17 of Madonna's most iconic looks and moments through the years

She's known for her fashion as much as her music!

Author: Emma DoddsPublished 20th Apr 2026

Madonna is one of the biggest pop stars in the world, of all time. It's not just her incredible songwriting skills, vocal abilities and performances that have captured the public's eye - it's also her extraordinary fashion sense.

She has adapted to the times with every move, constantly reinventing herself to stay relevant. With so many amazing styles and outfits over the years, we've decided to take a look back at some her most iconic fashion looks through the years...

Take a look at Madonna's incredible looks through the years:

1985

Madonna is pictured here performing on 'The Virgin Tour', her debut concert tour that she took through the US and Canada. Madonna worked with designer Maripol for her fashion through the 80s, including for the tour.

1985

Madonna performed at Live Aid, taking to the stage in Philadelphia to perform 'Into The Groove' and 'Holiday' in a multi-layered outfit.

1987

She channelled her inner Marilyn Monroe for the 'Who's That Girl World Tour', performing in the US and Canada, Japan, the UK and Europe.

1990

Madonna debuted her iconic pointy bra corset on the 'Blonde Ambition World Tour'. Designed by Jean Paul Gaultier, Madonna made a statement with the item during the song 'Express Yourself'.

1993

Madonna went for a close pixie crop hairdo on her 'Girlie Show' tour, and the fashion for this tour was designed by Dolce & Gabbana with instructions from Madonna herself to look at films My Fair Lady and Cabaret for inspiration.

1998

Madonna favoured a more natural, stripped back look to promote her seventh album, 'Ray Of Light'. The music video saw her wear a denim jacket with trousers featuring a glittered belt, as clips of her singing the song were interspersed between sped up scenes from around the world. It won a GRAMMY Award as well as five MTV VMAs.

2001

She opted for a sleeker look at the film premiere for Mean Machine with her then-husband Guy Ritchie, sporting the poker-straight, feathered hairdo that's become synonymous with the early noughties.

2004

She was back to curly blonde locks for the 'Reinvention World Tour', working with designers Stella McCartney and Karl Lagerfeld among others to create the on-stage looks, including this bejewelled corset.

2008

Emulating Guns 'N Roses bassist Slash, Madonna looked fierce in black with a top hat on her 'Sticky & Sweet Tour', on which she worked once again with Stella McCartney among others.

2012

Madonna gave the cheerleading performance of her life on the 'MDNA Tour'. Working once again with Jean Paul Gaultier, the performance was split into four themes: Transgression, Prophecy, Masculine/Feminine and Redemption and, according to Madonna, showed "the journey of a soul from darkness to light".

2013

She chose a blunt black wig for the Punk-themed Met Gala, wearing an outfit by Givenchy.

2015

Madonna caught everyone's eye with her Matador performance at The BRIT Awards - and despite a blunder with the cape, she still delivered an incredible show.

2017

Once again, Madonna turned heads at the Met Gala with a camo gown by Moschino. She told Entertainment Tonight: "We knew we wanted to go with camouflage from the very start. We started with the flak jacket, and then we worked our way down. So, you know, we're ready. We're ready to go to fashion war. It's going to be a fun night."

2019

Madonna sported an eye patch for her performance at the Eurovision Song Contest, using this era to perform as her alter ego Madame X who she saw as a "spy" or "secret agent".

2022

Madonna channelled her 80s looks for this outfit in 2022, which she wore to a roller disco event at DiscoOasis at Wolman Rink in Central Park, New York.

2024

Madonna took to the stage at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro during her 'The Celebration Tour', wearing an eye-catching and colourful corset dress and long gloves made up of the colours of Brazil's flag. Designed by Jean Paul Gaultier, it's certainly reminiscent of his cone bra corset from all those years ago.

2026

Madonna was brought out as a guest at Coachella 2026 by headliner Sabrina Carpenter, as the pair performed her songs 'Vogue' and 'Like A Prayer', with her lilac ensemble reported to be pulled from her "personal archives".

Read more:

Madonna through the years: The queen of pop and fashion icon's career story

Celebrating brilliant female musicians of the 70s, 80s & 90s 🎶

Everything you need to know about 'Madonna: The Celebration Tour'

Want more music news?

Read more of the latest music news here