Renowned the world over as a visionary, both musically and in dance,
many may not know, but wouldn't be too surprised
that Michael Jackson also aspired to be just as trailblazing in his style,
stating, quote, if fashion says it's forbidden, I'm going to do it.
Rather than drape himself
in the latest runway fashions,
he largely commissioned his wardrobe from personal costume makers.
Michael Bush wrote in his book 'The King
of Style: Dressing Michael Jackson', who with his partner Dennis Tompkins
served as personal designers to the King of Pop for over 25 years,
Michael's concept was
I want the fashion designers in the world, the big conglomerates.
I want them to copy me.
I don't want to wear what's out there.
I want to push my individuality.
My look should be me.
Incorporating both strength as well as whimsy,
Michael's magnificent military silhouettes covered in bullion embroideries, buckles,
armor and glistening rhinestone became his signature.
So here is your chance to get a glimpse
inside Michael Jackson's impressive closet, as we reveal the secrets behind creating
some of the King of Pop's most regal of rock star looks.
As remembered by his longtime fashion collaborator, Michael Bush.
Who himself coined Michael Jackson's definitive look as 'Liberace goes to war'.
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The military jacket in all its eventual forms came out of Jackson's fascination
with Disney fairytales. The fantasy of a knight in shining armor
with a formfitting uniform. Quote, a uniform commands attention,
Michael stated to Bush. Broadening MJ's shoulders
with the military style, along with enhancing his narrow waist.
It really pleased his female fans,
Bush told Rolling Stone, quote, Who doesn't love a man in a uniform?
It was about that, creating the sexual mystique.
But Michael made it his own by pushing the envelope,
rebelling against the establishment the uniform is supposed to represent
with all those badges and making it rock and roll.
One of his favorite military jackets was
the one he wore to visit the White House in 1990.
It was black with a red armband
and incorporated heavy braiding. After President Bush Senior presented him
with the Entertainer of the Decade Honor, Michael thought he'd treat himself.
He showed his dressmaker's a picture of the Queen's Imperial State crown,
and off they went to the Tower of London to study the real deal.
Quote, Michael would come out of European
museums inspired to wear the antique costumes that were up on exhibit.
Bush said, quote, for Michael's costumes
Dennis and I studied monarchs in European military history. Taking particular notice
of one of the most notorious kings, King Henry the 8th of England.
Thompkins taught himself how to solder
and sandblast medal and over six weeks created a sterling silver crown encrusted
with costume stones and pearls. In place of the second star of Africa,
which sits at the center of the Imperial State crown, Thompkins
sandblasted an imitation diamond with the iconic image of Michael's dancing feet.
He never wore the crown out, but years later, his children asked Bush
and Thompkins to make a regal robe for their dad to wear on Father's Day.
And so, alongside the throne that stood in his en-suite bedroom in Neverland,
the King of Pop's ceremonial dress was complete.
Early on, Bush worked out the four F's
in dressing Michael Jackson, fit, function, fun
and first. The last one was not as self-explanatory
as the former three, but refers to the desire to improve
and innovate but never repeat the same designs.
However, on stage, the most important F was function.
As Michael Bush told Rolling Stone, quote, they had to be like his second skin.
Wearable art, situating both his style of dancing in the beat of the music.
The Florsheim loafer shoes held an almost superstitious pull as they were
what Michael Jackson first learned to dance in. Bush recounts the time when he
unwisely tried polishing a pair of Jackson's shoes.
He described the startling anger Jackson exhibited as he scolded him
for potentially ruining the footwear stage readiness.
Quote, the leather is worn the way I like it, and if you coat them in polish
the shoes will slip, Jackson explained.
Making it clear that his harsh reaction was due to practical concerns.
Quote, If I fall and twist an ankle, we are all out of a job.
In 1985, when filming Captain EO, Michael complained that he couldn't dance
at his best in the shoes provided as part of his sci fi costume.
But his go to loafers weren't appropriate for the film's futuristic premise.
As a solution, the soles were cut out of the high top Reebok's Jackson was
originally meant to wear so the Florsheims can
be worn without being seen.
Similar alterations had to be made to Jackson's attire when filming the video
for Dirty Diana, as Bush shared that originally MJ had
on a jacket and it just wasn't working with the wind machine.
The jacket was too heavy and didn't flow
during rehearsal. Then MJ looked at Bush, spying the white shirt
he was wearing, which his partner Dennis Thompkins had made for him.
The shirt was made of fabric so fine
that it fluttered and billowed from the lightest gust of wind.
Therefore, the Dirty Diana white shirt was
born. Off the back of Bush and onto the stage with Michael Jackson.
When designing his stage outfits,
Jackson followed a look but can't touch mentality.
Quote, He would often say that if the guy is sitting in the front row was wearing
what he was wearing, then he'd stop being the entertainer.
Not too many of his fans were able to afford the custom made shin guards
plated with eighteen carat gold he wore during his 1996 HIStory tour.
The leg armour Jackson wore,
was inspired by baseball being considered America's favorite pastime.
Quote, Why do only baseball players get to wear shin guards?
Jackson once asked Bush, quote, I'm going to wear them.
The equipment also serve to protect Jackson's knees and shins from his own
athletic drills during his aerodynamic dance routines.
Although they were hoping to create
the 'next glove', as claimed by Bush, the general public never regarded them as
iconic as Jackson's glove or red leather jacket.
The Thriller jacket Michael Bush created for the bad tour in 1988 contained eleven
thousand light bulbs that would light up
remotely and pulsate to the beat of the song. Quote,
It took three engineers to wire the electrical jackets so it would light
up and one computer tech to keep it all sparkly with a remote control. Because
there was no way Michael would touch his jacket to turn it on.
That's not magic.
That's flipping a switch.
For Beat It, there were different versions of his
iconic jacket over the years. Including an incredible eel skin version
and one made of plastic, which in reality was too hot for MJ
at the end of the night because it didn't breathe at all when he danced.
Michael Bush has since described what a state the jackets would be in after
a performance. Quote, It was really beat, so to speak.
Michael gave his Beat It jackets a whipping on stage, taking them off and slamming
them to the stage and stomping on them as he danced in his performance.
After each show, he would say to Bush, You'll need to fix my zippers tonight.
Bush would stay up many late
nights and early mornings, painstakingly repairing the zippers,
which took the beating on stage. Restoring them for the next night's show.
Quote, That way, everyone received the same high quality performance.
That was how Michael Jackson always
performed, giving his very best to every show and every audience.
Quote, this was Michael's favorite thing
he ever wore, Bush said. The white pearl jacket he wore when sister, Janet, presented
him with the Grammy Legend Award in 1993. Which was a redesigned version
of the jacket he wore when he accompanied Madonna to the Oscars in 1991.
Michael Bush shared his very painful experience when he dressed Michael
for the very last time.... For his burial. Quote, Who else could do it?
I did it for my friend.
I had to be the one to dress him
for the last time.
However, Michael Jackson's favorite pearl jacket could not be found.
Quote, I have no idea,
Michael probably gave it away to a fan,
Bush speculated.
So he and Dennis set to work crafting a new one.
Bush stated that Michael Jackson's favorite Disney character was not,
in fact, Peter Pan, but Tinkerbell. Because that is where the magic started.
It was Tinkerbell's magic dust that made it all happen.
He would show up in designers rooms and say, Bush dust me.
So Dennis Thompkins and Michael Bush dusted MJ just as he would have wished
by creating something very special for Michael. Sewing it into
his very last favorite pearl
jacket. A beautiful shining crystal rhinestone
Tinkerbell sewn inside the left side
jacket. As Bush dressed Michael Jackson for that one last time,
he carefully closed Michael's jacket over his chest where Tinkerbell and her magic
dust could now lay directly over his heart for forevermore.