And so the story goes, They wore the clothes…
There’s a great piece in the Financial Times by Mark C. O’Flaherty today that acknowledges the fashion world’s huge debt to David Bowie over the past few decades. Here’s the introduction to the article…
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“Fa … fa … fa … fa … fashion!” As the catwalk shows continue in Milan and Paris, jaded guests wonder just how many times they’ll have to sit through yet another collection soundtracked by David Bowie’s new wave stutter. From Ziggy Stardust to Zoolander, fashion has had a four-decade love affair with Bowie that’s only getting stronger. Indeed, Bowie may be the most referenced musician in fashion history.
Before Madonna, and long before the fancy dress of Lady Gaga, Bowie was busying himself as a performance and visual artist as much as a musical one. When he appeared on Saturday Night Live in 1979 he wore a skirt, six years before Gaultier showed men in skirts in Paris. In 1996, he commissioned stagewear from Alexander McQueen, in the same year that London’s most directional designer reciprocated with a collection inspired by the Bowie/Catherine Deneuve movie The Hunger (1983). Last spring, Balmain’s strong-shouldered metallic blue and gold women’s blazers were Bowie-inspired, as was Bella Freud’s Aladdin Sane lightning-bolt knitwear. This season, it’s Bowie’s wardrobe from the post-glam period of the mid-1970s that is everywhere you turn – particularly in men’s wear. From Lanvin to Dior Homme, Dries van Noten and Roland Mouret, designers have focused What Bowie Knew to redefine the notion of smart casual dress for 2011.
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Of course, none of this is a surprise to you or I, but it’s still worth checking out the full online piece here.
Speaking of David Bowie’s inimitable style…