The History Of Madonna's Iconic Cone Bra Explained

Although the cone bra had been around for some time, Jean Paul Gaultier's take premiered on fashion runways in 1987. Meanwhile, other early Gaultier attempts were seen all throughout the 1980s. Punk fashion designer Vivienne Westwood had also explored traditionally feminine-coded clothing like lingerie and businesswear before Madonna wore Gaultier's creation on stage.

Before Maidenform experimented with the style in the late 1940s with their Chansonette, what came to sometimes be known as the "bullet bra" was innovated by Frederick Mellinger, and showed up in 1946 at Mellinger's "Frederick's of Hollywood" store on Hollywood Boulevard. From there, the iconic silhouette was associated with a number of Hollywood's biggest female stars from the time period. 

Madonna put her indelible stamp on the cone bra look on the opening night of her "Blond Ambition" tour in Japan in 1990. The "Like a Virgin" singer's backup dancers also wore variations on the cone bra look — sometimes even men, further subverting gender stereotypes. While performing and in public appearances, Madonna paired her cone bra with black fishnet stockings or a Bob Fosse-style bowler hat, among other combinations. 

In 2001, Gaultier told The New York Times Magazine a Madonna-Gaultier conical bra had recently sold for $20,000 at auction. A pink cone bra Madonna wore later sold for $52,000, Billboard reported.