By April of 1990, Madonna had made headlines for her controversial religious connotations in the "Like a Prayer" music video, her penchant for marrying BDSM and Catholic imagery, and her tendency to gyrate with reckless abandon on stage. And yet on the first night of her Blond Ambition tour, she still had more headlines to make. When she ripped off her slashed pinstripe suit to reveal a custom-made corset bodysuit by Jean Paul Gaultier, featuring two cone-bra cups with embroidery circling each like bullseyes, everyone had something to say about it.
Madonna had reached out to the designer to create her wardrobe for the tour because she loved how Gaultier's clothing combined the feminine with the masculine. With the cone bra, he had taken what is often soft and made it subversively sharp. The bra was reimagined as not just something to be used for support but also something strong enough to be perceived like a weapon. The conical bra further proved that Madonna was firmly in charge of her sexuality and didn't care about anyone's perception of it.
Madonna during her Blond Ambition tour.
Gaultier's original cone bra was introduced on the runway for his fall/winter 1984 Barbès collection. It was presented in the form of a velvet orange dress with cones that protruded out far more than Madonna's. It was the epitome of an editorial look.
It made women reconsider the image of sexiness they had been sold by destabilizing the idea. Gaultier proved to be sexy could also mean to be strong or weird or freakish, even. A bra didn't have to look soft and show skin. Despite setting off plenty of conversations, the cone bra was just that: something women thought about more than they wore.
The original cone bra, as seen on the Fall/Winter 1984 Barbès runway.
No one has really talked about the cone bra that much since. In 2025, plenty of women don't like wearing bras at all, period, whether they're coned or not. But leave it up to Mrs. Prada to reinvigorate the cone bra conversation decades later with her fall/winter 2025 show.
This past fashion month, on the Miu Miu runway, the designer who has been firmly setting the trends for decades, particularly so in the past five years, thanks to her viral micro Miu Miu mini cone bras on a handful of models. The bras were different than Gaultier's in that they weren't really seen. They were more so alluded to. You could tell the models were wearing them, not because they were in your face, but because they poked out from underneath their long-sleeved shirts.
Models wearing cone bras at the Miu Miu Fall/Winter 2025 show in Paris this past February.
Everyone on the internet wondered, "Can Miu Miu do the impossible and make the cone-bra trend?"
I actually think so. For one, everyone right now wants to be a Miu Miu girl. And if the Miu Miu girl is wearing a cone bra, the masses will follow, even if it is far more unconventionally sexy than a teeny tiny miniskirt. Mrs. Prada created a universe everyone wants entry to. And if the entry ticket is a cone bra, the girls will pay for it.
And another!
It also just feels like the right time for something weird, like cone bras, to trend. Minimalism's grasp on everyone is fading, and there is a desire to lean into the more absurd as a result. And with women having to fight harder than in recent memory to be seen and heard, a cone bra is a perfect accessory for defiance.
The cone bra I was able to buy for myself. There aren't that many on the market right now, so I had to source mine from a seller that specializes in recreating vintage silhouettes, What Katie Did.
It's also just a little bit ridiculous and funny, which the world could also use a lot more of. A cone bra is the kind of fashion that makes you chuckle. It's he physical embodiment of "It isn't that serious."
I decided to style the cone bra in a similar way than on the runway. I wore it under a simple vintage Miu Miu quarter-sleeve top, a vintage Roberto Cavalli slip skirt and Miu Miu ballet flats. I think it's pretty easy to notice, but it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. If anything I do really like the shape it creates under the top! It feels like a little cheeky wink.
You can definitely see the points of the cone bra from the side. This Miu Miu top from the '90s is so simple but I love the cut of the neck. The points of the bra definitely add a little extra something to the entire silhouette.
And here's what the cone bra looks like from the front. It's a little less noticeable but it does draw just the right amount of attention.
I don't think we can expect that many cone bras to hit the market until Miu Miu releases them ahead of the fall season, but I was able to find one from a small shop called What Kate Did, which focuses on recreating vintage pieces for modern times. Wearing felt is equal parts naughty and weird. I was drawing attention to my bra from underneath my cotton t-shirt. But I quickly realized the look wasn't nearly as intimidating as I anticipated and wasn't all that different from when I wear no bra at all.
That said, I think we should all try to dip our toes into the will-be trend and unleash our inner Madonna and Miu Miu girl. It's what the fashion landscape could really use right now.
