From his rakish stage persona and gender-bending style to his snake-like dance moves, Mick Jagger is the definition of “rock star” — in every sense of the word. Fans of R&B greats like Chuck Berry and Little Richard, Mick and the Rolling Stones came up in the 60s to shift the paradigm of British rock towards a grittier, more soulful sound. But Mick’s not only shaped the genre sonically, he’s shaped it sartorially, too. With his foppish decadence and louche glamour, Mick has set the standard in rock star dressing for almost 60 years, and remains the blueprint for today’s aspiring rockers. (We’re looking at you, Harry Styles!) And, beyond the realm of rock, Mick’s androgynous 70s stylings — the bedazzled jumpsuits, lace-up leather and blue eyeshadow he’s most famous for — have helped to redefine the conventions of menswear and masculine dress at a more macro level. Here, on the event of Mick’s birthday, we look back at some of the rock star’s most iconic outfits.
With his bandmates, 1964
Before The Rolling Stones became, well, The Rolling Stones, they were an R&B cover band named the Blues Boys. In 1961, Mick Jagger ran into childhood friend Keith Richards on a train platform in Dartford. Mick was carrying a stack of Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters records under his arm, and the duo struck up a conversation about their shared love for rhythm and blues artists. Soon, the duo became a quintet, covering the songs sung by their musical idols: Little Richard, Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry, himself. Not a year later, in July of 1962, the group performed their first show billed as “The Rolling Stones.” Of the band’s formative years, which spanned the early to mid 60s, Mick told journalist Tim Blanks, “In the beginning, we just wore what we had. And we didn’t have anything, so we wore our student-y clothes onstage.” This scruffy, schoolboy-ish look became the band’s calling card, and what endeared them to the era’s youthquakers. During these early years, the gang-of-five almost always wore semi-twinning ensembles, often consisting of rumpled dress shirts and ties, Beatnik-esque turtlenecks and striped sweaters, and black heeled boots. Here, Mick and the band wear a series of mismatched suits and shaggy pageboy haircuts — both early-Stones hallmarks.
With girlfriend Marianne Faithfull, 1969
In 1964, Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham introduced Mick to upcoming singer Marianne Faithfull under the pretense that he write her first single. The result was “As Tears Go By”, Marianne’s first major release and one of Mick’s first original compositions. It wasn’t until 1966, two years after the song hit the airwaves, that Mick and Marianne began dating. Together, the duo epitomized London’s Swinging Sixties scene, not only in attitude but in dress. During that era, and on the arm of Marianne, Mick adopted a more foppish style compared to his early, schoolboy days. Think ruffled shirts, cropped and patterned suits, lace-up boots, top hats and brocade: decadent, but just shy of glamorous. Here — at court on charges of cannabis possession — he twins with Marianne in a caped look that epitomizes the era’s youthful opulence.
At the Stones in the Park Concert, 1969
The Stones’ former guitarist — and founding member — Brian Jones died abruptly on July 3, 1969. Two days later, the band transformed a regularly-scheduled Hyde Park concert into a tribute for their late bandmate. Dressed very much the romantic poet in a puff-sleeved dress, Mick opened the show by reading an excerpt from Percy Bysshe Shelley’s elegy, Adonais. The look — accessorized with a spangled choker — marked the beginning of Mick’s sartorial transition from foppish decadence to the androgynous glam that would define his 70s style.
At the Altamont Free Concert, 1969
The Rolling Stones’ 1968 single “Sympathy for the Devil” spurred within the general public a mild satanic panic — Mick squarely at its center. Into the Stones’ 1969 US tour, rumors of devil worship continued to bubble around the band. And Mick continued to stoke the flames, performing “Sympathy” in stage clothes bearing strange, pagan symbols. The devilish mystique the Stones had cultivated came to a boil — although not in the way they had intended — at the ill-fated Altamont Free Concert. That night, Mick took to the stage in an incendiary black and red cape designed by Ossie Clark. The look was meant to provoke. And to evoke the very likeness of Lucifer. The moment, however, was overshadowed by violence and tragedy incited by forces much realer than the devil, himself.
At his wedding to Bianca Jagger in St. Tropez, 1971
In 1970, Mick met Bianca Pérez-Mora Macias at a Stones concert in Paris. A year later, they married at a courthouse ceremony in St. Tropez. Both wore suits. She, Yves Saint Laurent. And he, a custom three-piece made by long-time tailor (and Savile Row great) Edward Sexton. Like Bianca’s, Mick’s nuptial look embodies the louche glam of the 70s: the greige wool, the wide lapel, the paisley shirt and the beater sneakers. And, just like his wife’s, Mick’s ensemble has gone on to become one of the most iconic wedding looks of all time.
In concert, 1973
Nothing embodies the rakish, androgynous glamour of Mick Jagger like an Ossie Clark jumpsuit. Throughout the 70s, the British designer custom made a series of these lush, velvet one-pieces to accompany the frontman on tour — both on and off stage. In 2018, the Stones singer admitted, “Ossie made me offstage jumpsuits so I could wear them when I was travelling with Bianca. We would both wear Ossie one-pieces when we were in the airport.” Beyond being the most glam of air-wear, these pieces collate the best-of-the-best of Mick’s gender-bending stage attire — silk shirts unbuttoned to the navel, lace-up leather, rhinestones, sequinsand sparkle — into one, all-in-one package. Here, the singer wears a white, sleeveless iteration of the look (although manyothersexist), complete with his signature swipe of blue eyeshadow.
In concert, 1981
In 1981, the Stones embarked on another US tour, this time in support of hard rock LP Tattoo You. The concerts, which usually took place around mid-day and were held in massive sports stadiums, featured zany, colourful sets conceptualized by Japanese designer Kazuhide Yamazaki. And Mick showed up in a stage wardrobe to match: clashing electric blue, fuschia and lime green, puffer jackets, Capezzio dance shoes and football pants (frequently worn with knee pads) — because, why not?! During the tour, Mick spoke to People about his preferred spandex bottoms: “I chose the football pants to wear this tour because they are easy to work in. It was sort of an accident — I went into a sports store, and they fit better than anything, and they only cost 20 bucks.”