Written by Jamie Etheridge
Few style icons have been around as long as Sir Mick Jagger. Born in Dartford, Kent, England in 1943, the bad boy front man of legendary rock band, The Rolling Stones, has been influencing fashion and style for more than 50 years.
Jagger’s career can be traced not only through the Stones’ discography but also decade by decade in his ever-evolving style. Erupting onto the music scene at the height of the 1960s, Jagger quickly evolved from Ed Sullivan-friendly tailored suits, button down men’s dress shirts and preppy pullover sweaters to Ossie Clark sequined jumpsuits, flowing scarves and psychedelic print blouses.
By the 1970s, Jagger’s style icon status was firmly established and he began to take more risks onstage and off. Foppish peak lapels, velvet suits, fitted jackets with flared legged trousers, platform shoes; clothes with exaggerated details defined this stage. Flamboyant and flawless, Jagger embodied the look Antony Price’s Glam Rock 70s and then led the shift to the shoulder padded androgynous styling of the 1980s.
The rail thin musician enjoys a symbiotic relationship with the world of fashion, setting trends and setting on fire trends that millions were quick to mimic. Knighted and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Jagger is renowned for his pouty lips and his love of the feminine in attire and often chose lace up crotch leggings, flowing print blouses, Michael Fish poet blouses, slim cut suits or skinny jeans to emphasize his sleek frame.
As Jagger is famously known for saying, “Anything worth doing is worth overdoing,”and that has definitely characterized much of the singer’s style choices. Rather than overwhelming his tall but slim physique or outdoing his music, Jagger’s style has only added complexity to his status as an icon – of music and fashion – for the last five decades.
At 72, Sir Mick continues to make fashion statements, tailoring his clothes and costumes to the occasion at hand. A mature Jagger does not mean a less dandily dressed, however.
Want to dress like Jagger? Try these simple techniques:
- Start with a skinny fit suit. This is all about the fit so be sure you’ve got the physique for it. Windowpane checks or pinstripes are a great choice for flare without flamboyance. [http://www.knotstandard.com/suits/]
- Layer on a silk scarf, the flowier the better.
- Consider pink. Jagger is among a few A list celebrities who could show up for the red carpet in head to toe pink and none would blink an eye. This takes real daring to pull off so perhaps start with a pink tie. [http://www.knotstandard.com/ties/classic-pink-and-white-tie/]