Sticky & Sweet Tour

The Sticky & Sweet Tour was Madonna’s eighth concert tour, in support of her eleventh studio album Hard Candy (2008). Consisting of 85 dates, the world tour kicked off on 23 August 2008, in Cardiff, and concluded on 2 September 2009, in Tel Aviv. To date, Sticky & Sweet remains the highest-grossing tour ever for a female artist.

Madonna’s costumes for the show were designed and created by Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy Haute Couture, Miu Miu, Jeremy Scott, Yves Saint Laurent, ASH, Stella McCartney, Michael Schmidt, Scorpion, and Roberto Cavalli, with labels like Chanel, Nike, American Apparel, Moschino, Mizuno and Ray Ban providing some of the accessories. It all came together thanks to Arianne Phillips who worked as the tour’s head costume designer and stylist and who described the overall inspiration for the tour as “Joan of Arc meets sexy robot.” The concert was divided into four thematic segments: Pimp, Old School, Gypsy and Rave. Shortly after successfully wrapping up the tour in São Paulo on 2 December 2008, it was announced that Madonna had decided to resume the tour in the summer of 2009, with 25 more concerts in Europe. For the 2009 extension, Madonna and Arianne revamped Madonna’s costume for the first section and did slight alterations on the rest of the looks.

“PIMP” SECTION

Madonna’s outfit for the show’s first section, Pimp, was custom made for her by Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy Haute Couture. The black satin ensemble has dominatrix influences, and it draws references from Art Deco and “gangsta pimp”. The French fashion house provided Madonna’s black stretch satin jacket with tails, trimmed with pleated organza embroidered with jet beads and her black stretch satin waistcoat with fringes featuring a corseted back. In February 2012, Riccardo recalled in an interview with Grazia magazine his first meeting with Madonna, “We met in the middle of nowhere. She was rehearsing in a basketball stadium somewhere outside of New York. I watched the show, and she was so beautiful, like a goddess. Then she stepped off stage, came up to me and asked, ‘Do you want to take my measurements?’ So, I’m taking her measurements, and my hands are shaking.”

Her look was accessorized with a pair of bespoke Miu Miu black leather lace-up boots, black lambskin fingerless gloves from Chanel, a sheer top from the Yves Saint Laurent Fall/Winter 2008 collection and her favourite Fantasie Lingerie balcony bra.

*Opening the show in a bespoke **Givenchy** black satin and organza beaded jacket with tails*

*Tisci’s design was based on the jackets presented for **Givenchy**‘s Fall/Winter 2008 collection*

After taking off her jacket, Madonna revealed a black satin fringed waistcoat, also by **Givenchy**

Madonna’s look was accessorized with a pair of black lambskin fingerless gloves from **Chanel**

*Rocking a pair of custom-made **Miu Miu** black leather lace-up boots with chrome heels*

“Belle” balcony bra by **Fantasie Lingerie**. Bespoke top hat from **Worth & Worth by Orlando Palacios**

*Madonna wearing an **Yves Saint Laurent** Fall/Winter 2008 top*

For the 2009 summer tour extension, Madonna debuted a new jacket and waistcoat for the Pimp section. Riccardo Tisci designed for Givenchy a cropped double silk satin jacket embroidered with black jet stone, fringe, pleated silk organza, guipure lace and black hand-cut cellophane discs and an open-backed waistcoat, set with encrusted straps. Her boots, accessorises and undergarments remained unchanged.

*For the 2009 show, Madonna rocked a dramatic cropped double silk satin embroidered jacket provided by **Givenchy** Haute Couture*

*The exaggerated Edwardian-inspired organza shoulders were based on a look presented at **Givenchy**‘s Spring/Summer 2009 couture show*

Underneath, Madonna wore a double silk satin open-backed waistcoat set with encrusted straps, also designed by Tisci for **Givenchy**

“OLD SCHOOL” SECTION

The ensemble for the Old School segment was an homage to Keith Haring and Madonna’s days in New York in the early 1980s. “He and Madonna were friends. If he were alive, it would be his 50th birthday as well. So, I thought, ‘What if we revisited that?’” said Arianne Phillips.

The look consisted of a black sleeveless hoodie jacket with a big rhinestone “M” patch on the chest and Haring’s Dancing Heart design in rhinestones on the back and red gym shorts trimmed with crystals which were custom-made for her by Jeremy Scott. During She’s Not Me, Madonna would show the audience the inside of her Jeremy Scott jacket which had her name stylized in Keith Haring-inspired lettering. Her look was accessorized with a pair of American Apparel knee-high socks and a custom-made Yves Saint Laurent double star elasticated glitter rainbow belt. For Into the Groove, Madonna wore Nike‘s Shox NZ sneakers, which made it easier for her to perform the number’s demanding choreography. For the rest of the segment, Madonna dons a pair of bespoke ASH high wedge lace-up and buckle sneakers in black leather. During Music, she dons the purple version of the crystal trimmed gym shorts.

*Madonna sporting a custom **Jeremy Scott** sleeveless hoodie jacket and red gym shorts*

**Jeremy Scott** also designed a raspberry option for the ensemble which she wore on selected nights

*Jumping in a pair of **Nike** “Shox NZ” sneakers*

Madonna accessorized her outfit with unisex stripe knee-high socks from **American Apparel**

*After “Into The Groove”, Madonna swapped her Nike sneakers for a pair of custom **ASH** high wedge lace-up and buckle sneakers in black leather*

*For the “She’s Not Me” number, Madonna came out wearing heart-shaped sunglasses from **Moschino**‘s Spring/Summer 2006 collection*

*Madonna also rocked the **Moschino** “MO585-03” sunglasses with red frames on selected nights*

*Madonna’s **Jeremy Scott** jacket had her name written on the inside stylized in Keith Haring-inspired lettering*

*During “Music”, Madonna showcased her **Yves Saint Laurent** double star elasticated belt*

“GYPSY” SECTION

Madonna opened the Gypsy segment with Hard Candy track Devil Wouldn’t Recognize You in a bespoke Givenchy creation atop a piano. Her outfit consisted of a long-hooded Gothic-inspired cloak in black silk taffeta, lined in fuchsia silk taffeta and embroidered with jet stones. Four minutes into the song, Madonna removes her cloak and reveals a dress in black stretch chiffon trimmed with multi-coloured ribbons and fuchsia coloured metal chains, which Riccardo Tisci also designed for the French label. She completed the look with a pair of Stella McCartney thigh-high boots.

*Performing in a bespoke **Givenchy** black silk taffeta embroidered hooded cloak 1/2*

*Performing in a bespoke **Givenchy** black silk taffeta embroidered hooded cloak 2/2*

*Rocking a **Givenchy** black stretch chiffon dress trimmed with multicolored ribbons*

*Back view of Madonna’s **Givenchy** dress*

*The dress was inspired by a v-neck dress presented at **Givenchy**‘s Fall/Winter 2008 shoe*

Madonna wore the dress with a pink multistrand necklace with charms, also by **Givenchy**

*Madonna wearing her favourite **Stella McCartney** Fall/Winter 2005 thigh-high boots*

“GET STUPID” VIDEO INTERLUDE

After the Gypsy segment, the politically charged Get Stupid video interlude seized the video projections. The video montage depicted images of global warming, famine and other global issues interspersed with images of Madonna singing lines such as You have got to say what’s on your mind, there ain’t no time to lose, say what you like and the time is right now on a platform with speakers attached. In the video, Madonna wore a black silk Dolce and Gabbana shirt, a Bebe belt, bespoke Miu Miu black leather lace-up boots, Andrea Liberman earrings and Kiki de Montparnasse bottoms. She accessorized the look with an Alex Streeter eyepatch. In other shots, Madonna was seen rocking Dior Homme Spring/Summer 2009 sunglasses. Steven Klein, who also directed the interlude, photographed Madonna during the shoot for the December 2008 issue of Brazilian Vogue.

*Madonna rocking the **Alex Streeter** “Space Smuggler” eyepatch*

*In other scenes, she wore a cutting edge pair of **Dior Homme** Spring/Summer 2009 sunglasses*

*Killing it in bespoke **Miu Miu** black leather lace-up boots with gold hardware and heel. She wore the silver version in the “4 Minutes” music video*

Wearing a diamond knuckle ring by **Loree Rodkin**

“RAVE” SECTION

The futuristic Japanese-inspired Rave section kicked off with 4 Minutes. Madonna appeared on stage to perform the song in a show stopping look which comprised bespoke crystal-encrusted football shoulder pads brilliantly styled with a silver scale breastplate created by Michael Schmidt and Arianne Phillips. The look was completed with a pair of custom-made Miu Miu black leather lace-up boots with red heels, Roberto Cavalli parachute trousers with oversized laser-cut patch pockets from the Spring/Summer 2008 menswear collection and Mizuno x Jennie Finch Premier G2 softball batting gloves cut by the tour’s wardrobe department. For the tour’s 2009 extension, Madonna and Arianne decided to cast aside the Cavalli trousers and instead used the Scorpion EXO Savannah motorcycle riding pants in black and red. For the show’s energetic final number, Give It 2 Me, Madonna sported her Nike Shox NZ sneakers, yet again, and wore a pair of Ray Ban Wayfarers.