A dapper Dude! — Violinkit

May 18

May 18 A dapper Dude!

I've been thinking recently about the close connection between the music and fashion industry. They are so entwined together and always have been but we don't really notice or see it anymore. Actually I don't think one would survive as handsomely without the other. Music icons of the past and present are generally noted for their fashion influences almost as much as their musical talent in particular female pop stars past and present.

There are of course a particular niche group of male rock and pop Icons that are also noted as much for their fashion input as their musical tunes. In fact some had such a strong style profile that their style genius merged easily with their music genre. Few did this as expertly as the man whom I personally held an enthralled fascination for and still do and will into the future.......................................

INTRODUCING..........................................................................................................................

MR DAVID BOWIE........................STYLE AND MUSIC LEGEND!.....................................

On the 10th January 2016 , the day of his passing over , I promised myself that I would dedicate a post to him here on my little vintage blog. It has taken me a lot longer to actually bring myself to write it than I had first imagined. However , I am writing it now as a celebration of his endless talent as a music and style icon.

The day of his demise was a sad and reflective one for me . It brought me back to a time when I was very young and easily shocked and had my first taste of Ziggy Stardust. I was introduced to his music at seventeen , another time , another place ............ I was immediately enthralled both musically and visually by him.

Violinkit's penchant for ties came straight from the style file of Mr Bowie.

Fascinated by his ability to wear any garment so seamlessly its no wonder that he has remained one of my top style influencers of all time. Up there with the top female style Icons of the day. Yes , I loved the music but I was more mesmerised by the imagery and style of the characters that he created. These "Alter Egos" no doubt had echoes of Bowie's character in each of them and that's what made them so strong and believable.

The hair , the make-up , the bold and confident vibe of this music maverick , this STYLISH FREAK I loved him as much for his fashion innovation and his zest for self invention as his musical genius. Bowie pushed barriers and took risks , an andro gender blender . He was a provocative asexual , his style choices knew no boundaries , no limitations . He seemlessly glided over the gender divide and was the only man I knew that could rock a dress as well as a suit and still stay true to his sexuality.

I loved his fearlessness , his cool confident vibe and it was only on the day of his death over a year ago that I realised what a huge style influence he had over my life. I developed a crush but not on Bowie the man .......but rather with Bowie the style and character inventor. Bowie's talent did not merely extend to his musical abilities but to his gift for creating strong believable characters with unique individual style that lasted the test of time and have remained as influential today as they were thirty years ago.

It can be said that he has changed his style over the years more than any other musician in history . I think however , he created characters and through a unique imagination made these characters fashion Icons in themselves separate to Bowie and his own make-up. Aladdin Sane , The Thin White Duke , Ziggy Stardust.....we all have instant images of these characters whenever they are mentioned and not just the songs but the style and imagery of each of these characters too.

Ziggy Stardust was by far Bowie's most famous persona. Brightly coloured tight fitting jumpsuits , glitter make-up and eye patches together with the famous red spiky shoulder length layered haircut made this character unique and memorable. The hairstyle was created by Suzi Fussey (who was his mother's hair dresser back in his hometown of Beckenham Kent) who inspired by a model shoot for Japanese Designer Kansai Yamamoto invented the style using German hair dye and peroxide to achieve the orange/red colour.

The Thin White Duke persona consisted of a darker vintage inspired classic look taking its inspiration from film noir and 1940's moody Jazz club scenes. This sultry monochromatic look with its brooding smokey feel has to be one of the coolest and most copied looks in the history of both the fashion and music industry. It consisted of simple pieces in black and white usually worn with a trilby style hat. A simple white shirt paired with voluminous trousers (reminiscent of the 1940's) held up with braces and the addition of a waistcoat made this a very wearable look . Bowie created with this look a timeless classic and unlike the other "Characters" The Thin White Duke style could be easily adapted to everyday living thus making it very popular universally then and indeed today.

David Bowie's influence on the fashion world is undeniable he blended effortlessly with all genders and sexual orientations. He appealed to everyone and was the only music/fashion Icon that I can think of , that attracted both sexes equally. There wasn't a "Straight" guy out there that didn't fancy him just a little bit....... He was a popular Gay and transsexual Icon and unusually appealed to females both straight and gay alike too. Everyone wanted a piece of Mr Bowie and I think it is safe to say that we all got what we wanted.

He has left behind a unique legacy both through his Music and Artistic flare and his unwavering and fearless style. He paved the way for future warriors and innovators and no doubt we will see other strong characters emerge from the shadows .......... They will shine their light and lead the way forward through their Art and music and of course whatever style choice their imaginations and intuition creates through them.

HAIL to MR BOWIE!...........................................................................

A TRUE INNOVATOR.......................................................................

Would love to hear your thoughts on the great MR DAVID BOWIE in the comments......Did he inspire any of your style choices past or present..................

Talk Soon XXX VIOLINKIT