In 1970, David Bowie released his third album called The Man Who Sold the World. On the record cover, Bowie is pictured reclining on a chaise longue with long wavy hair and wearing a long velvet dress, dubbed the “man dress.”
Styled with some block-heeled suede boots, the look was deliberately androgynous. He repeatedly re-wore the “man dress,” designed by Mick Jagger’s dresser Mr Fish, throughout his US publicity tour in early 1971, despite being reportedly ridiculed by the general public on the street.
Some fashion historians credit Elvis Presley as the initiator of androgyny as a concept. However, Bowie’s exaggerated use of makeup and theatrical stage outfits were seen as far more controversial than his androgynous style rival, who solely relied on eyeliner and a feminine pout. As the King of Reinvention, Bowie would use music and fashion as a means of self-expression through his personas like Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane and the Thin White Duke.
Styled with some block-heeled suede boots, the look was deliberately androgynous. He repeatedly re-wore the “man dress,” designed by Mick Jagger’s dresser Mr Fish, throughout his US publicity tour in early 1971, despite being reportedly ridiculed by the general public on the street.
Some fashion historians credit Elvis Presley as the initiator of androgyny as a concept. However, Bowie’s exaggerated use of makeup and theatrical stage outfits were seen as far more controversial than his androgynous style rival, who solely relied on eyeliner and a feminine pout. As the King of Reinvention, Bowie would use music and fashion as a means of self-expression through his personas like Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane and the Thin White Duke.
