32 Years Ago, Madonna Wore One Of Her Most Controversial Looks Ever

The year 1992 was a big one for fashion: The world’s top supermodels like Claudia Schiffer, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, and Naomi Campbell were in the prime of their careers, Donna Karan was designing clothes to empower women, and Marc Jacobs had just gotten fired from his job at Perry Ellis after showing his iconic grunge collection.

Another figure who defined this era of fashion was Madonna — who at this point, had already become a household name. The pop singer released her fifth studio album, “Erotica” along with a companion coffee table book called “Sex” in October ‘92. It was clear that, much like the rest of the culture at the time, the pop star was interested in pushing the boundaries. So much so, in fact, that she wore one of her most daring looks ever that year.

The Look In Question

On September 24th, 1992 Madonna teamed up with French fashion designer John Paul Gaultier to walk the runway to raise money in support of AIDS. The singer initially appeared at the event wearing a black oversized blazer over her pinstriped dress.

Once the show began, and to everyone’s surprise, she removed the blazer to reveal her dramatic chest-baring look to a crowd of 6,000 people. Madonna’s breasts were suspended only by the straps of her dress making a case to free the nipple. The outfit featured a lace up slit at the bottom center and a buckle just under her bust.

The look was completed with a black baret, grungy lace-up boots, and a bold red lip for her makeup.

Madonna’s Cone Bra

This was not the first time that Gaultier and Madonna had collaborated with one another. The two had already worked to highlight Madonna’s breasts in a different way for the singer’s 1990 Blond Ambition tour. You know the look I’m talking about: a blush pink leotard with a cone bra that will forever remain a piece of fashion history.

Kim K’s Take On The Iconic Dress

If there’s one thing Kim Kardashian loves it’s creating (and in some cases recreating) a fashion moment. And since there are few more groundbreaking than Madonna’s racy ‘92 Gaultier look, it made sense that the Skims founder would want to put her own stamp in the silhouette.

In 2022, Kardashian attended John Paul Gaultier’s Haute Couture show in Paris with her daughter North West. She wore the same pinstriped John Paul Gaultier dress worn by Madonna 30 years prior. Kim, however, opted out of baring it all; instead, she had the dress reworked to cover her breasts (completely understandable, especially since she was out in public with her kid).

Though not as shocking a moment, Kardashian, still made headlines for paying homage to a dress and a pop star that forever changed history.