Michael Bush didn’t just make clothes. He built armor. Most people look at the King of Pop and see the moonwalk or hear the hiccup in "Billie Jean," but if you really want to understand the man, you have to look at the silver buckles, the weighted loafers, and the military jackets that looked like they belonged to a space-age Napoleon. Honestly, that is exactly why the Dressing Michael Jackson book is such a trip. It isn't some dry fashion manual. It’s a messy, detailed, behind-the-curtain look at how Michael Jackson and his long-time designers, Michael Bush and Dennis Tompkins, basically invented a new visual language for celebrity.
Michael was tiny. Not just thin, but physically slight, which is something the book hammers home through the sheer physics of his wardrobe. Everything was a calculation. When he was on stage, he needed to be seen from the very back row of a stadium holding 80,000 people. You can't do that in a regular t-shirt. You do it with rhinestones that catch the light like a disco ball and silhouettes that make a slim frame look like a god.
The Architecture of a Pop Star
Working for Michael Jackson wasn't a 9-to-5. It was a 24/7 obsession with perfection. Bush describes a world where a sleeve wasn't just a sleeve; it was a tool for dance. If you look at the sketches and photos in the Dressing Michael Jackson book, you’ll notice that the armholes on his jackets are cut incredibly high. Why? Because if Michael raised his arm to point at the sky—his signature move—a standard jacket would bunch up at the shoulder and hide his neck. He wanted to look like a statue even when he was moving at 100 miles per hour.
It’s kinda wild when you think about the "Lean" in Smooth Criminal. Everyone knows it was a trick involving floor pegs and special boots, but seeing the actual patents and the evolution of those shoes in the book makes it feel less like a magic trick and more like engineering. They had to reinforce the ankles so Michael’s legs wouldn't literally snap under the pressure of his body weight hanging at a 45-degree angle. That’s the level of commitment we’re talking about here. It wasn't just about looking "cool." It was about the physical limits of the human body.
Michael was also obsessed with military history, but not the violent part. He loved the "regalia." He wanted the medals, the sashes, and the gold braid because it commanded respect immediately. He was a black man who crowned himself the King of Pop in a world that wasn't always ready for that, and his clothes were his manifesto. The book covers this beautifully, showing how they moved from the leather-heavy "Bad" era into the more refined, almost royal "Dangerous" and "HIStory" eras.
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Why Flaws Made the Clothes Better
One of the coolest things about the Dressing Michael Jackson narrative is the realization that Michael was actually pretty frugal in weird ways. He would wear the same pair of Florsheim loafers until they literally fell apart. He didn't want new shoes. He wanted "broken-in" shoes. He famously told Bush, "Don't polish them. You'll polish the dance out of them."
That’s a real quote that sticks with you.
It tells you everything about his mindset. The clothes were an extension of his work. If a rhinestone fell off during a show, he didn't care as long as the spin felt right. But if a seam popped? That was a disaster. Because a popped seam meant the line of the body was broken. He was a perfectionist about the silhouette, not the individual components.
The Glove: A Happy Accident?
Everyone asks about the glove. It’s the most iconic piece of clothing in history, right up there with Dorothy’s ruby slippers. In the book, the backstory is surprisingly practical. Michael had started wearing a single glove to hide the early stages of vitiligo on his hand. But he didn't want it to look like a medical bandage. He wanted it to be "showbiz."
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They started with a simple white cotton glove and eventually moved to the Swarovski-encrusted version we all know. It was brilliant because it drew the eye to his hand movements. When he did the "robot" or pointed, you couldn't look away from that shimmering hand. It was a focal point. A heat map for the audience's eyes.
The "Bad" Era Buckles
If you’ve ever tried to count the buckles on the Bad tour outfit, don't bother. There are a lot. Michael wanted to sound like a percussion instrument. When he danced, he wanted the metal to clink. He wanted to hear himself. It’s these tiny details—the sound of the clothes—that the Dressing Michael Jackson book highlights so well.
He also had a thing for "Levees." No, not the jeans. He wanted his pants to be "high-water" style. He wore white socks specifically so people would watch his feet. If he wore black socks with black shoes, his feet would disappear into the stage floor. The white socks were a beacon. They were a "Look at me, I’m doing something you can’t do" sign.
The Reality of Working with a Legend
Bush and Tompkins weren't just designers; they were keepers of the image. They traveled the world with him. They saw the private moments where Michael would sit and point at a book of 18th-century European royalty and say, "Make me that, but make it futuristic."
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The book isn't just a coffee table decoration. It’s a testament to a 25-year relationship. Michael would call Bush at 3:00 AM to talk about a button. That’s not an exaggeration. The man was consumed by the "look." He understood that in the age of MTV, the image was just as important as the hook of the song.
The Evolution of the "Jackson Look"
- The Thriller Era: Red leather, zippers everywhere. It was about being approachable but edgy.
- The Bad Era: Heavy metal. Punk influence mixed with street style.
- The Dangerous Era: Sophisticated gold, black, and white. The "Jam" jacket with the ammunition belt is a standout here.
- The HIStory Era: Pure futurism. Chrome, silver, and gold. He looked like an astronaut from the 1700s.
The Legacy of the Book
Since Michael passed in 2009, his wardrobe has become high-end art. Pieces that Michael Bush kept or documented have sold at auction for hundreds of thousands of dollars. But the Dressing Michael Jackson book keeps them accessible. It lets you see the sweat stains (well, figuratively) and the hand-stitching. It reminds us that behind the "Wacko Jacko" headlines was a man who took the craft of "being a star" more seriously than anyone else in history.
Honestly, the most touching part of the whole thing is the "This Is It" section. The clothes Michael was supposed to wear for those final London shows were some of the most advanced they had ever built. Light-up jackets with embedded LEDs that reacted to the music. It’s heartbreaking to see them on mannequins knowing they never got to be drenched in stage sweat.
Practical Steps for Collectors and Fans
If you're looking to get into the world of Michael Jackson's fashion or just want to appreciate the book better, here is what you should do:
- Look for the First Edition: The 2012 release of The King of Style: Dressing Michael Jackson by Michael Bush is the gold standard. It won several awards for its photography and design.
- Study the Textures: Don't just look at the pictures. Read Bush's notes on fabrics. He used a lot of stretch materials and spandex hidden in the seams to allow Michael to move. It’s a masterclass in functional fashion.
- Check the Auctions: Sites like Julien’s Auctions often have the original catalogs from Michael Bush’s collection. Even if you can't afford a $50,000 jacket, the digital catalogs are a free way to see high-res photos of the construction.
- Visit Exhibits: Whenever a "King of Pop" exhibit hits a museum (like the Grammy Museum or the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame), go. Seeing the scale of the clothes in person—how small they actually are—changes your perspective on his physical presence.
Michael Jackson’s style was never about following trends. He hated trends. He wanted to be timeless. He used to say, "I don't want to look like today. I want to look like forever." By documenting the process, Michael Bush ensured that "forever" was exactly what we got. The book serves as a blueprint for anyone who wants to understand how to build a visual brand that lasts long after the music stops.