JRR RECREATES THE LOOK: DAVID BOWIE
FROM THE GLAM ROCK LOOKS OF ZIGGY STARDUST, TO THE SLICK SLICK STYLE OF THE THIN WHITE DUKE, WE FOUND FOR YOUR THE PERFECT VINTAGE AND SECOND HAND PIECES TO RECREATE SOME OF DAVID BOWIE’S VARIOUS PERSONAS.
TEXT Julia Restoin Roitfeld IMAGES VIA GOOGLE
THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD, 1970
In 1970, David Bowie was photographed for the cover of The Man Who Sold the Worldalbum wearing a floral dress designed by Michael Fish. Bowie was constantly exploring ideas of sexuality and gender. It was through this lens of curiosity that many of his famous personas were born. Floral pattern, soft feminine fabrics were some of the trademarks of his first looks.
the thin white duke
This is his slick “Thin White Duke” persona that he took on from 1975 through 1976. He traded the sequined jumpsuits and patterned frocks for a more sober look, toying with wide silhouettes slick hair and a more suited look.
ZIGGY STARDUST AND KENSAI YAMAMOTO
Yamamoto and Bowie first met when Bowie during London Fashion Week in 1971. Since them, Yamamoto designed many costumes for the musician over the years, including the outfits for his Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane tours. Some of these iconic ensembles included knit leotards, statement-making capes, and red patent leather boots, that all helped the British musician develop his chameleon man personality.
HALLOWEEN JACK BY FREDDIE BURRETTI
In 1974, Bowie took the stage in Holland to perform one of his hits “Rebel, Rebel” dressed as one of his many personas, Halloween Jack. Halloween Jack was the character Bowie created for his 1974 album, Diamond Dogs. Bowie’s Freddie Burretti-designed Halloween Jack look included a plunging patterned shirt, a matching neck scarf, shaved eyebrows and an eye patch. An interesting fact? Bowie first started integrating his iconic eye patch into his stage costumes for a purpose that was beyond aesthetics — it was birthed from a bout of conjunctivitis and just stuck around.
DAVID BOWIE’S Union Jack SUIT BY ALEXANDER MCQUEEN
For his 1996 album, Earthling, Bowie can be seen wearing a Union Jack coat that was created by fellow Brit , designer Alexander McQueen. Bowie had sought out the young fashion designer to create costumes for his upcoming Earthling tour, and liked the piece so much he decided to wear it on his album cover as well. The piece was said to have been inspired by musician Peter Townshend of The Who and a Gavin Turk painting called Indoor Flag (1995).
LOUD SUITS
In the 1970s – this picture is from 1974 – Bowie cemented his relationship with photographer Terry O’Neill. This look saw him make the transition from Ziggy Stardust (note the hair) towards the looser cut suits of his Let’s Dance era
90S MINIMALISM
When Bowie isn't doing flamboyant, alien-weird or bold-as-you-like colour, he often goes sleek and grey. In 2005, for Fashion Rocks in New York, Bowie performed in a Thom Brown three-button grey suit, featuring the designer's trademark cropped trousers, once again proving his knack for choosing ahead-of-the-curve looks.
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