Guest Author - Norma Shephard

Michael Jackson Costumes on Exhibit

Fans of Michael Jackson as well as media representatives have been flocking to museum exhibits of Jackson’s costume memorabilia at various locations across the United States this week. Visitors are taking advantage of the opportunity to view many of the stand-alone costume artifacts the entertainer wore during his career, and some are wearing Michael Jackson themed outfits—from t-shirts to copycat performance regalia—themselves.

A musical number by Andrew Svoboda from the production “Aah Pooteh! – That’s Snow”, proclaims, “You are what you wear, so there.” If that is the case, then the artifacts on display portray the evolution of a singer/dancer to a world class entertainer of superstar status. Curators at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles have built on the “You are what you wear” theme, by exhibiting items which portray Jackson as music royalty.

Royalty has long enjoyed a tradition of distinctive and extravagant dress, enabling monarchs to be set apart visually and easily identified by their subjects. Consider for example, the garnet-studded, gold kid shoes designed by Roger Vivier for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation. Jewel encrusted clothing has traditionally been reserved for ceremonial dress, even amongst imperial rulers, and so it is not surprising that outfits worn by Michael Jackson for his stage and video performances are more elaborate than those constructed for his everyday persona, despite similarities in silhouette and design.

Responding to an invitation to borrow costume items from Michael Jackson’s personal collection—the megastar earned thirteen Grammy awards after all—when they mounted the Michael Jackson HIStyle costume exhibit, Grammy Museum staff selected items from a Jackson warehouse, which would reflect the entertainer’s reputation as the “King of Pop”. (The Grammy Museum show, which was launched in February, 2009, closed in mid-June, and opened again June 26th, 2009, following the singer’s unexpected death.)

Building on the “King of Pop” royalty theme, exhibit curators chose to feature Michael’s iconic sequined gloves, along with seven jewel-studded jackets, some of which weigh as much as fifteen pounds. At the centre of the exhibit—in sharp contrast to the dazzling stand-alone jackets—is a mannequin dressed in the starkly plain, white Hugo Boss suit Michael Jackson was photographed in for the cover of his Thriller album.

Fans wishing to see the famous Moonwalk début ensemble can do so at Seattle’s EMP rock n’ roll museum, where Michael’s black sequined jacket and silver glove have been taken out of archives and placed on exhibit. If hats are more to your liking, a trek to the Motown Historical Museum in Detroit will reward you with a glimpse of Jackson’s famous black fedora and white sequined glove. Jackson’s early career is profiled here in a permanent exhibit dedicated to the Jackson 5.

The Cleveland Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is also home to a permanent collection of Michael Jackson memorabilia, including an early 1970s Jackson 5 outfit and a number of other historic performance costumes.