David Bowie’s Young Americans look is perhaps his most beloved sartorial creation. Unlike Ziggy Stardust, it was less of a costume and more naturalistic, seemingly circling back to the blue-eyed David Jones who had duck-quiff hair, played saxophone and wanted to be the British Elvis. Now, thanks to an archive release and the influence of Vetements on the high street, it’s set to be a key menswear look for the summer.
Created during his Diamond Dogs tour, Bowie’s silhouette was almost triangular. His skinny frame emphasised the width of his trousers and his caramel-orange quiff mullet. Bowie’s suit jackets sat ribboned around his arms with elevated shoulders, which perched like tiny mountain peaks, and his ties were fat and knotted like a baby’s fist.
Like many pop stars (Madonna and Maripol, FKA Twigs and Chola), Bowie took aesthetic elements from the underground. In this case it was the Gouster look.
The singer had named a whole album – set to be released soon – after it. As producer Tony Visconti explained: “Gouster was a word unfamiliar to me but David knew it as a type of dress code worn by African American teens in the 60s, in Chicago.”
The look was extravagant in its appearance, and width was a common feature. Large brimmed hats, shirts, jackets with big collars and trousers with multiple pleats. The shoes had pointed toes, brass buttons and suspender braces. It was big, bold, edgy and contrasted with the conservative and wholesome Ivy look, which provided a rival sartorial contrast in Chicago.
The exaggerated, oversize aesthetic is very Summer 2016. The high street is catching up with Demna Gvasalia’s reframing of the male silhouette (via Vetements and Balenciaga), but broad is very much in, with the width of T-shirts, shirts and smart trousers opening up like never before.
