David Robert Jones, aka David Bowie, passed at the age of 69 on 10 January 2016 after an 18-month battle with cancer. It was a sad day for many of us, his fans, and this world has lost one of the iconic legends in music and fashion.
Many think of him as an innovator of popular music and there’s no secret as to why. With hits like Ziggy Stardust, he pushed the realms of what music was known to be and kept unraveling a new sounds through the decades. Not many artists can achieve that in one lifetime!
Aside from his music, David Bowie has been paid tribute to for his influence in fashion. We’d like to do the same and take a look at some of the iconic styles he influenced (whether he intended to or not).
David Bowie’s Style Influenced Fashion Over the Years
As Entertainment Weekly writes “For Bowie, nothing was off limits: eye patches, skinny pants, makeup, sequined onesies and pastel-colored suits all made their way into his wardrobe as he introduced the androgynous look to ’70s-era society. Even when he traded his crazy clothes for a more refined look – think debonair blazers, wide trousers, and retro fedoras – his choices seemed fresh, stylish and deliberate.”
The Androgynous Look
One of the first few to really celebrate blurred lines between genders, he wasn’t afraid of dressing up in platform heels and pretty blouses. Now take a look at the runway trends, most of the time you can’t really tell if it’s for women or men.
“Without David Bowie, there’s no Madonna, Elton John or Lady Gaga,” says Mindy Project designer Salvador Perez. But Bowie didn’t do it for sheer shock factor. Says Perez: “For him, it wasn’t about being outrageous. It was natural, artistic expression.”
His list of influences is endless and in 2013 the V&A’s David Bowie Is exhibition charted how he shaped fashion history.
Jean Paul Gaultier Spring 2013 Ready-to-Wear show
French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier paid tribute to Ziggy Stardust for his 2013 runway show. Models took to the catwalk in iconic Bowie inspired looks and even wore Ziggy Stardust wigs.
Vogue
In 2011 Kate Moss was convincingly transformed into David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust from the mullet hair to the outfit to her anchor tattoo (Bowie once sported a fake anchor tattoo) for the iconic cover.
“David Bowie is perhaps everything fashion would aspire to be, everything it is at its best: chameleonlike, slipping easily from one singular identity to another at the drop of a hat. So it’s little wonder that he’s been a perennial reference for the industry’s biggest names.”
Check out a photo montage of all Bowie’s influences on the runway here.
You can also read heart-felt tributes published on InStyle UK here from fashion designers, his son, and even the British Prime Minister, David Cameron.
Rest well, David Bowie. And thank you for the music.
– Cover Image: old.qmagazine.ro
