David Bowie: Fashion Icon, Rock Legend

David Bowie

January 8th, 1947- January 10th, 2016

Although I'm writing this several months after his death, I still wanted to bring forward the importance of David Bowie and his contribution to music and fashion.  I do have to admit, I never was a huge David Bowie fan,but there has been a number of songs and outfits that have inspired me over the years.

In his life, Bowie produced 26 albums, did 14 world tours and appeared in 21 films and television shows. He accomplished so much during his time and his death was a huge loss in the world of rock and roll.  While all of these accomplishments are great, there have been some iconic outfits that have been worn by Bowie in the past years that made some of these moments famous and never forgotten.

Life on Mars

Some of Bowie's most famous suits were designed by Freddie Burretti, including the suit he wore in the music video "Life on Mars."  Not only did he design the blue suit, but a lot of other suits worn by David were created by Burretti.

Kansai San

The designer Kansai Yamamoto designed this iconic outfit that Bowie grazed the pages and ads for the Aladdin Sane Tour in 1973.  The striped body suit is probably one of the most recognizable pieces of Bowie's iconic wardrobe. Yamamoto also designed several other costumes for Bowie over the years and he gained a lot of popularity by working with David in the beginning stages of his career.

Pierrot the Clown

Known for it's appearance in the "Ashes to Ashes" video, this creepy yet charming costume of the Blue Clown was created and designed by the designer Natasha Korniloff. The video itself is quite quirky and unusual but hey, that's what Bowie was about!  Although the video is strange there's something so delicate about the costume.  What appears to be constructed petals out of sheet organza and lame fabric, it creates the illusion that he is a shining star.

Ziggy Stardust

In addition designing his Blue Clown costume, Natasha Korniloff is also responsible for creating David Bowie's alter ego's (Ziggy Stardust) costume that he often wore on tour.

Long Live the Queen

The last costume I have on the list is the British Flag military coat that was designed by Alexander McQueen back in 1997.  Although the designer died back in the early 2000s, he work has lived on through the people he dressed and his line is still going forward today. While the coat is pictured here being worn at the VH1 Fashion awards, Bowie also graces the cover of his album "Eart HL ING" wearing this jacket.

Although many designers have designed specifically for Bowie, doesn't mean that others weren't inspired by him.  Below is just a few examples of other modern designers being inspired by David and his fashion legacy.

It doesn't matter what you wear, it's how you wear it.  It's amazing to think that one man has inspired millions musically and through fashion.  You never know what you are capable of so keep doing what you love and you'll be noticed for it one way or another.  At least that's how I like to think about it.

On a different note~~

I'm hoping to step up my post game soon and coming out with more weekly articles and goodies for you all to read.  Until then remember to stay strong and style on~

-Kristina