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There's no doubt about it, music legend Michael Jackson was the King of Pop in more ways than one. The outfits worn since the young age of 9 did exactly what his well-deserved moniker suggests-- "pop". Since the late '70s, Jackson put as much as emphasis into his carefully selected wardrobe as he did into his music and dance moves. Even until his last days on earth, Jackson never failed to deliver an endless parade of "shine" to remind you he was the biggest pop star on the planet--there was always a careful mix of sequins, glitter, Lurex, studs, metallic added for standout style. Before hip-hop's obsession with diamonds during the Bling Era in the 1990s Jackson blinged us out in a glitter-y Lurex catsuit in his music video for 'Rock With You' in 1979. Screw Mr.T, Michael Jackson is the original "King of Bling"
Michael Jackson: The orginal King of Bling in 2001
In the book I co-authored, Astrology Uncut: The Street Smart Guide to The Stars, we referenced Jackson in the chapter for his astrological sign of Virgo. Virgos are obsessed with fashion more than any other sun sign, and Jackson truly exemplified this through the myriad of over-the-top styles he has worn over the years. With the Virgo's quest for perfection, (which Jackson took into overdrive with cosmetic surgery as well) they have a penchant for adding an element of bling when it comes to their style. Let's not forget the glitter glove and socks worn for his iconic "Billie Jean" performance at the "Motown 25" show in 1983 and the amped-up, sequins military jackets he pioneered in 1984. The military look is eau current, one of the hottest trends today; revived recently by high-priced European designers such as Balmain who came out with a Jackson-inpired $8,000 jacket we recently reported have been worn by Beyonce, Rihanna and copied by Kanye West and Jennifer Hudson. Even fastfood fashion chain Target has a knockoff version on the racks on the cheap.
We honor Michael Jackson's legacy by featuring snapshots that captured some of his greatest moments in fashion:
1972
1973
1974
1979
1982
1983
1984
1984
1984 Victory Tour
1985
1987
1988
1993
HIStory Tour, 1996
2002 MTV Video Music Awards
2004
2009
Wearing Balmain in 2009
Wearing Givenchy in 2009
Comments: (15)
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By: LJP on 7/14/2009 8:53AM
I mourned my sweet Michael years ago when his looks began to change. I'm 40 so I grew up durning a time when we knew Michael well as a fine, brown-skinned man. You couldn't tell me I wasn't going to marry him. It hurt me to my core to see what he did to himself, so much so that I didn't and still don't want to see any images of him past Thriller. There are lots of things about him that one can speculate on but the fact that he only dated/married white women, his best friends were white (Liz Taylor, Brooke Shields) and his kids are apparently all white makes me think this vitiligo thing isn't really what was going on. That being said, I loved Michael Jackson and its just such a shame for all of us that he didn't love himself. God put him on this earth as a blessing to all of us. He was so damned special it blows me away. Maybe his purpose on this earth was to show the world how racism so corrupts the mind that even a black man who had the world at his feet couldn't see past the mental slavery that many black people suffer from in some shape or form - that everything white is the ideal to aspire to. He never realized that everyone, including white people, wanted to be JUST like him. We couldn't have loved him more than during the time of Thriller. Rest in peace Michael, our sweet prince.
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By: LJP on 7/14/2009 9:17AM
One more thing... As this is only my second blog ever, anywhere for anything...
I will NOT buy a single magazine/paper of Michael "In Memoriam" from a single tabloid - TIME, People, Star,etc. ALL of these magazines, with the exception of black publications, have vilified him as Wacko Jacko and now want to pay tribute??? Please people, let them make their money otherwise. Michael lives in our hearts and minds and we don't need to make these hypocrites any richer than they already are.
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By: LJP on 7/14/2009 9:19AM
One more thing... As this is only my second blog ever, anywhere for anything...
I will NOT buy a single magazine/paper of Michael "In Memoriam" from a single tabloid - TIME, People, Star,etc. ALL of these magazines, with the exception of black publications, have vilified him as Wacko Jacko and now want to pay tribute??? Please people, let them make their money otherwise. Michael lives in our hearts and minds and we don't need to make these hypocrites any richer than they already are.
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By: vanessa boucher on 7/20/2009 5:32PM
i like micheal jackson.i think that he was a good singer.
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By: Sir (Dr) Victor Uwaomah on 12/19/2010 3:09AM
Well i dr sir victor it was a shocking news when it come up 2 me that my hero is gone. Well God give and take. I belive he has made a better place for micheal to come and rest. My the almight lord be with his family and give them heart to live again.
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