King of Style?
Michael Jackson was many things: musical genius, pop sensation, extraordinary entertainer, and fashion icon. Let’s face it, the man could wear clothes. At six feet tall and 112 pounds, many saw his figure as the perfect frame for couture… WOMEN’s couture, that is. In fact, prior to his death he was wearing straight-off-the-runway women’s looks from hot Parisian labels such as Givenchy and Balmain (I sometimes wonder if he and the Olsen twins were fighting for samples).
For the past three decades, Michael Jackson’s wardrobe inspired fashion for both men and women. Sure, not all of his ideas were original, but when he "borrowed" ideas he did so from the best of his A-list gal pals. There were the sequin blousons from Liza, rhinestone socks from Cher (a gift to her from Bob Mackie for Christmas one year), and, of course, his cosmetic metamorphosis courtesy of Ms. Diana Ross. He also threw in his own touches, like the single rhinestone glove, oversized sunglasses and cropped pants tied at the waist with a bit of twine. It was hard for loyal fans to replicate his look without looking foolish (although they tried, God knows they tried), but the masses felt his impact. Here, my top five trends, thanks to the incomparable Michael Jackson.