Madonna Scrapbook reader Pheel mentioned in the La Isla post and elaborated further in the Stephen Bray post regarding La Isla being part of the Original Set List for Blond Ambition. It's funny, I don't know when but I came across the images that he took of the sketches done by Gaultier but I posted them Here in March of 2009.
I was always under the impression the sketches were done when it was going to be the "Like a Prayer Tour" sponsored by Pepsi as part of their deal before the video blew up in Pepsi's face! Ha! Then Madonna got the role of Breathless in Dick Tracy and everything shifted.
Here's what interesting things Pheel had to say and cleared things up:
"It was mentioned in french daily newspaper "Liberation" when "Blond Ambition Tour" hit Paris in July of 1990. Madonna was on the cover, a pic from the "Vogue" performance from the show. Inside there is an interview of Jean Paul Gaultier with original sketches of the costumes he made prior to the ones that were selected by Madonna. On these sketches she appears as a brunette with the same hairdo as in the "Like a prayer" video, she wears a bathrobe because he wanted her to take a shower on stage ( which she replaced by the masturbation scene. On the back of the bathrobe there was a tag "Taste Heaven". In this interview he talked about the "La Isla Bonita" costumes and how at the last minute he had to redo all the costumes because from when he took Madonna's measurments to the time she was about to start the tour she had lost a lot of weight and his team was forced to go to L.A to resize everything. A while ago i posted the sketches on a forum, it was a bad capture with my phone^^
I moved a lot since then so i have to look into my boxes to enearth them again."
Here's what interesting things Pheel had to say and cleared things up:
"It was mentioned in french daily newspaper "Liberation" when "Blond Ambition Tour" hit Paris in July of 1990. Madonna was on the cover, a pic from the "Vogue" performance from the show. Inside there is an interview of Jean Paul Gaultier with original sketches of the costumes he made prior to the ones that were selected by Madonna. On these sketches she appears as a brunette with the same hairdo as in the "Like a prayer" video, she wears a bathrobe because he wanted her to take a shower on stage ( which she replaced by the masturbation scene. On the back of the bathrobe there was a tag "Taste Heaven". In this interview he talked about the "La Isla Bonita" costumes and how at the last minute he had to redo all the costumes because from when he took Madonna's measurments to the time she was about to start the tour she had lost a lot of weight and his team was forced to go to L.A to resize everything. A while ago i posted the sketches on a forum, it was a bad capture with my phone^^
I moved a lot since then so i have to look into my boxes to enearth them again."
Oh. My. God. This has to be my favorite and biggest Madonna revelation ever. Reimagining Blond Ambition as the Like A Prayer tour and brunette. Though she breathed blonde before, Dick Tracy potentially re-sculptured the whole Madonna landscape. Wow. And RACY sketches. What a discovery! x
ReplyDeleteivor, great right?!! i always remember the initial pepsi print ads and articles about the deal talking about the tour sponsorship. it wasnt until i saw these drawings - which just happened to be pheels!!! - that i ever thought it was going to be anything other than what we saw. xo
ReplyDeleteAll those ideas, sketches and imaginings - the fittings and original designs, the set lists and themes - all different. I wonder if photos were ever taken by JPG's team of a brunette M in his original designs? Maybe they'll surface one day. Who knew she was so busy in late 88 / early 89 with the tour? I remember the Like A Prayer Tour being mentioned actually, but I too thought it was barely an idea. Wow I say again. Cheers to Pheels! x
ReplyDeleteSorry to continue to gush ... but a Like A Prayer brunette Madonna in flesh pink conical bra??? Wow. :)
ReplyDeleteActually, the ilustrator that did the sketching for Gaultier on the Blong Ambition Tour costumes and other projects is Thierry Perez who also collaborated with him as a Creative Consultant.
ReplyDeleteThats very true. He did the Sex Book party invite illustration. Very sexy :)
ReplyDeleteright on, roberto. xo
ReplyDeleteHey Pud, that was great! Thanks!!!
ReplyDeleteNow, if you or anybody happens to stumble upon the actual Gaultier interview, it would be awesome to see everything he says about the Mexican Day of the Dead-inspired theme for La Isla's customes...
See, I'm Mexican, and so very intrigued by this very interesting combination of the Latin themes!
(Interestingly, Gaultier himself revived the theme in 2007 and 2010 collections:
http://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/show.aspx/id,4212
Aren't the Thyerry Perez sketches?
ReplyDeleteyes diego. xo
ReplyDeleteUtterly fascinating to read this and see these pics - NEVER SAW THIS BEFORE!!!! I love it - I love this tour - I love reading about it - it's just BLISS!!!
ReplyDeleteAMAZING POST PUD! I love how 29 years later, we have new information regarding this incredible tour! I LOVE IT! Thank you for sharing - and of course, many thanks to your sources. Just incredible!!!!
ReplyDeleteI really felt in lve with Thierry Perez drawings from the first time i saw them!! there are some of them in sky mag, glamour, etc.. i have the versace's book "rock and royalties", it has a few full page sketches, do you know if there's any book with all the thierry perez drawings? thanks!! and thanks for refreshing our fan memory everyday!!! ;)
ReplyDeleteCheck out 'Fashion Illustration Today' by Nicholas Drake, got loads of Thierry's sketches in there, including the Sex invitation one. Thierry was a huge inspiration when I was doing fashion illustration at college.
ReplyDeleteOh! you don't mind how much i appreciate your information!! I've been in paris and i've asked in about 30 bookstores and nobody knew him, THANKS THANKS THANKS THANKS!!! ebay, here i go!!! Thanks again!! Diego
ReplyDeleteAlso, if you haven't already got it, try Madonna in Art by Mem Mehmet which has some of his sketches including ones for the 'Erotica' video, Sex invitation, Blond Ambition (possibly previously unseen EY one) cowgirl and geisha for Drowned World Tour.
ReplyDeletete quiero Madonna
ReplyDeleteI've already bought the book on ebay UK!! i can't wait until it's with me! I'm traveling to amsterdam next month, i'll try there with Madonna in Art, i think i can get it!! you're great, i appreaciate a lot you info, once more, THANKS!!!! Diego
ReplyDelete@Diegobuenosaires: I know for sure this book is in Amsterdam: it's on my bookshelf! But I'm not sure if I'm ready to sell... Just check Amazon.com, it's there for about 10 dollars.
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear about a Like a Prayer-tour, by the way!
thanks everyone for all the fantastic facts and info! its so nice to see madonna fans sharing great things and helping each other. xo
ReplyDeleteVERY very cool additional information on the greatest tour, imo, that the world has ever seen.
ReplyDeleteBlond Ambition was light years ahead of what anyone had seen at the time, and remains Madonna's greatest accomplishment to date (well, at least in my book).
incredible
ReplyDeletenever heard about that
http://ique-imagemmadonna.blogspot.com/