Hard as it may be to
believe, there was a time when Madonna wasn’t Madonna. Before we got
“Into Her Groove” or made her our “Lucky Star”, she was a newbie pop
star writhing her way onto the scene. Officially billed as a supporting
role of 1985’s DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN to Rosanna Arquette, her sass
made her the indisputable star.
For one night only, the Hollywood
Theatre indulges the design community with another installment of the
Fashion in Film
series (curated by Eden Dawn and Marjorie Skinner) with
this Madonna vehicle. While IMDB (who must pride themselves on brevity)
describes the plot as, “A bored suburban housewife, seeking adventure to
her life, accidentally gets hit on the head, wakes up with amnesia, and
is mistaken for a free-spirited New York City drifter named Susan.”
However
we would say that is woefully lacking in the amount of hijinks,
shenanigans, fingerless gloves, layers of lace, bows, big earrings,
polka dots, sunglasses, and so many more things. This film is the apex
of 80s fashion. The audience member who pulls of the most Madonna look
will be given an as-yet-to-be-determined-but-sure-to-be-awesome prize.
So chop the fingers off those gloves, crimp that hair; it’s time to
“Express Yourself.”