• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.64 no.4
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• pp.37-51
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to devise a wide range of expression and direction in fashion by analyzing the wardrobe of David Bowie, a musician who represents Glam Rock, for "glam" characteristics. Research was done using dictionaries of musical terms, dictionaries of attire terms, internet, papers and books published in Korea and abroad and other materials. The results of this study showed four characteristics, and it can be summarized as follows. First, resistance refers to the deviation from the norms set by a mainstream society. The resistance in Glam Rock was expressed in depreciative and anti-social characteristics, and Punk elements were expressed by using studs and metallic materials. Second, androgyny in David Bowie's costume expresses the innate nature of gender by freely integrating or tight silhouette costumes. Third, the fantasy in Bowie's costumes is a concept as opposed to what is real and is expressed by using avant-garde and playful expressions. Distorted, exaggerated and avant- garde expressions express decorative and bizarre fantasy by using the images of an astronaut. Fourth, the folklore in David Bowie's costumes uses the patterns and images of different cultures, and is expressed as through integration of exotic components, including the usage of costumes with Oriental colors and shapes. Furthermore it represents geometric shapes and curves, using the images of Kimono.