Arianne Phillips On Working With Madonna

Last night, Persol fêted their annual ‘Magnificent Obsessions’ exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens with costume designer Arianne Phillips as one of its honorees.
Mention Phillips’s name to anyone in the music or film industries and you’ll immediately notice a twinkle in their eye - the woman is legendary.
She’s worked as Madonna’s personal costumer for 15 years on top of an additionally long list of film credits. Most recently, she did the costumes for Madge’s current MDNA Tour which marks their fifth touring collaboration.
At the exhibit, which opens today through August 14th, you’ll find an entire section devoted to Phillips’s costumes for the Madonna-directed film, W.E, which focuses on the Duchess of Windsor’s controversial life.
Dutifully holding court beside her exhibited creations, we chatted with Phillips about what it’s been like to work with the queen of pop for over a decade.

You just designed the costumes for Madonna’s MDNA tour - is there a different process in designing those costumes compared with the ones on display here today?
In a way the conversation is very similar. I’ve worked with [Madonna] for 15 years and this is my fifth tour. Working on the film was unique because she was behind the camera with me and that was really great. She is a really aesthetically rigorous and curious person, really forward-thinking and always pushing herself.
I feel like I’m so grateful for the opportunity to have been with her on this journey for the past 15 years and to get to do so many diverse things. She’s such a prolific artist and to be able to collaborate with her in all of these different disciplines is an incredible opportunity that isn’t lost on me. I don’t take it for granted; it’s really been an exceptional experience.

To read the rest of the interview with Arianne visit fashionista.com