Pop icon, gay icon, fashion icon. George Michael, who passed away last year, left behind him an entire section of music history along with his looks that had a style all their own. An essential figure of the 80s, the George Michael look meant sexy and rebellious elegance. George took leather and the perfecto from bad boys of the 60s and brought it into his fantasy universe. A thick studded leather top often accompanied his wild mane of hair. This leather look was from the brand La Rocka! After the release of George Michael’s first solo album Faith in 1987, this designer would often dress rock stars. With a rolled up collar and a pair of Ray Ban Aviator Shooters on, this would soon become the signature of his style – with his smoked glass and sex appeal, George Michael became the archetype of the 80s man who all the girls wanted and all the guys wanted to be.
Mysterious but self-assured, George Michael would leave his mark on the masses, but it was his legendary white shirt casually tucked into a pair of Levi’s 501 jeans cut close to the body that made him a modern James Dean. The year was 1987, and George Michael had already brought his uniform into the pop sphere. For anyone interested in fashion history, his looks would from then on incarnate the eccentric trends of the era, like his sporty color block shorts. In that same year, the singer released his first solo album; the hit June 1987 song “I Want Your Sex” was a B-side. In the minimalist but erotic music video, another element of Michael’s style would emerge: a single earring, either a crucifix or an ankh. It was an instant classic, just like the song itself.
Without a doubt the most controversial music video of his career, “I Want Your Sex” offended the sensibilities of many. With morals giving way to debauchery and women reduced to being an object of desire, George Michael was actually in a way expressing a glorification of monogamy. The first video to be banned by MTV, it was also censored by the BBC. Canada and the United States would eventually refuse to broadcast it altogether. “The media has divided love and sex incredibly,” he would explain in an interview. “The AIDS campaign highlighted safe sexual relations, but the campaign put relations to the side. It lacked emotion, it lacked monogamy. ‘I Want Your Sex’ seeks to bring desire and love together, and not just for strangers.” With his Gretsch G400 Synchromatic Archtop guitar in hand, George Michael and his unnerving simplicity broke many a rule.
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