Only two days ago, Time Magazine has recognized Michael Jackson as one of the 100 all time fashion icons. I am always amazed and pleased to realize that MJ is still alive and will always be: I am now confident in referring to him as a true and indisputable icon.
He lived on Neverland all of his life: a world he created for himself that nobody ever seemed to understand; a world to protect his identity, his attempt to recover that lost childhood and his incredible talent. A talent he dared to share with all of us, but a talent so unreal that it made him appear as a fragile and untouchable creature who needed extreme care.
As part of his extraordinary journey through life he picked for himself caricatural yet very inspirational looks that undoubtedly reflected his love for disguise and his prolific imagination. Short trousers, '30s inspired suits, tip tap shoes were a direct tribute to Fred Astaire; the unforgettable sequin jacket that made the Motown performance with the first moonwalk belonged to his mother; the pop eye T-shirt worn in "This is it"clearly belonged to that omnipresent child in him.
Striking details and colors were always there coupled with shiny effects and very sharp shapes. The glittery glove, the socks, the band aids on his fingers have revived our curiosity about the true identity of this "magical" human being. The military shaped jackets, the leather outfits, the studs and buckles have only reinforced an image of a human being looking for himself, looking for an identity that would suit his talent and his magic. He looked for it in historical characters, fairy tales, iconic artists, but he never seemed to be satisfied and after all this is why we love him: his hunger for perfection was surreal, yet he gave us faith and hope. Hope in being able to surpass oneself and inspire others!
Balenciaga, Galliano and McQueen are perfect examples who created collections that seemed to be inspired by MJ's style. Sadly we were not able to discover the last outfit collections created by the King of Pop in collaboration with Zaldy for his final tour, but I can hardly pretend to guess what must have come out of MJ's imagination.
He lived on Neverland all of his life: a world he created for himself that nobody ever seemed to understand; a world to protect his identity, his attempt to recover that lost childhood and his incredible talent. A talent he dared to share with all of us, but a talent so unreal that it made him appear as a fragile and untouchable creature who needed extreme care.
As part of his extraordinary journey through life he picked for himself caricatural yet very inspirational looks that undoubtedly reflected his love for disguise and his prolific imagination. Short trousers, '30s inspired suits, tip tap shoes were a direct tribute to Fred Astaire; the unforgettable sequin jacket that made the Motown performance with the first moonwalk belonged to his mother; the pop eye T-shirt worn in "This is it"clearly belonged to that omnipresent child in him.
Striking details and colors were always there coupled with shiny effects and very sharp shapes. The glittery glove, the socks, the band aids on his fingers have revived our curiosity about the true identity of this "magical" human being. The military shaped jackets, the leather outfits, the studs and buckles have only reinforced an image of a human being looking for himself, looking for an identity that would suit his talent and his magic. He looked for it in historical characters, fairy tales, iconic artists, but he never seemed to be satisfied and after all this is why we love him: his hunger for perfection was surreal, yet he gave us faith and hope. Hope in being able to surpass oneself and inspire others!
Balenciaga, Galliano and McQueen are perfect examples who created collections that seemed to be inspired by MJ's style. Sadly we were not able to discover the last outfit collections created by the King of Pop in collaboration with Zaldy for his final tour, but I can hardly pretend to guess what must have come out of MJ's imagination.
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