and gold lamé, bust approx 86cm, 34in, waist 61cm, 24in; together with an autographed photograph of Madonna wearing the ensemble on tour (3)



Madonna wears a gold corset outfit in the second 'Religious' phase of the show where she provocatively sings 'Like A Virgin' whilst writhing on a red satin covered bed, accompanied by male dancers wearing cone bras. She next covers the gold ensemble with a black robe and a large crucifix and sings 'Like A Prayer', which caused furore in the press at the time and a backlash from religious groups.



Jean Paul Gaultier said of this special commission:



'When Madonna first called me in 1989, it was two days before my ready-to-wear show, and I thought my assistant was joking. I was a big fan. She asked me if I would do the tour. She knew what she wanted: a pinstripe suit, feminine corsetry. Madonna likes my clothes because they combine the masculine and the feminine…When I was a child, my grandmother took me to an exhibition, and they had a corset on display. I loved the flesh colour, the salmon satin, the lace. She explained that a corset was meant to help you, to make you stand up. It was a solution that I thought was beautiful. The gold conical bra was just an extension of that idea'.



This iconic outfit, perhaps more than any other she wore in the show, is instantly recognisable as 'Madonna'.



Jean Paul Gaultier has examined this piece and confirms that it was made for Madonna and she would have tried it on for fittings in his Paris studio at the very least. The sweat marks on the bodice suggest that it was also worn in performance although we cannot confirm this. The outfit was purchased by the vendor the 1990s from the Stars & Stripes specialist memorabilia store in Los Angeles for $25,000 and was subsequently exhibited at the 'Fashion Cafe'.



From Mr Gaultier's memory only three of these outfits were ever made. Madonna herself has one, there is one in the Hard Rock café (which she gave to the Shelter charity to auction via Sotheby's in 1992) and this one. He used a special vintage gold lam fabric with a high metallic fibre content. More recently he attempted to make a replica of the ensemble for his travelling exhibition - but found it impossible as none of the fabrics available now (new or vintage) are similar.

Sold for £30,000

Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)


 

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If Kerry Taylor Auctions Ltd sells an item of Property which is later shown to be a “Counterfeit”, subject to the terms below Kerry Taylor Auctions Ltd will rescind the sale and refund the Buyer the total amount paid by the Buyer to Kerry Taylor Auctions Ltd for that Property, up to a maximum of the Purchase Price.

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“Counterfeit” means an item of Property that in Kerry Taylor Auctions Ltd ‘s reasonable opinion is an imitation created with the intent to deceive over the authorship, origin, date, age, period, culture or source, where the correct description of such matters is not included in the catalogue description for the Property.
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To claim under this Guarantee, the Buyer must:-
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question the authenticity or attribution of the Property, specifying the lot number,
date of the auction at which it was
purchased and the reasons why it is believed to be Counterfeit; and
(ii) return the Property to Kerry Taylor Auctions Ltd in the same condition as at the date of sale and be able to transfer good title in the Property, free from any third party claims arising after the date of the sale.

Kerry Taylor Auctions Ltd has discretion to waive any of the above requirements. Kerry Taylor Auctions Ltd may require the Buyer to obtain at the Buyer’s cost the reports of two independent and recognised experts in the relevant field. Kerry Taylor Auctions Ltd shall not be bound by any reports produced by the Buyer, and reserves the right to seek additional expert advice at its own expense. In the event Kerry Taylor Auctions Ltd decides to rescind the sale under this Guarantee, it may refund to the Buyer the reasonable costs of up to two mutually approved independent expert reports, provided always that the costs of such reports have been approved in advance and in writing by Kerry Taylor Auctions Ltd.

 

Last updated: 23rd May 2014

 
 

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