Matt Baron/ShutterstockWhen Elton John hits the road on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour later this year, he’ll be wearing a bunch of flashy outfits made for him by Gucci. But as sparkly as those suits may be, they’re nothing compared to what the Rocket Man used to wear back in the ’70s, when he was dressed by Bob Mackie, the same guy who created Cher‘s most outrageous outfits.
Elton tells V magazine, “Bob has said that his approach to dressing me for stage was to ‘treat me like a male showgirl,’ and that’s exactly what we did! Together, we had so many ideas. He couldn’t make the clothes fast enough.”
He adds, “Bob made some fabulous outfits for me — feathers, sequins, glitter — totally outrageous one-offs. I look at them now and they make me howl with laughter. We had so much fun!”
Elton admits, however, that “in the past few years, I haven’t tended to dress as flamboyantly as I used to.”
Having said that, he notes that “I’m now inspired by the creativity, quirkiness, and color in the Gucci aesthetic. I’ve never, ever been a minimalist or a beige kind of guy.”
Elton also brags to V about what he considers to be his greatest contribution to fashion.
“I think the one item I’m most associated with is outrageous eyewear,” says Elton, whose glasses are as much a part of his look as his crazy costumes. “I’m proud of the part I played in moving eyewear from function to fashion.”
He also notes, “My eyes needed the functionality, but ‘blowing up’ what could be done with frames and lenses gave me an exciting new way of expressing myself. They also allowed me to cover up the extreme shyness I needed to hide as a performer.”
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