How Madonna changed the face of ’80s fashion

“Jean Paul’s designs, even then, were extraordinary, truly works of art,” says Gesualdi, who introduced other European designers – including Byblos, Claude Montana and Thierry Mugler – to Australia from the mid-1970s through to the early ’90s.

Roger Leong, now senior curator at Sydney’s Museum of Applied Arts and Science, says the ’80s was one of the strongest fashion periods, with women embracing large shoulder pads and tight skirts.

Some of the most valuable pieces are often the most extreme, including Jean Paul Gaultier’s iconic corsets, worn by Madonna.

“They changed the way women moved and are now extremely rare, given few retailers would have been brave enough to buy them at that time,” says Leong.

Renowned vintage boutiques, such as Resurrection in New York and Los Angeles, are potential sources now but the garments often come with huge price tags. One Jean Paul Gaultier cone dress is currently on the market for an asking price of more than $30,000.

“To look at the 1980s, you need to understand fashion from the late 1970s,” says Gesualdi, who recalls the power-suit style of dressing made famous by Britain’s then prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

Gesualdi was at the forefront of 1980s fashion, searching for great ideas from around the world, sometimes purchasing garments for Masons for considerable sums of money.

A hand-knitted jumper with lavish embroidery from Jean Paul Gaultier would retail for more than $1000 – $3000 in today’s money.

Gesualdi says he wasn’t brave enough to buy Gaultier’s crinkled velvet dress with a cone brassier but he did order a safer option – matching cone-shaped hats – instead.

“That hat was quite phallic but it didn’t deter customers from paying $500 for them,” he says.

Other big names who ventured into new fashion territory included Joe Saba, founder of Saba, who sold out of Comme des Garcons just a few weeks after it first appeared on his racks.

Tony Newsham, who opened menswear-focused Trellini in 1977, expanded to five stores at his peak, including two in Melbourne and three in Sydney.

One of Newsham’s first stops on his initial buying trip was Paul Smith’s humble store and warehouse in Notting Hill. He then became hooked on Comme des Garcons, later becoming vice-president of the company.

Then, a Comme des Garcons jacket would retail for upwards of $800 and in excess of $350 for a shirt – significant amounts in the ’80s. “Today, one of those jackets could easily fetch more than $3000 – that is, if you can find one. They are as rare as hen’s teeth,” Newsham says.

“I was always in pursuit of excellence and, just as importantly, the ideas behind a collection,” says Newsham, who now represents Japanese designer Shiro Sakai in Europe and in the United States.

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For those people who want to invest in highly collectible ’80s clothing, Newsham has a few tips.

“Look at the cut, the fabric and that great loose silhouette. You can’t go wrong if it’s an item by Yohji Yamamoto or Comme des Garcons,” says Newsham, who saw himself as more of a merchant in the ’80s rather than a buyer, discussing with designers each facet of a garment before getting out his cheque book.

According to Leong, the prices of anything by Yohji or Comme des Garcons from the early ’80s are “going through the roof”.

Stephen Crafti is a specialist in contemporary design, including architecture, furniture, fashion and decorative arts.