The musician who changed costume as often as he changed sound, and made men’s fashion braver.
By Shreya S · Last reviewed 15 November 2026
How did Bowie use clothes?
As part of the art. Each album came with a character and a look, and he worked with designers the way he worked with musicians. On the UK cover of The Man Who Sold the World (1970) he lounged in a floor-length “man’s dress” by Michael Fish, an early challenge to ideas of how men could dress.
What did Ziggy Stardust wear?
For his glam-rock alter ego of 1972 and 1973, Bowie wore quilted jumpsuits by his friend Freddie Burretti and spectacular stage pieces by the Japanese designer Kansai Yamamoto, including an asymmetric knitted bodysuit and a striped vinyl jumpsuit inspired by kabuki theatre. The red-and-blue lightning bolt on the Aladdin Sane cover (1973) is one of the most copied makeup looks ever.
And later?
In 1976 he became the Thin White Duke, in sharp white shirts, black waistcoats and slicked-back hair. In 1997 he wore a distressed Union Jack frock coat designed with Alexander McQueen on the cover of Earthling. The V&A’s exhibition David Bowie Is (2013) toured the world. He died in 2016.
What is his influence on fashion?
Huge. Designers from Jean Paul Gaultier and Hedi Slimane to Gucci and Saint Laurent have cited him, and he made it acceptable for men to wear makeup, jumpsuits, heels and colour on stage. Today’s gender-fluid dressing owes him a lot.
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