It must be nice to see all those early 1990s, Madonna-style boobs back in the world. How did they originally meet? “I was a fan,” he says. “She made her first concert in Paris in 1987 or 1988, and there was a party after. I was intimidé, but she was first to arrive, waiting for everybody. She was like this always for 10 years, always on time but now... boof, finished! She is the last one,” he laughs.

“Alors, she was super-cute, so I said to ’er, ‘I would love to do something super-special for you.’ She was like, ‘Yeah, yeah, okay.’ Then, two days before my show, I receive a phone call. They tell me it’s Madonna, but I’m like, ‘Yeah, yeah, okay, whatever.’ I don’t believe it’s possible. But the next day I ask if it’s true, and there is a number and I call and she answers and tells me to come to New York and we prepare for the tour.”
So began a working relationship they’ve dipped in and out of for 20 years. A friendship also developed, though I suspect Gaultier retains a fan’s fascination. “I went to a club with her and all the good-looking boys were looking, but not recognising her. She was so famous, they couldn’t imagine she would be there, so they were cruising her".

However, his most hilarious Madonna memory relates to her wedding to Guy Ritchie in 2000. “He wore a kilt with nothing under,” says Gaultier approvingly. How do you know? “I ask him, ‘It’s true?’ He say, ‘You see!’” he says, miming Ritchie whipping up his skirt. And was it...? “Well, I understood Madonna! Hahaha!” he cackles, then shouts in delight as a plate of fish and different pastel-coloured mashed potatoes is placed in front of him.

The party was underwritten by Moët & Chandon – the official champagne of the Oscars, a publicist helpfully reminded us – and guests were sipping from miniature bottles of the stuff.
Justin Timberlake was skulking near the bar, wearing geeky glasses and a ski cap. A female bodyguard was standing next to him. “Tom’s a very good friend of mine and I’m excited for him and it’s a great cause so I came,” Mr. Timberlake said. What was he doing Oscar night we asked? “I thought this was a sound bite for Tom,” Mr. Timberlake said, which was the cue for his bodyguard to shoo us away.

Click here to read more from this report posted on the NY Times' The Carpetbagger blog.

A few days ago we reported about the collection of Madonna images by photographer Richard Corman that was exhibited publicly for the first time in New York City at the "Virigin Spirit" event which also featured fashions by Prince Peter and music by Jessica 6 and Dan Wade.

News is now in that Corman just released nearly two dozen of these never-before-seen images he took over 25 years ago.
The photographs were taken in New York City between 1983 and 1985 and feature shots of Madonna's first New York apartment, her surrounding neighborhood on the Lower East Side and some images from the set of her 1985 movie, "Vision Quest".