15 of Rock’s Most Iconic Fashion Moments

Being sartorially savvy is not a requirement for being in rock ‘n’ roll, nor does it automatically grant you albums sales, but it sure does help attention-wise.

There is perhaps no better way to stand out from the crowd than by making fashion statements, ideally as many of them as possible. Because really, as the most in vogue among us understand, fashion isn’t about the physical clothing itself but the message it transmits and the way it highlights an individual’s personality. And of course, what suits one person may not suit another.

“You can take it to a philosophical level: style is about the choices you make to create the aspects of civilization that you wish to uphold,” David Bowie said to Complex in 2003. “I will buy a chair for my house. What style of chair are you gonna buy? Everything we look at and choose is some way of expressing how we want to be perceived. I mean, why bother choosing a chair because it looks a certain way? Because there’s gonna be something about that chair that says something about you…And it applies to everything you do.”

Plenty of rock musicians adopted signature looks over the years — Slash in his top hat, Stevie Nicks in her witchy gowns, Jim Morrison in his leather pants, etc. — but for the purposes of the below gallery, we’re focusing on specific fashion statements. In some cases, they were worn once, in others they made a few public appearances. But in all of them, there is no denying their association with one artist specifically.