It was her birthday and so Madonna decided there was only one way for guests at her party to celebrate: Let them eat cake.
But that would have been too simple for the singing superstar who is never understated, so everyone had to dress in a fashion suited to the phrase made famous by Marie Antionette.
That meant guests donning costumes, wigs and masks in keeping with the court of the French queen. And, of course, there was plenty of champagne to toast the host as she marked her 55th birthday.
Madonna, who has been holidaying at Villefranche-sur-Mer, in the South of France with daughter Lourdes, 16, son Rocco, 13, and toyboy lover Brahim Zaibat, 25, posted pictures of her bash on Instagram.
They show her scantily clad in a sequinned embroidered leotard, with a curly blonde wig and heart-shaped eye patch, while male guests wore equally flamboyant 18th century dress.
