david bowie glitter apocalypse by lesley scott, fashiontribes.com
DESCRIPTION
The Victoria & Albert Museum in London is paying homage to a longtime icon of individuality with "David Bowie is". His impact has resonated with fashion, style & pop culture since he first fell into the collective conscience with a sassy splash as Ziggy Stardust. Here are highlights of his best looks from throughout his career.TRANSCRIPT
David Bowie’s GlitterApocalypse
by Lesley ScottFashiontribes.com
Bowie Mania
If you think you've been seeing a lot of Bowie everywhere - both now & back-in-the-day - you're not having(chemically-induced) flashbacks. On top of a new album, the legend is being honored by the V&A with anew exhibition that's up until 11 August 2013.
Been seeing a lot of Bowie everywhere? No, you're not having (chemically-induced) flashbacks. Heis being honored by the Victoria & Albert Museum in London with a new exhibition.
(image: source)
(cover image: source)
*David Bowie is* at theVictoria & Albert Museum,
2013
If you think you've been seeing a lot of Bowie everywhere - both now & back-in-the-day - you're not having (chemically-induced) flashbacks. On top of a newalbum, the legend is being honored by the V&A with a new exhibition that's upuntil 11 August 2013.
(image: source)
“David Bowie is”"David Bowie is" features more than
300 objects, including handwrittenlyrics, original costumes, fashion,photography, film, music videos, setdesigns and Bowie's owninstruments.
"David Bowie is" features more than 300 objects, including handwritten lyrics, originalcostumes, fashion, photography, film, music videos, set designs and Bowie's own instruments.
(image: source)
Unprecedented Accessto all things Bowie
The exhibit curators were givenunprecedented access to the DavidBowie Archive for the first internationalretrospective of his mega-extraordinarycareer. "David Bowie is" features morethan 300 objects, including handwrittenlyrics, original costumes, fashion,photography, film, music videos, setdesigns and Bowie's own instruments.
For the first internationalretrospective of his
extraordinary career, theexhibit curators weregiven unprecedented
access to the David BowieArchive.
(image: source)
A mega brandsponsors an indie one.
The exhibit is being sponsored byGucci, which is ironic, given it’sabout paying homage to an icon ofindividualism. At least some of allthat cashish they rake in forfestooning anything that moves withtheir logo is a good thing.
The exhibit isbeing sponsored
by Gucci, which isa bit ironic, given
the man inquestion is an icon
of individualism.
The Bowie Effect
When a museum thisprestigious devotes (&promotes) an in-exhibit tosuch a high-profile,successful star and style-chameleon, expect to seethe fallout coming soon to astreetfashion catwalk &high-fash runway near you.
When a museum thisprestigious devotes (&
promotes) an homage tosomeone on this scale,expect to see the falloutwalking the high-fashion
runways & strutting down theworld’s streetfashion
catwalks.
Kate Moss /Vogue cover
Kate Moss on thecover of FrenchVogue
(source)
Get that Bowielook
That Bowie look…for less!
(image: source)
Blazing a trailin a blazer
Givenchy (source)
Givenchy
(source)
in black & white
Richard Nicoll (source)
Richard Nicoll (source)
With aParisian twist
Jean Paul Gaultier
(source)
(source)
Bowie onthe Runway
Walter Van BeirendonckF’13
Do you speakBowie?
"My earliest memory of David Bowie was asZiggy Stardust when I was about 14 or 15years old. I was fascinated by Bowie as ahuman being, his music and his ever-changing looks. I loved the codes he wasplaying around with and was fascinatedby the messages he was communicatingthrough his looks, interviews, live-performances and records. Thecombination of all of that was just sooverwhelming to me. In that moment, Irealized that image and clothes were aform of communication. Ultimately, Bowiewas the reason that I got interested infashion."
- Belgian fashion designer Walter VanBeirendonck
"My earliest memory of David Bowiewas as Ziggy Stardust when I was
about 14 or 15 years old. I wasfascinated by Bowie as a human
being, his music and his ever-changing looks. I loved the codes he
was playing around with and wasfascinated by the messages he was
communicating through his looks,interviews, live-performances and
records. The combination of all of thatwas just so overwhelming to me. Inthat moment, I realized that image
and clothes were a form ofcommunication. Ultimately, Bowie
was the reason that I got interested infashion.” (source)
-Belgian fashion designerWalter Van Beirendonck(Illustration by Miguel Villabobos for Black Book 1999; source)
Gender-Bender"Bowie's shameless
androgyny helpedwomen express theirmasculine strengthwithout losing their
feminine glamour andsensuality."
(source)
- Gucci creative director &longtime Bowie fan,
Frida Giannini
(image: source)
Ziggy from Mars"Space travel inspired much of
David’s work. His bigbreakthrough came when heinvented Ziggy Stardust, acharacter he said would lookas if he came from Mars.”
(source)
- from Lipstick Legends byBowie’s ex-wife, Angie
The hair makeththe (wo)man.
“That hairstyle had a definiteeffect on David. It madehim look stronger andwilder and, if possible, evenmore sexually ambivalent.”
(source)
- Angle Bowie
The sheer power of image
It wasn’t long before David Jones from Brixton had transformed himself intoZiggy, a lithe, red-headed, face-painted, polysexual alien. (source)
Ziggy played guitarZiggy played for time, jiving us that we
were VoodooThe kids was just crass,He was the nazWith God given assHe took it all too farBut boy could he play guitar.
Making love with his ego Ziggy suckedup into his mind
Like a leper messiahWhen the kids had killed the manI had to break up the band.
Ziggy played guitar...
Ziggy played for time, jiving usthat we were Voodoo.The kids was just crass,He was the nazWith God given assHe took it all too farBut boy could he play guitar.
Making love with his egoZiggy sucked up into his mindLike a leper messiahWhen the kids had killed themanI had to break up the band.
Ziggy played guitar...
A Clockwork Ziggy The classic Kubrick film “AClockwork Orange”
was Bowie’s inspirationfor the Ziggy Stardust
costumes. In aninterview, Bowie notedthat it wasn't so muchthe violence of the filmthat was "his thing" as
the the way it wasanticipating &
constructing a worldthat hadn't yet
happened.
Plus, the jumpsuits wornby the film's thugs were
fabulous.
(image: source)
Ziggy Fabulous
This cobweb bodysuit from1973 was designed byNatasha Korniloff, who wasbehind a number of Ziggycostumes.
Behind Ziggy’ssartorial legacy
"He's neither man nor woman,"observed fashion designerKansai Yamamoto aboutBowie in 1973, "which suitedme as a designer becausemost of my clothes are foreither sex.”
(source)
Bowie & Kansai
“I love his music andobviously that hasinfluenced mydesigns, but most ofall there's this auraof fantasy thatsurrounds him. Hehas flair.” (source)
- fashion designer KansaiYamamoto
Bowietacular
This spectacular bodysuit byKansai Yamamoto wascreated for the AladdinSane tour in 1973.
(image by Masayoshi Sukita)
Kansai stillresonates
To this day, Kansai's avant-garde costumes and iconicplatform boots continue toresonate with artists whovibe majorly with the popculture - including Madonnaand Lady Gaga.
About thoseshoes!
How right-for-right-now arethese sassy PelicanFootwear New York sandalswith palm trees carved intothe wedge of the heel?!Perfect for spreading theGospel of Glitter!
(photograph by Mick Rock: source)
Suited up for StardomWhile the Bowie-as-Ziggy
catsuits tend to run offwith the fashion buzz, theunsung sartorial stars of"David Bowie is" are thesuits. Like this dapperensemble from 1975.When Hedi Slimane tookover menswear designduties at Dior, the decorminimalist left all thewalls white & blank saveone on which he hungbut a single strikingimage: Bowie in thissnazzy tux presentingAretha Franklin with aGrammy.
Of the moment“His ability to be simultaneously
androgynous and highlysexual, game-changing inthe 1970s, still resonatesthrough popular culturetoday.”* Like this suit, forinstance, which is said to beone of influential designerPhoebe Philo’s influences.
*from the Guardian review of "David Bowie is"
“Suited”for Mars
This suit from the early 1970swas made for the Icon fromMars by Freddie Burretti.
(photograph by Mick Rock)
FreddieBurrettiBowie met Burretti at a
flamboyant London nightclubwhere he was puttin' on theglitz in a white spandexsailor-themed ensemble hehad made. Burretti workedfor a Greek tailor during theday & then spent his freetime creating fabulous newoutfits to wear out at night.He ended up working almostexclusively for Bowie for aperiod.
Such a sassy, sparkly sartoriallegacy!
(image: source)
Bowie meetsBurroughs
"Bowie's house is decorated in ascience fiction mode: a giganticpainting, by an artist whose style fellmidway between Salvador Dali andNorman Rockwell, hung over aplastic sofa. Quite a contrast toBurroughs' humble two-roomPiccadilly flat, decorated with photosof Bryan Gysin - modest quarters forsuch a successful writer, more likethe Beat Hotel in Paris thananything else.”
(image: source)
"Bowie's house isdecorated in a sciencefiction mode: a giganticpainting, by an artistwhose style fell midwaybetween Salvador Daliand Norman Rockwell,hung over a plastic sofa.
Quite a contrast toBurroughs’s humble two-room Piccadilly flat,decorated with photos ofBryan Gysin - modestquarters for such asuccessful writer, morelike the Beat Hotel inParis than anythingelse.”
Ground Control…“Soon Bowie entered, wearing
three-tone NASA jodhpurs. Hejumped right into a detaileddescription of the painting andits surrealistic qualities.Burroughs nodded, and theinterview/conversation began.”
“Soon Bowie entered, wearingthree-tone NASA jodhpurs. Hejumped right into a detaileddescription of the painting andits surrealistic qualities.Burroughs nodded and theinterview/conversation began.”
(image: source)
Lunchwith Bowie
The three of us sat in theroom for two hours,talking and takinglunch: a Jamaican fishdish, prepared by aJamaican in the Bowieentourage, withavocados stuffed withshrimp and a beaujolaisnouveau, served by twointerstellar Bowieites."
“The three of us sat in the room for two hours, talking and takinglunch: a Jamaican fish dish, prepared by a Jamaican in the Bowieentourage, with avocados stuffed with shrimp and a beaujolaisnouveau, served by two interstellar Bowieites."
(images: source)
B&B
So starts the fabulously-oddball (Bowie &Burroughs?!) feature in theFebruary 1973 issue ofRolling Stone.
(image by Terry O’Neill: source)
Bowie LeggedTrousers
In the early 70s, Bowie tendedto favor a prim & classicbuttondown tucked into awide-legged pant & pairedwith a big heel (which havealways gone together...likeFred & Ginger, or betteryet, PNB & jelly).
Bowie’s BonesStyle observers haveremarked on more thanone occasion that his"Hunky Dory" period
seems straight outta the1935 film Sylvia Scarlett
starring another high-cheekboned beauty,Katharine Hepburn.
Trippin’ likean EgyptianDuring the mid-70s, circulated about the
artifacts from Ancient Egypt thatfilled Bowie’s home, where heburned black candles, fretted abouthaving his semen stolen by witches(!), watched bodies fall past hiswindows (!!) - & even receivedsecret messages from The RollingStones.
During the mid-70s,the rumor-mill workedovertime, speculating
about the artifacts fromAncient Egypt that
filled Bowie’s home,where he burned blackcandles, fretted about
having his semenstolen by witches (!),bodies falling past hiswindows (!!) - & evensecret messages from
The Rolling Stones.(image: source)
Cali Dreamin’"According to biographer David
Buckley, his state of "psychic terror"lasted from 1975-76. Later, Bowiewould comment about L.A. that itshould probably be "wiped off theface of the earth".
According to Bowiebiographer DavidBuckley, his stateof "psychic terror"lasted from 1975-76. Later, Bowiewould commentabout L.A. that itshould probably be"wiped off the faceof the earth".
(image: source)
Hungry…for styleThe fleas are now the size ofrats, the rats the size of cats.
However, some things haven'tchanged: the humanoid
inhabitants are still packs ofdogs.
Welcome to Hunger City.
A distorted howl & spoken-wordsnippet of things to come in
"Future Legend.”(Diamond Dogs, 1974)
Earthling Chic
For his 20th studio album,Bowie wanted to channel theelectronica-, industrial- &drum/bass-culture of theperiod. "I really thought itwould be great if we coulddo...almost a sonicphotograph of what we werelike at that time," he noted inone interview.
For his 20thstudio album,Bowie wantedto channel theelectronica-,industrial- &drum/bass-culture of theperiod. "I reallythought itwould be greatif we coulddo...almost asonic photo-graph of whatwe were like atthat time.”
(source)
Bowiein McQueen
David Bowie: There's something alot more pagan about your workcompared, say, to Gaultier. Yourthings work at a more organiclevel.
Alexander McQueen: I gather someinfluence from the Marquis deSade because I actually think ofhim as a great philosopher and aman of his time, where peoplefound him just a pervert. (laughs) Ifind him sort of influential in theway he provokes people'sthoughts. It kind of scares me.
- from Bowie & McQueen (Dazed, 1996)an interview by Bowie of the designer
responsible for the Union Jack coat onthe cover of 1997ʼs Earthling.
(image by Frank W Ockenfels 3 - source)
Bowie & Kansai
(image: source)
"Whether it's wearing kittenheels with a Thierry Muglersuit or adopting Japanesesilhouettes before thataesthetic was widely known inthe west, he articulates andsynthesizes the avant gardefor a mass audience.”
- from the Guardian review of"David Bowie is"
In the moment“He is a product of Surrealism, of Dada,
of the Modernist arts. He is body-based, always completely in the rolehe is playing. His tremendousphysical virtuosity, hisunderstanding of costume and howit is an imaginative projection ofyour body, is part of the biggestthing about him: he is so deeplyemotional. I’m so happy with thereturn of David Bowie.”
- author & pop-culture critic CamillePaglia on "David Bowie is"
“He is a product ofSurrealism, of Dada, ofthe Modernist arts. Heis body-based, alwayscompletely in the rolehe is playing. Histremendous physicalvirtuosity, hisunderstanding ofcostume and how it isan imaginativeprojection of your body,is part of the biggestthing about him: he isso deeply emotional.”
(source)
-author & pop-culture criticCamille Paglia on"David Bowie is"
“Until the Beatles came along, theprevious models in rock were that youhad a hit, then recycled that until you hadbored everyone. I think Bowie picked upthat idea of constant change in a moreextreme way…
Saying he was gay at the same time ashe had a wife gave the message: this ispop music, this is an area for play,experimentation, have fun. It’s a placeoutside the norms of society, where youcan try different things in a performativeway.”
(source)
- music writer Jon Savage on "David Bowie is"
as David Jones " The carefully choreographedpose, the angelic face, thecalculation of the gazesuggest much about theteenager who would becomethe protean figure known asDavid Bowie…Immediatelyapparent is hisunderstanding of bodylanguage, image and theimportance of seduction —elements that have played avital role in the career of apop star who was aperformance artist beforethat term was widely used.”
(source)
Now check it out for yourself!
*digs out velvet platform boots, applies glitter to entire body & logs intoPaypal account to see if a trip to London is in the financial stars*
(image: source)
About Lesley Scott
Lesley is the EIC ofFashiontribes.com.
She harbors a raccoon-like loveof all things shiny & purdy &has been blogging about it forthe last decade. (Yes, therewas Internet 10 years ago.Smartass.)
Her latest book, How to Work with Bloggers,covers the Dark Arts of corralling cats for fame,fortune & fabulousne$$.
Stalk me!Really, I don’t bite. That often. And I’m
all over the usual Social Mediasuspects every day if you get the
urge to reach out.
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Email: Lesley @Fashiontribes.com