The Corset Before the Cone: How Catherine Ringer Wore Gaultier Five Years Before Madonna
Catherine Ringer wore Gaultier's cone corset in 1985 — five years before Madonna. The forgotten origin story of fashion's most iconic silhouette.
French80 · La télé des années 80
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Archive · February 2026
From the cellars of Pali-Kao to the dance floor. Stories behind the songs, the clothes, and the scenes.
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FÉVRIER / FEBRUARY 2026
FÉVRIER / FEBRUARY 2026
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The Corset Before the Cone: How Catherine Ringer Wore Gaultier Five Years Before Madonna
Catherine Ringer wore Gaultier's cone corset in 1985 — five years before Madonna. The forgotten origin story of fashion's most iconic silhouette.
Read the story ↗6 / 6
Without Forgery: How Mylène Farmer's 'Sans Contrefaçon' Made Inauthenticity the Most Authentic Queer Statement in French Pop
How Mylène Farmer's 'Sans Contrefaçon' turned gender play into pop perfection — a queer manifesto hiding in an 80s French synth earworm.
'L'Aziza,' the National Front, and the Decade French Musicians Drew a Line in the Sand
When French pop stars took on the Front National: how Balavoine, Renaud, Indochine, and Mano Negra turned 80s music into political defiance.
7 French 80s Dance Tracks That Still Fill Every Wedding Floor (and Why They're Impossible to Kill)
7 indestructible French 80s dance tracks that rule every wedding floor — and the media machine that made them immortal.
'Voyage Voyage' and the Moment French Pop Conquered Europe Without Speaking English
How Desireless, Étienne Daho, and a wave of French artists conquered Europe's charts in the '80s — without singing a word of English.
From the Caves of Pali-Kao to the World Stage: How Paris's Underground Bred the 80s French New Wave
By Julien Cassette Before Indochine filled stadiums and Les Rita Mitsouko toured with The Smiths, there were sweat-soaked basement venues in Paris where France's post-punk future was being invented nightly. The story…