4 Iconic David Bowie Fashion Moments That Changed Pop Culture Forever

David Bowie was almost as well-known for his fashion sense as he was for his legendary music career. It’s not that wild to say that his fits inspired pop culture for at least a few decades. So, to celebrate the icon’s birthday, let’s take a look at some of David Bowie’s best fashion moments! Though, it’s worth noting that there are far too many to include on just one short list. We just picked a few underrated favorites.

1. ‘The Man Who Sold The World’ Cover

Who doesn’t love that satin-or-silk floral dress on the cover of the 1970 album The Man Who Sold The World? It was a bold choice for the time’s standard and a quite aesthetically pleasing, almost feminine choice for today’s standard. 

So much of Bowie’s aesthetics (and music) involved exploring notions of gender and sexuality, and this is just one example of that. The dress in question was designed by Michael Fish.

2. The Ziggy-Era Kansai Yamamoto Bodysuit

David Bowie dressed by Kansai Yamamoto

Photo © M. Sukita, 1973 pic.twitter.com/N2l1wDf7Rm

— esteban tara (@lespaul55_57) July 27, 2020

Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust era was on another level of visual and musical creativity, and there are too many fits from that era to include on a small list like this one. So, we’re going with that wide-leg vinyl jumpsuit by Japanese designer Kansai Yamamoto. 

Few musicians were experimenting with shape quite as much as Bowie was at that time, and it’s not too much of a stretch to say that his wilder, bolder looks from the Ziggy tour influenced fashion in a big way.

3. The Alexander McQueen Union Jack Coat

One of David Bowie’s best fashion moments was more of a very, very mild political statement than a fashion one, though fashion was always at the heart of Bowie’s presence on and off stage. On the cover of Earthling from 1996, Bowie is wearing a Union Jack coat designed by none other than Alexander McQueen. 

Bowie sought out the designer (then quite young) to design most of his costumes for the Earthling tour. The Union Jack coat was inspired by Peter Townshend (of The Who) and artist Gavin Turk.

4. The 1990s Oversized Suits

On a milder note (if you can call any of David Bowie’s fashion moments mild), Bowie was quite a fan of a nice baggy suit in the 1990s. Bowie’s style leaned more towards subtler styles after his marriage to supermodel Iman, and they complimented each other’s style beautifully. 

Bowie didn’t substantially influence pared-down menswear, but his looks definitely had a hand in influencing the styles of the time in at least a minor way.

Photos by Chris Walter/WireImage, and Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

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