The David Bowie Looks That Changed The Fashion World Forever

David Bowie Style

(Image credit: BILL ORCHARD/REX/Shutterstock)

published 12 January 2016

The fashion world owes him. Big time.

Let’s take a quick scan of the catwalks, shall we? How many of the below outfits just scream David Bowie to you?

Yes, these are all recent runway looks, and from huge fashion players like Dior, Rodarte, Gucci and Jean Paul Gaultier, too. But really they could have come straight out of Ziggy Stardust’s 1972 wardrobe, don’t cha think?

So why is Bowie still one of the most referenced fashion muses today? Why do his style trademarks – the psychedelic body stockings, the true power suits, the out-of-this-world print clashes – all feel as fresh and boundary-pushing now as they did when he first debuted them in the 70s?

Bowie's wardrobe represented an exotic glamour unlike anything else of its time. Androgynous and flamboyant, he dared to be different and therefore everything he wore caused shock and awe. So futuristic were his ideas, that the fashion world simply still hasn't caught up yet. That's all.

These are the looks that have gone down in history and will continue to inspire designers for generations to come. Pinterest boards at the ready...

David Bowie in concert, 1973