Before Bieber’s bangs, Kurt’s plaid or Madonna’s bra, music’s greatest style statement was Michael Jackson’s single, sparkling glove. On this day in 1983, Jackson introduced his one-glove look (and a little dance move called the Moonwalk) while performing on “Motown 25,” a television special airing on NBC. Jackson had only agreed to take part in a Jackson 5 reunion for the program if he could also perform a solo of “Billie Jean,” the second single from his Thriller album that was currently enjoying its seventh week at number one on the pop charts. Jackson performed a medley with the Jackson 5 and, after his brothers exited the stage, added a black fedora to his soon-to-be-famous short-pants-with-sparkly-socks ensemble. He tossed the hat early in the song, but the image of him with it tipped into his gloved hand became a MJ trademark as much as the gravity-defying backward glide did.

In Moonwalk, his 1988 autobiography, Jackson recalls he was sure of two things that day: He was going to Read More »

Science fiction movies could be a costume designer’s dream, but oftentimes the scenery and special effects take precedence in futures where characters are dressed in military uniforms, shapeless robes or makeshift remnants culled from scraps of destroyed societies. The future is usually depicted as dark, and this leaves many costumers returning to the same stale ideas over and over. But when Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element premiered on this day in 1997, audiences were not treated to a future costumed as a drab dystopia, but rather in the vibrant imagination of French designer Jean-Paul Gaultier.

The Fifth Element was released just shy of 15 years after Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, and the two movies’ similar influences were bound to draw comparisons. Both directors cited Fritz Lang’s seminal science-fiction flick Metropolis and the cartoonist Moebius as inspirations, but the films’ overall looks diverge in opposite directions. Besson brought his lifelong love of comic books to The Fifth Element by having Moebius and fellow sci-fi cartoonist Jean-Claude Read More »

Wish List Alert: Juergen Teller has a new book called Get A Life with Vivienne Westwood. In it The Dame, Pamela Anderson and model Tati Cotliar are looking trashy-fabulous. [The Cut]

78-year-old Lynn Dell knows a lot about style, and has become “The Countess of Glamour” on Advanced Style. She sums up her wisdom for those of us who need some advice. [HuffPo]

I love Moleskine notebooks and soon I can get one designed by Alexander Wang. Can’t wait to see how he updates the classic! [W] via [Fashionologie]

Everyone is talking about designer Billy Reid’s latest collaboration with J. Crew. Is there anyone who doesn’t want to work with him? [StyleFile]

Another enviable closet, this one’s Cynthia Rowley’s. The designer is so cute in this video where she talks about  of coming from a town dubbed “Borington” to NYC. [StyleLikeU] via [StyleList] Read More »

Before the ubiquitous wrap dress, before the CFDA lifetime achievement award and the multi-million dollar luxury brand, Diane von Furstenberg was just a newbie designer making sales calls from her living room. OK, she wasn’t just any newbie designer, she was Princess Diane von Furstenberg through her marriage to German Prince Egon von Furstenberg in 1969. The 23-year-old Belgian and her husband had recently moved to New York City, had a baby and quickly became a fixture in the society pages, thanks to her good looks and great fashion sense. But von Furstenberg wasn’t one to rest on her title. When the New York Times profiled the princess on this day in 1970, she Read More »

Tom Ford probably doesn’t mind being called used goods. He’s too busy celebrating the fact that he was the only designer named in the Time 100 list this year. [WWD]

Think craftsmanship is going out of style? Think again. Handmade shoe company Allen Edmonds is seeing an upswing in business. Any man in a pair of these is going to look sharp. [NYTimes]

Vogue’s Costume Institute Gala at the Met is coming up along with its highly anticipated red carpet. Brush up on your history of the event with the magazine’s new app. [Vogue/iTunes] via [Racked]

Tommy Ton loves taking pictures of Anna Dello Russo and we love to look at them. Here’s a preview of an exhibit opening in Toronto that features his documentation of her style. [Style.com] Read More »