Chances are you don’t know the name Shady Zeineldine. The Kuwait-based designer known for dramatic lace and embellished gowns hasn’t made much of a mark outside the Middle East, but that’s all about to change, thanks to a little collaboration with Madonna.
Madge’s “Living for Love” video (you missed it because it was released exclusively on Snapchat yesterday and has since disappeared) features an embellished nude bustier by the designer worn for most of the dance sequences. The piece is a masculine-feminine mix of corsetry and a tuxedo-like top—it’s the sort of tight, sexy, gender-bending thing we’ve come to expect from the Queen of Pop. (The Minotaur-horned, nearly nude male dancers who thrust around her, too, are sort of a Madonna signature.) For Zeineldine, it was a career first. “I’m a longtime, big fan of her,” he told Style.com. “She’s everything for me.” After Madonna and her team sent a brief of matador references (presumably including Dolce & Gabbana’s Spring collection), he was given free rein to design. “I tried to do something matador-inspired but with a touch of femininity, something more delicate,” Zeineldine said. “I used many kinds of lace and [decided on the] nude color for the lining to show her sexy body.”
Photo: Courtesy of Shady Zeineldine
The collaboration came about through Madonna’s longtime stylist, B. Akerlund, and Zeineldine’s public relations team. After visiting the designer’s press showroom in Los Angeles, Akerlund requested he send sketches for the video. After a couple of months of re-sketching and getting approval from Madonna’s team, the deal was sealed.
So can we expect to see more of Zeineldine’s creations during Madonna’s performance this weekend at the Grammys? He’s made a few pieces for the performer, but even he won’t know until Madonna takes the stage if they’ll be worn. All the more reason to tune in this Sunday night.
—Steff Yotka, Style.com
