David Bowie – Best dressed Briton

 

BBC History Magazine has declared singer David Bowie to be the best dress Brit of all time, according to the results of their latest poll. The eccentric musician beat other nominees, such as Queen Elizabeth I and Georgiana Cavendish, winning his title with a whopping 48.5 percent of the votes.

Wayne Hemingway, English fashion designer and co-founder of Red or Dead, nominated David Bowie for the survey. Hemingway recalls the moment, after his first visit to a David Bowie concert in 1973, when he decided to alter his whole appearance to look more like Bowie: "After the gig, I went out, got my hair 'feathered', bought a tight-fitting canary yellow T-shirt from Clobber and Bowie's album from Ames Record Bar." In an interview with Historyextra, Hemingway explains why Bowie had inspired him, as well as so many others: “I left the gig utterly blown away by his music and style. Bowie changed youth culture, and had a gift for predicting and anticipating fashion trends, always doing his own thing.” By always staying true to himself and taking risks, Bowie has managed to stay ahead of the curve and even set the trend. Hemingway concludes that Bowie was a “creative genius who understood art and design, looked cool, inspired us and upset the establishment. All these attributes lead to things that drive humankind forward… change.” Editor of the BCC History Magazine, Rob Attar, adds that in order to win Bowie had to “overcome a king, two queens and a political heavyweight to triumph in our poll, and in doing so has struck a blow for 20th and 21st-century fashions."

David Bowie was one of ten individuals that had been nominated by leading fashion experts and academics alike. The other nominees on the list were Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603), Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (1757 - 1806) and Beau Brummell (1778 - 1840), who respectively finished in second, third and fourth place.