Madonna’s ‘dated’ tour looks are ‘lazy’ – she’ll have to do more to keep up with Beyonce and Taylor Swift, says expert
MADONNA’S styling efforts for her one-of-a-kind world tour would look much better on a Las Vegas showgirl, a fashion expert has said.
And she urged the Holiday hitmaker to take action with her clothes before she is forced to throw in the towel as a performer.
Madonna’s much-anticipated Celebration Tour kicked off in London on Saturday, when she navigated plenty of costume changes.
The event honors Madonna’s massive music career and reams of chart-topping tracks.
This meant the 65-year-old was seen singing and cavorting dressed in versions of her infamous styles.
These included conical bras, lace gloves, fishnets, and tight corsets.
Stylist said despite the iconic themes, the pop queen’s outfits looked “dated” throughout.
Labeling the curation “lazy,” Sharp suggested Madonna “switch things up” in the way she has become famous for.
The music superstar’s classic looks have included eye-catching crucifixes in the 80s.
The 9Os saw Madonna’s modern dominatrix alter ego come to life.
She was known for moving between styles within minutes.
In an exclusive interview, Sharp told The U.S. Sun: “There is something that feels dated about all these looks.
“Creatively, this all looked a bit lazy and unelevated.
“For Madonna, the clothes were not fresh enough.
“She has got to do something that makes her pop and before people say it is time to throw in the towel.”
Sharpe suggested Madonna turn to stars like Beyonce or Taylor Swift for inspiration.
“Beyonce and Taylor Swift do not have as many years as Madonna and this tour is also celebrating her career and music,” she said.
“But if we compare it to what other performers are doing out there, her styling could have been done better.
“On Beyonce’s tour, all of her looks were fresh.
“Every single thing that came out on the stage that she wore was innovative.
“She also used different designers and different stylists.”
Madonna’s styling team was said to have recreated 17 costumes from all of her past performances.
This included the signature Jean Paul Gaultier cone bra and her iconic corsets.
She hired costume and creative designers Eyob Yohannes and Rita Melssen.
They, in turn, secured designers like Donatella Versace, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Dilara Findikoglu.
Melssen told : “We wanted to reference everything that she’s done, and make something new out of that.”
She added: “We created a whole new world.”
Sharp disagreed: “When you are trying to replicate old looks, you can do this using fresh angles,” she said.
“You can innovate in a different way.
“The red satin lacy lingerie number Madonna wears feels very dated as it is. We have seen all this before.
“So this outfit does not feel new at all and needed a refresh or a fresh new take on it.
“Similarly the turquoise corset stuff she is wearing is all the same.”
Sharp highlighted that Madonna has always been synonymous with reinvention.
“These costumes do not show the innovation that she is so famous for,” she said.
“We used to see Madonna with that wow factor.
“She would be able to transform seamlessly from mother nature to a badass dominatrix.
“She used to switch things up so since it is Madonna, this was all sub-standard.
“Of course, Madonna is celebrating her career and her era, but with that, she is also staying with what she knows — or knew.”
Madonna is set to perform on 78 days across 15 different countries which means her work will be cut out.
In London, her appearance saw her address her health issues.
She suffered a scare in July when she was rushed to hospital in New York with a bacterial infection.
The Vogue hitmaker mentioned her health on stage. She told her fans it had been “a crazy year for me.”
Madonna was supported on her opening weekend by her daughter Mercy James, 17, and Lourdes Leon, 27 — who was celebrating her birthday.
Her twins Stella and Ester joined in when she performed her nineties hit, Vogue.
Sharp continued: “Madonna is in her sixties and is rocking it. Her body looks fabulous overall.
“The clothes just did not achieve that same level.
“People are still embracing that nakedness and the corsets.
“Madonna continues to carry it off with confidence and is obviously trying to look sexy.
“If anybody could pull it off at her age, it would be her.
“I just wish the clothes helped her more and enhanced her.
“They are not doing their job to create that iconic, innovative sexy look that we know Madonna for.
“It is also Vegas showgirl-style which is dated. Madonna should have brought in a new spin.”