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The Evolution of Freddie Mercury's Style

Freddie Mercury's campy, extravagant style defined much of his career and reflected his flamboyant persona. Known for his mixture of feminine and masculine silhouettes, Mercury redefined what men's fashion was. Mercury was known for pulling inspiration for his interests in life, such as ballet and theater. Over his career, his style progressed significantly over his life and career. In the 1960s, he was initially inspired by the mod fashion in Chelsea and Kensington. His early career fashion included a plethora of leotards, which Mercury took inspiration for the tights worn in ballet as well as the time of his favorite playwright, William Shakespeare. During the 1980s, he changed his style, cutting off his long locks, growing a mustache, and ditching the extravagant tights for denim and leather (The Real).

Introduction

Freddie Mercury (1946-1991)

Timeline

Freddie Mercury is remembered today as the electric lead singer of the group Queen. Mercury attended the Ealing College of Art, where he befriended many artists, including his future bandmates, Roger Taylor, John Deacon, and Brian May. In 1970, Mercury legally changed his name from Farrokh Bulsara to Freddie Mercury, believing that Farrokh Bulsara did not match his personality (Biography.com Editors). Mercury pushed the limits of how men's fashion was characterized and found new innovative ways to transform Rock and Roll—being apart of the Glam Rock Era, which was characterized by flamboyant style and upbeat melodies. The band became known for hits such as "Killer Queen," "Bohemian Rhapsody," "Another One Bites the Dust," "We Are The Champions," "We Will Rock You," the list goes on and on.

March 1974

1974

When it came to style, Mercury claimed, "Queen never copied anyone" This look has been dubbed "batwing Freddie" and was designed by Zandra Rhodes (The Mercury). Rhodes recalls that "Freddie was a free spirit, so for him, coming to a person who usually designs women's clothes did not matter. I do not think he thought of androgyny – he was just a free spirit who wanted to look wonderful." Rhodes describes the construction of costume, "It was the top of a wedding dress idea I had" (Rhodes). Mercury truly paved the way for innovation in as many, such as Rhodes, did not think his mixture of male and female fashion to be abnormal.

May 1977

1977

When it came to Mercury's fashion in the 1970s, he as his costumes included a myriad of leotards. Most notably, he wore a low-cut sequin leotard (top left) and the "Harlequin" leotard (bottom right). These leotards were worn during their European tour and designed by Diana Mosely, Queen's most notable designer. This style choice was due to his mixing feminine and masculine style, the basis of the Glam Rock Era, and his love for the ballet (The Mercury).

October 1978

1978

This look was an example of his transitional period between his more flamboyant, feminine style to his more masculine fashion choices. Mercury had cut his long 70s locks and began to wear leather. He began to wear his new stage costume on the UK tour in May 1978 as well as the USA 'Jazz' tour in October 1978 (The Mercury).

March 1984

1984

This outfit was worn in the Music video for the song "I Want to Break Free." Mercury wore a black bobbed wig, earrings, pink knitted top, short black skirt, fishnets, and high heels and, of course, paired with his iconic mustache (The Mercury). Queen cross-dressed as a pastiche of Coronation Street, which was banned in the United States. This led audiences in the United States not to understand the inspiration, in turn, allowing them to interpret the video's message. MTV banned the video despite its massive success; the song remained in the charts for eight weeks.

July 1985

1985

Mercury wore this iconic look at Live Aid, a charity concert to raise funds for relief of the Ethiopian famine. Although it was simplistic, it was meticulously recreated in the 2018 biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. For the movie, they reproduced the Adidas boxer shoes and traveled to the United States to get the exact jeans Mercury wore. This concert was arguably the most well-known; Live Aid an estimated 1.5 billion viewers tuned in from 100 different countries (A Look Back). In a New York Times Article, reflecting on Queen's Live Aid performance, the author described Mercury's outfit as, "Freddie Mercury took 'simple' to 'daring' to 'gay.' ...Basically a conflation of hard-core and normcore (When Queen)." Mercury's Live Aid look optimized his style, incorporating styles taken from gay clubs while putting a masculine touch on it; This is a representation of his style during the 1980s.

1986

Diana Mosely created this iconic look for Queen's European 'Magic' tour in 1986 (The Mercury). The Yellow Jacket was reportedly taken inspiration that of a Spanish Matador (Chilton). This look was pair with a white undershirt and white pants lined with one pair with two red stripes and a gold stripe. This outfit continues to be one of the most recognizable of Mercury's; many Halloween costumes of Mercury have portrayed this look.

1986

This final look was also worn on Queen's European 'Magic' tour in 1986. This costume is what Mercury would typically close the show in, still seen wearing the pants from his yellow, leather jacket look. The red velvet cape paired with the jeweled crown looks truly encompassed Mercury personally, over the top yet regal. Mercury has been pictured wearing this costume piece often at home (The Mercury).

1986

Mercury is known today for not only his flamboyant, campy fashion sense but also as a music legend who has inspired many to live their lives unapologetically themselves. He inspired fans to emulate not only him but also other artists to think creatively and innovatively as he did.

Impact

Freddie for a Day goes beyond Mercury's fashion legacy. Sadly, Freddie Mercury passed away from AIDS-related bronchial pneumonia on November 24, 1991, at age forty-five. His bandmates created The Mercury Phoenix Trust, which has raised and donated millions to a thousand projects around the world to help those who have AIDS to receive better treatments and live longer. Freddie for a Day is just one of the many fundraisers they do, where participants dress up as Mercury. Then you get friends and family to sponsor you as go about your daily business. This fundraiser occurs every year on Mercury's birthday, September 5. This fundraiser raises money and awareness for the global fight against AIDS, but it pays tribute to Mercury's unique style. Similarly, this continues Mercury's legacy to be known as a fashion icon who pushed the boundaries of what male fashion was.

Freddie for a Day

Artists he Influenced

Luke Spiller

Karen O

Karen O is the lead singer of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, an Indie Rock group. Like Mercury, she was known for her extravagant outfits and electric vocals. In a 2009 interview, she said, "I've always thought he was just so tough and such an amazing entertainer, really a contradiction in many ways as well." This shows the legacy of Mercury and style directly impacted how Karen O decided to express herself through fashion and as a musical artist (Sula).

Luke Spiller is the lead singer of the music group The Struts. The group is growing quickly, recently having opened for the Rolling Stones in front of 80,000 people in Paris. Spiller has received comments comparing him to the late singer Freddie Mercury. His mother even encouraged him to reach out to Mercury's stylist, Zandra Rhodes. She designed two pieces for Spiller, including a shimmering, cobalt blue frock with hand-painted gold accents. The comparisons made between Spiller and Mercury inspired him to emulate the Mercury. Spiller's style is very similar to Mercury's and the pieces created by Rhodes pays tribute to Mercury's glam rock "bat-wing outfit" (Olozia).

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga is undoubtedly known for her over the top campy fashion. Even said to have one of most memorable of the looks from the camp-themed Met Gala. Gaga has said she got the second half of her stage name from Queen's hit song "Radio Gaga." Lady Gaga referred to Mercury as a genius and went on to say, "I adored Freddie Mercury ... Freddie was unique -- one of the biggest personalities in the whole of pop music. He was not only a singer but also a fantastic performer, a man of the theater and someone who constantly transformed himself," even stating, "I'd have no idea what I was doing with this music if it wasn't for the late, great Freddie Mercury"(Giles). Gaga essentially said she would not have not to career without Mercury, would not have won 59 awards, including an Oscar and five Grammys (Lady Gaga). Lady Gaga, herself, has contributed significantly to the world of the arts, which herself she has regarded the flamboyance of his persona and style.

Conclusion

In sum, Freddie Mercury's style and its evolution reflected Mercury as an artist and also influenced others. He began his career exploring fashion, mixing masculine and feminine silhouettes, thus redefining what men's fashion is. Mercury was able to wear this clothing with a short of Charisma, which inspired many people's wardrobes. Zandra Rhodes, one of Mercury's designers, had even made outrageous yet regal clothes for women. In the 1970s, Mercury's style mainly consisted of a myriad of tight leotards. Later on, these tight silhouettes transition to slightly "looser" styles, including denim and a plethora of leather pieces. These pieces were inspired these the fashion in the New York City gay club scene, which Mercury reported frequented. Even following his death, Mercury continued to influence the way people dress and carry themselves. Artists such as Karen O, Luke Spiller, and Lady Gaga credit their fashion choices to Mercury. Additionally, Mercury continues to impact the world through his iconic looks, as every September 5th, participants dress up as Mercury to raise money and awareness for AIDS. Mercury once said, "dress to kill, but tastefully," which he certainly accomplished as he continues to stun people with his campy style (Kealy).

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