Madison Montgomery is the Egotistical Anti-Villain in American Horror Story: Coven and one of the main protagonists in Apocalypse. In her early life, she was a child star then a $7 million Hollywood starlet is known for her demanding prima donna tendencies and her out-of-control partying that would go on to becoming a Member of the Witches Council in her main timeline. Madison is confident, charismatic, intelligent, and seductive. She has a vulnerable side beneath her icy, done-up designer exterior, but rarely shares this as she is egotistical, sarcastic, and manipulative psychologically.
She jabs with her words and also utilizes the world around her for instance how she is unable to take feedback about her performance in regards to direction, hence telekinetically dropping a spotlight on the director. Following this event, the knowledge of her abilities became public and she went on to join Miss Robichaux’s Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies: a safe haven for young witches and a pivotal location in Coven where her narcissistic and sociopathic tendencies run wild between her telekinesis and spellcraft to her inner turmoil and outer complexities.
I’ll be breaking down how her style materializes her journey while projecting a curated head-to-toe put-together persona in AHS: Coven through fashion psychology and the relationship Madison has to her own image as well as a sense of self. I’ll also be explaining the high fashion and cultural influences that hone Madison’s appearance between her life as a Hollywood starlet as a Student at Miss Robichaux’s Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies where she seeks to become the new Supreme as well as her development into adulthood with the looks of her redemption arc in Apocalypse.
Madison’s look has three main components, one rooted in New Orleans that the costume designer, Lou Eyrich, would research to capture the essence of this imagery to provoke the undertone then translate this into contemporary wear. The second component is the cultural influence where Eyrich would reference the 70s glamour and Saint Laurent Spring/Summer 2013, which can be seen in promotional material as well as adapted into the overall tones, silhouettes, and styling of Madison’s look. The third component of Madison’s style is her placement in this world and how her character functions in terms of personality, demeanor, and relation to others.
For example, Madison is The Lancer, the primary foil, but have a friendly rivalry who is equal to the protagonist rather than a sidekick, but they fall into second place, hence saturating the gap of what the hero lacks through their differences in training styles, approaches to goals, and cultural perspective. However the Lancer is not the opposite, they have similar expertise, resources, and proficiency so the variables are very similar, but their execution creates meaning for their individual traits. In this case, Madison is everything that Zoe is not, she is lofty, glamorous, unafraid, and promiscuous while Zoe is a girl next door type who comes from humble beginnings and is concerned with navigating the world with caution and a mindful view.
This is tangibly signified in their respective high fashion ascendancies. Zoe is noted to have her look derived from brands such as Margiela and Ann Demeulemeester in tone over a cult of personality. Ann Demeulemeester is noted to be for poetic balancing acts of shadow and light that provoke a serene and romantic feeling infused with a nuanced rock spirit. In relation to Madison, the more conservative, gentle, and lightless nature of Zoe creates emphasis on Madison’s nature- very forward, pessimistic, and dark.
Madison’s upbringing causes her to bury her humanity deep and develop a prima donna complex that increasingly grows due to her Narcissistic personality. A narcissistic personality disorder is developed through a combination of environmental, neurobiological, and genetic factors that cause one to feel a great need for admiration, lack of empathy capacity, and not being able to handle criticism even if constructive due to their overall entitlement. Often these individuals will experience high degrees of anger, and sadness, or even become numb at low points. Each case is very specific and there is not one defining known cause to pinpoint. For Madison, her environment and neurobiology, defined as the connection between the brain and behavior and thinking, in adolescence have led to this development.
Her neglectful stage mother capitalized on her beauty and talents and even once blamed her personal drug offense on Madison. This in hand with grouping in the spotlight, Madison has honed her alpha bitch facade to protect herself. Her idea of nutriment and love is to be adored and receive router validation for an inner sense of approval.
Madison holds onto her days in the spotlight and longs so deeply for this, using cruelty as a coping mechanism for the void of affection she would never receive unless performing or being admired by the public. Hence psychologically speaking, Madison’s traits of vanity, lack of discipline, and ego inflation. Her lack of a strong sense of self and confidence provokes feelings of emptiness when unfulfilled as she is in need of a constant stream of applause to feel worthy.
Madison’s fashion is a form of wish fulfillment on a never-ending feedback loop, she can no longer do what she has always known and sets her sights on becoming the next supreme taking any measure necessary. While in the process she keeps her look as if she is someone who has a materialistic approach to fashion and self-image but utilizes it as a way to retain what she sees as the highlight of her past in the present. Eyrich states, “Madison wore high-waisted short shorts and a lot of furs because she was playing the rich Hollywood actress. And then always the hats.”
Like many in the Coven, Madison primarily sports black, but there is a much more elevated and trendy approach to her look. For instance, texture play with furs, sequins, and leather or overt pops of gold, linked psychologically to accomplishment, esteem, and triumph. The only color she consistently wears is shades of red which are linked to passion, desire, aggression, and dominance. Other elements of her style play into the visuals of her role as a lancer through high hemlines, sheer elements, and eye-catching embroidery in visual contrast with Zoe’s low hemlines, high-coverage fabrics, and subtle expressions. Visually they play off one another’s traits.
In 2013, the date of the show and the era of collections Madison’s ensembles are most inspired by we see the mission statement released by Kering which reveals, “Yves Saint Laurent is into a new era, recapturing the impulses of youth, freedom, and modernity.” These factors play directly into Madison’s strengths and she harnesses these traits to achieve, in the most positive light these are her strong points, but her weakness of narcissism and egotistical rises make her a shell of the person she used to be since this is no longer reflected back to her in the eyes or desires of others. It is the image she consistently wants others to see her in so much so, that her versions of hell revolve around this.
Madison’s prima donna complex runs so deep, this is amplified visually by her and Zoe, the spectrum of their opposition and rivalry is revealed through the Alexander McQueen Asymmetrical Button-Down Shirt sported by Zoe in juxtaposition with Madison’s Criss Cross A-Line Dress by Herve Leger and Leather lace-up platform boots by Prada finished off with sanity jewelry for a hint of glamour and a headband.
For recommencent, an outfit change occurs Madison is now in standout pieces such as a are the gold beaded and mesh Swan Lake Headwrap and teddy faux fur peacoat over a mini dress and boots completed with much adornment. Again another visual contrast of Zoe and Madison’s strengths is revealed, but since this is a test, they no longer are able to complement one another. The matrons deem her unworthy of becoming Supreme and Madison becomes vapid.
This look, one of her downfalls internally, due to her narcissism and prima donna complex, reveals how despite her many redeeming qualities, skill sets, and intelligence she internally stands in her own way. We see this vapid nature captured in the final look. A stylish look unsuited to the occasion fabricating this superior look and fashioning the look of the supreme as short in terms of the test, a way of compensating for what she is lacking as she is a loose cannon with many outbursts.
Later Madison returns once again as a Member of the Witches’ Council. This is a form of a redemption arc for Madison, as it is clear there has been primarily off-screen development. Her vulnerability begins to be displayed, and her facade of not caring for those or wanting to be a part of the coven falls as it is evident she was blinded by herself- that the role of supreme wasn’t actually about dominance and power, but that she longed for a place of belonging and acceptance. The nature of her personality has refined and matured as her signature witch look’s execution.
This cruelty is still present, but there is a newfound sense of self. Madison has become much more mindful, and less overt. She has developed an understanding of her place in the world and has grown to respect limits when necessary. Her lines have become cleaner, but she is still sporting patterns and different textures with details that are much more concise as well as streamlined. With a new headstrong confidence that is no longer overt, she continues to uphold her subtly over-the-top looks in a restrained manner. For instance in this look, where she is sporting Versace Studded Flat-Top Wrap sunglasses with Studded Faux-Leather Moto Jacket and leather gloves. A more luxurious and minimal take on her previous leather and spiked elements.
Overall, Madison proved to be one of the most dimensional characters going from her dubbed shallow cold-hearted bitch title to a person who constantly was in a defensive state constantly striving for more to a woman who harnesses her intelligence, positive traits, and skillset to go beyond herself in her own skewed way. Stylistically she holds onto her past and feels a great sense of comfort in this, her high fashion-inspired looks remain intact though her style becomes one that is esteemed while in the detailing remaining as complex as she. Madison’s character and style have made her into one of the most iconic AHS characters that many love to hate and hate to love.
SOURCES: What You Never Noticed About The Witch Outfits On AHS: Apocalypse – https://www.looper.com/407317/what-yo… American Horror Story Costume Design- https://www.wmagazine.com/story/ameri… Madison Montgomery Bio- https://americanhorrorstory.fandom.co… The Lancer- https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph… Narcissistic Personality Disorder- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-c… The Prima Donna Personality- https://www.roliedema.com/prima-donna… Kering Mission Statement Quote- https://sites.google.com/site/saintla…
