Madonna’s hairstylist reveals ‘she loves transforming herself’ in look back at iconic images
The singer’s Longtime collaborator Garren has shared memories of creating some of Madonna’s most memorable hairstyles, recalling the trust, honesty and classic Hollywood influences behind her ever-evolving look.
Madonna’s longtime hairstylist Garren has reflected on creating some of the singer’s most enduring looks – saying she “loves” being a pop chameleon.
Revealing how their decades-long creative partnership was built on honesty, transformation and a shared fascination with reinventing her image, the stylist, who worked closely with Madonna, 67, throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, has looked back on the creative process behind several of the singer’s most recognisable hairstyles as the release of Confessions on a Dance Floor Part 2 has renewed interest in one of the defining eras of her career.
Speaking to Page Six Style, Garren described collaborating with the pop icon on everything from her Vanity Fair cover to the Erotica music video and the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards.
Garren said: “I just love making characters out of characters.”
He added: “(Madonna) loves transforming herself.”
The hairstylist explained after first meeting Madonna during an Italian Vogue photo shoot, the pair developed an unusually close creative relationship.
Garren said: “I think that’s what she liked about working with me, because she always said, ‘Garren, what is wrong with the way everything looks?’”
He recalled offering opinions on far more than hairstyles, including Madonna’s wardrobe before the Venice Film Festival.
Garren said Madonna told him: “‘You’re coming to Toronto with me… because you’ve got to help me pull my look together to be look more serious.’”
According to Garren, inspiration often came from classic Hollywood photography, with books filled with images of screen legends accompanying them on photo shoots.
He said: “We would drag the books to the shoot, and I would tag the pages.”
Among the looks he highlighted was Madonna’s 1995 Vanity Fair cover, inspired by Marilyn Monroe.
Recalling the shoot, Garren said: “(She was wearing) her own Harry Winston jewellery that she bought on her own. Those were the days when she would come to the studio by herself, and maybe her publicist would stop by to just say hi and then leave.”
He also remembered styling Madonna for the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards, drawing inspiration from French screen icon Catherine Deneuve.
Garren said: “I had a fall from the late ’80s that I just pulled out of my closet. I have a stash of hair that I keep, and I have a whole area that’s Madonna hair.”
He continued: “She (was inspired by) a picture of Catherine Deneuve walking through the lobby with her hair pulled up. I went for it and it really elevated her and took her to another level.”
The hairstylist also recalled an encounter involving Courtney Love.
He said: “It made Courtney Love very uncomfortable that she looked so glamorous.”
Garren added Madonna reacted by saying: “‘Oh God, here we go. She’s gonna wreck me… don’t let her touch my hair.’”
Looking back on the creation of Madonna’s controversial 1992 Sex book and the accompanying Erotica era, Garren described the atmosphere behind the scenes as unexpectedly light-hearted.
He said: “We just had so much fun for four weeks.”
Garren added: “When you look at the Sex book, you think, ‘Oh my God, how did that happen?’ But we were laughing through the whole process because every situation was set up.”
Discussing Madonna’s sleek hairstyle in the Erotica music video, he explained the styling technique behind the look.
Garren said: “Oil usually takes the wave out or the curl out, (but) we wanted something that would just coat over the hair.”
Across a career spanning more than four decades, Madonna has continually reinvented both her music and image, from the lace gloves and crucifixes of the 1980s to the glamour of Evita, the disco influences of Confessions on a Dance Floor and the high-fashion collaborations that followed.
