‘Everyone was calling it obscene’: Designer behind Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin’ look reflects on chaos she caused 40 years ago

In an interview with ‘Page Six’, Maripol recalls how her ‘Like a Virgin’ designs were met with outrage, inspiring death threats and hate mail - as well as inspiring fashion trends

What happened when fashion designer Maripol designed Madonna’s infamous “Like a Virgin” look 40 years ago?

Maripol told Page Six Style that when she first showed Madonna the white, lace bustier she had designed for the singer’s 1984 MTV Video Music Awards performance, the Material Girl “didn’t like it at all.”

After some convincing, Madonna agreed to wear the controversial outfit which, along with other designs, made headlines and cemented the singer’s status as a pop culture icon.

“The impact was major. It was overnight, like, bam!” Maripol told the outlet. “After that night, everything changed. I mean, it was just chaos. And then it was like, ‘Oh, it’s fashion, it’s cool,’ and then it started being copied everywhere.”

But the reaction to the look wasn’t all positive. “Everyone was calling it obscene,” Maripol said. “I was getting death threats and hate mail. People were coming into the store and spitting at me. It was a lot to deal with.”

However, the designer said she had no regrets about her work on the iconic look, adding: “I wouldn’t change anything. It’s what made Madonna, Madonna – it’s what made her iconic. It’s what made my career.”

Maripol also spoke about the impact of the look on fashion trends, saying that it inspired “a whole new way of dressing” with lace, bustiers, and other items becoming wardrobe staples.

“It was a very important moment in fashion history,” she said. “It was a time of change, and Madonna was at the forefront of that change.”

Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” performance is widely considered to be one of the most iconic moments in pop culture history. The singer’s provocative dance moves and controversial outfit shocked audiences, but it also helped to cement her status as a global superstar.