DANSK Magazine

Michael, we miss you

It is a year today since Michael Jackson passed away. And so, we thought we would share our tribute story to him, which ran in last year’s autumn/winter issue.

I won’t do a big overture to the story but just say, in the words of MJ:

It’s all for love. L-O-V-E.

Photography by Gottfried Helnwein
Special thanks to Cyril Helnwein and Lisa Marie Presley

Click on the DANSK pages above to read the story or click here to read the story inside…

www.michaeljackson.com / magazine page image courtesy of DANSK

THE MAN IN THE MIRROR

Michael Jackson was never in fashion. He was better than that. He was fashion.

By Anders Christian Madsen

Fashion is rarely one to hail honesty, sentimentality, or even empathy. Our flawlessly icy exteriors are most comfortable relating to such dreary matters if Madonna is hosting them in a Gucci dress in New York. If you’re openly kind, charitable or even – gasp! – a humanitarian, you’re not in vogue for all fashion cares, even if you invented the pump, the tote, the tie – or the sequined glove. Always dressed to perfection, Michael Jackson was one of these outsiders. And while his little finger may have boasted more talent for style than Madonna’s entire wardrobe, Michael was never hailed as a fashion icon. He was probably too nice.

Back in June, l’éditrice and I presented this paradox to Mr. and Mrs. Boss and a week later, my dream story was given the green light: I was to contact Michael’s stylist, the incredible Rushka Bergman of L’Uomo Vogue, for an interview about Michael’s signature look, his fashion history, and comeback tour costumes. On the 23rd of June, I emailed Ms. Bergman, promising her the tribute style story that no one had ever given Michael. He passed away two days later, on the 25th.

DANSK is certainly not a celebrity magazine. (In fact, I think Michael would have appreciated our anti-gossip stance.) And the reason Michael was approved for a story was namely this: Michael was not just a celebrity, or an icon, or an idol. He was a createur. Musically on level with Mozart and far beyond – and as for fashion, nothing less of a couturier, a sort of court costumier, whose understanding of visual trademarks was comparable only with that of la Maison de Chanel, or perhaps the Catholic Church.

Michael’s fashion empire is illustrated at its finest in a commercial he filmed in 1994, referred to as The HIStory Teaser. Portrayed as a sort of warlord of love returning from the musical battlefields, Michael leads an army of soldiers through the streets of Budapest, wearing a black uniform with a silver breastplate and silver arm plates, epaulettes, knee-high black metal boots with shin plates and knee-pads, his white bandage, black gloves and mirrored sunglasses. The complete Jackson effect sets in courtesy of Michael’s signature black curls, eyeliner and pale powdered skin.

Before I wanted everything from the Givenchy show, I wanted everything from The HIStory Teaser. The truth is that in one outfit, Michael could communicate more fashion, more trends and more style than most menswear designers manage to give us over ten seasons. And like most designers, Michael got by with a little help from some friends: for 25 years, Michael Bush and Dennis Tompkins, dress purveyors to His Majesty’s magical court, sewed and stitched the fabric that Michael’s dreams were made of. A look based on stagewear a la military chic with special detail to body movement.

The lack of attention given to Michael’s clothes was likely a result of the attention given to the rest of his nature. He was a superhuman mystery, which people needed solved before any thought could be given to such boringly un-trivial topics as the beauty of the man’s attire, and more importantly, his intentions with wearing it. Michael would dislike me using this word but I’ve always seen him as the arch freak, and positively so. Through his wondrous wardrobe, his fantastical face and all that glittered, Michael was the ultimate spokesperson for anyone who ever felt like wearing, say, a gold chain sash to school and got pointed at for it. Like Edward Scissorhands, whom he so loved, Michael taught us that charisma is worn on the outside, too. I always thought I could only strive to be a better freak than Michael.

Whilst the fashion media never embraced Michael, Michael embraced fashion. A fan of Versace, he wore both Gianni and Donatella’s costumes on stage. For the Scream video, Janet and Michael asked Dexter Wong to create their spiky jumpers, and it was a Roberto Cavalli jacket that was torn apart by Michael’s fans at the 2006 World Music Awards. But Michael’s off-stage style never received as much hype as when Rushka Bergman became his stylist in 2009. Rumour has it that Emmanuelle Alt of French Vogue – a fellow Michael Maniac – called upon Christophe Decarnin to send Rushka some Balmain gear for Michael.

And so, months before he passed away, at 50, Michael finally got his own news item on Style.com. Of course, it’s not like his influence wasn’t there already… Slimane’s work for Dior Homme, anyone? And Raf, and Tisci, and Gareth. Michael created a signature look so powerful that it’s hard to imagine a designer not wanting to eat it up. A lot of them did, but few recognised Michael as their muse. The thing with Michael Jackson was that his style creations, unlike most designers’, were only a small outlet for his all-encompassing creative genius – his music, his dance, his goodwill, and his heart – which was far too big to limit itself to garments only. Michael was a philanthropist, and after all that’s way too real for fashion. Even if it’s better dressed.