In Photos: Michael Jackson’s Fashion History

This tiny-waisted, leather-jacketed look from the 1982 video for Thriller is one of Jackson’s best known, and most emulated. The look is as popular for Halloween as it is in high-fashion – from Maison Margiela’s autumn/winter 2008 collection to, more recently, next season’s Balmain menswear collection by Olivier Rousteing, which was an ode to the Prince of Pop’s style, white socks and all.
Photograph: Venice Film Festival

Clearly of the thinking that it’s better to be over than under-dressed, MJ wore a sparkly military-chic jacket complete with gold epaulettes and sash to meet then-president Ronald and first lady Nancy Reagan at the White House in 1984. It’s a look he brought back for the Grammys that same year. From Melania Trump’s recent military-style jacket with a controversial slogan to Off-White’s spring/summer 2019 menswear show, mode a le martial remains popular.
Photograph: Scott Stewart/AP

You know it’s fashion gold when Beyoncé’s biting your style – Michael Jackson wore this suit with gold harness-style belt to play the Rose Bowl in Pasadena in 1993, Queen Bey wore a reimagined version, created by Dsquared2 designers Dean and Dan Caten, to play the same Super Bowl stage in 2016 in a political performance of Formation. MJ-esque metallics were massive this season, from Rick Owens to Saint Laurent to Balmain.
Photograph: Steve Granitz/WireImage