David Bowie truly did it all in the world of entertainment. A glamor rock icon, Hollywood actor, and longtime singer, Bowie displayed his many talents throughout the decades and he did it all with a different look each time.With his different colored eyes and ever spontaneous taste for fashion, it's hard to picture any one look when you hear "David Bowie." Nevertheless, his outfits, costumes, and characters are unique and eye-popping. In no particular order, because each Bowie is original by itself, here are just some of the many different looks and phases David Bowie went through.
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1. Ziggy Stardust
A timeless early 1970s Bowie persona, Ziggy is both a song and a documentary of his tour titled "Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars." This look is notable for Bowie's stark red hair and colorful eye makeup.
2. Jareth in Labyrinth
How can we forget him as Jareth, the Goblin King in the 1986 musical, Labyrinth? Jareth wants to turn the baby brother of Sarah, portrayed by Jennifer Connelly, into a goblin. Even as a villain, Bowie shines in this dance flick. I found myself liking him more and more as the film went on. Jareth has the longest hair of any Bowie look that I can find.
3. Lord Royal Highness in Spongebob
I only included this one because I remember Nickelodeon advertising that David Bowie would be a special guest star on the Spongebob special, Atlantis Squarepantis. This was aired when I was in middle school, shortly after I first listened to Bowie's music. This is the most bizarre looking Spongebob character ever drawn but I'm glad the artist chose to have this character's eyes be different colors and stay true to Bowie's look.
4. Young Bowie
This is the tame David Bowie look, if you will. No serious makeup, hair coloring, or costume. Here we see Bowie as the curly-haired up-and-coming musician that he once was.
5. Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)
My personal favorite album of Bowie's, this features both jamming dance tunes like "Fashion" and more upbeat rocking songs like "Scary Monsters." The album cover once again displays Bowie's preference for crimson hair and artsy fashion.
6. Aladdin Sane
Released just after Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane displays the addition of the red and sky blue lightning bolt splitting Bowie's face which, for me, is reminiscent of the scar on Harry Potter's forehead. The bolt actually brings out his blue eye even more.
7. Ashes to Ashes
Ashes to Ashes is a song off the Scary Monsters album, but I had to include this one specifically because a) I love the song and b) it's another worthy costume from Bowie's repertoire. This picture is from the music video and we see Bowie appear almost ghostly or from another world as he often does. His face is eggshell white and conveys this appropriate sense of despair or dread. His shirt is also white, but the pink tint from the video helps to mask it. He reminds me of something you'd find at a circus, an out of space mime-like jester who yearns for help.
8. Thin White Duke
The suave Thin White Duke is another character from the 1970s. He sings about romance and appears more straightforward than most of his other characters. His hair may be trimmed but he's just as dashing as ever on stage in his white dress shirt, black trousers, and black vest. This look tells me that Bowie was not afraid of toning it down every once in a while.
9. The late '80s - Glass Spider Tour
This look is neat because it reflects the quintessential 80s vibe of all things over the top. His hair is half mullet, half messy fluff. His sleeves are a shiny gold and are bigger than usual because of the clothing. He's wearing what appears to be either black denim jeans or dark leather pants, but either one is just as stylish.
10. Late '90s
Here Bowie is a little Kurt Cobain/Tom Petty-esq with his long dirty blonde hair. It complements the grunge rock era that saw a high in the 1990s. It also has nothing to do with the hot pink shirt he's wearing, but in typical Bowie fashion, he somehow pulls it off.
11. Blackstar
Blackstar is one of the longest, strangest music videos I've ever witnessed. I don't know what it's about — the song or the music video. This is a scary look for Bowie, who looks like something you'd see out of a horror movie.
12. The 2000s
Of course, we can't leave out how he looked shortly before he passed away. Here he is with his longtime wife, Iman. David Bowie still has a smile on his face and he probably does right now as he surveys the stars and the planets.
