• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.66 no.4
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• pp.77-93
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• 2016

The purpose of this study is to analyze the stage costumes of Michael Jackson, and how it was reflected in contemporary fashion. The study reviewed fashion related articles, book, journals, and online fashion sites in order to look at the stage costumes used by Michael Jackson from 1979 to 2001 from 'Off the wall' to 'Invincible'. The study examined the 2001 S/S~2016 S/S seasons of the world's 4 major $pr{\hat{e}}t$-${\acute{a}}$-porte collections to identify cases that used at least two fashion factors of Michael Jackson's style. The study result is as follows: First, Michael Jackson wore black tuxedoes with bow ties, ankle-length pants, white socks, black loafers, arm bands and other various accessories. Second, many of Jackson's fashion traits, such as military style golden embroidery detail and emblems, Brandenburgs, and also appeared in many collections. Third, Jackson's glitter style included spangle and cubic accessories, which were used along with hologram and metallic materials. Accessories, such as cubic gloves and socks, and fedoras were worn with the costume. Lastly, his diverse style, which included fencing shirts, letterman jacket and magic suits, can be found in different forms in modern fashion. Michael Jackson was one of the trendsetters in popular fashion in the 1970s~1990s, and continuously inspires fashion designers in the 21st century. In this aspect, the Michael Jackson style is deemed highly significant in the fashion history.