RIP Michael Jackson

Say what you will about Michael Jackson during the last few years of his life ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äù and with the baby-dangling-out-the-window behavior, bad plastic surgery and child molestation allegations, a lot has been said ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äù but it takes a certain kind of star to turn a single sequined glove into a cultural symbol.

During the Eighties and into the Nineties, Jackson, who died of cardiac arrest in Los Angeles Thursday, became as much a trendsetter for fashion as he was for music. There?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s the red leather motorcycle jacket he rocked in the ?¢‚Ǩ?ìBeat It?¢‚Ǩ¬ù video; the white ankle socks, black fedora and black loafers he wore when he moonwalked (and that walk alone is almost as legendary as Neil Armstrong?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s); the military-style jacket and aviator sunglasses he toured in during the ?¢‚Ǩ?ìThriller?¢‚Ǩ¬ù era; the white V-neck T-shirt that he always eventually stripped down to onstage, and finally, there was that glove, first worn during a performance of ?¢‚Ǩ?ìBillie Jean?¢‚Ǩ¬ù during a television special in 1983.

More than two decades later, The King of Pop?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s style still inspires the fashion set. For spring 2009, Balmain sent a Jackson-esque military jacket down the runway, and it was picked up by celebrities like Beyonc?ɬ© Knowles and Rihanna (trend-setting singers resetting a trend). Jackson hits like ?¢‚Ǩ?ìThriller?¢‚Ǩ¬ù and ?¢‚Ǩ?ìPYT (Pretty Young Thing)?¢‚Ǩ¬ù are soundtrack staples for runway shows even still.

The singer was also a shopper ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äù a big one. During the Nineties, he reportedly spent an average of $35 million a year. While making the 2003 documentary ?¢‚Ǩ?ìLiving With Michael Jackson,?¢‚Ǩ¬ù reporter Martin Bashir saw him shell out $6 million for marble chess sets, 10-foot urns and other expensive art objects. In 2005, he blew through $150,000 at Harrods in 30 minutes. And in 2006, he went on an impromptu midnight shopping spree at Topshop?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s Oxford Street flagship in London. But by that time, Jackson was hundreds of millions of dollars in debt ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äù and looking to sell Neverland Ranch. Read entire article at Women’s Wear Daily

Source:WWD