Besides his legendary tunes and angelic voice, Elton John is also a uniquely distinguished fashion figure. Beautifully represented in his new biographical film, "Rocketman," we get a closer look at the musicians unique style within. With the help of costume designer Julian Day, audiences everywhere can appreciate how fashion allows Rocketman to take flight.
Instagram
The first scene begins as the rockstar parades into his group therapy meeting. Wearing a bright orange devil suit, he shows up in hopes of coping with his sins, how fitting! Feathers, rhinestoned flame embellishments, and spiky horns familiarize us with John's antics and emotions at the time. The strong contrast between the calming environment of the rehab session interfered by John's bizarre attire establishes his personality as an especially unique individual. This wicked ensemble was never actually worn by Elton John himself. But Julian Day created this piece by thoughtfully conceptualizing how he would convey the legend's eccentric identity. The idea was greatly convincing, I loved the outrageous look and quickly picked up on the influence of fashion throughout Elton John's life.
YouTube
Day explains how the performer couldn't truly become "Elton John" until he was dressed to perfection. To creative genius Julian Day, this meant designing over 60 costumes for the movie. He also teamed up with Swarovski and utilized one million individual crystals throughout the assortment of outfits. Day came up with original creations like the orange devil suit but also brought back some of John's favorites like the bejeweled Dodger's uniform. Thousands of hours were supposedly spent collaborating over the making of each costume. Taron Egerton (the man who played Elton John), Julian Day, and even Elton John himself worked meticulously to compliment each magical scene with the ideal apparel. Successfully done and delightfully mesmerizing, I sporadically found myself more focused on the costume designs than the actual performance itself. Encouraging fans to express themselves through clothing and other art forms is a very popular motive within the film.
YouTube
Through deep emotions and countless costume changes, the story of the British musician is alluringly told. The musical was a true fantasized interpretation of Elton John's reality. A dream world (nightmares included) embracing music, fashion, love, fame, and friendships of all sorts. As the life of the superstar changes, his outfit choices seem to follow. In each new sequence and scene, the director uses clothing to most accurately express John's mental state at the time. When he just begins feeling out the music industry his style is individualistic and colorful, as always. But major leaps of fame and success provoke the flashy fits to go beyond just multi-colored. We gaze upon bizarre headdresses, patches, patterns, exotic costume jewelry, and even winged boots. He is Rocketman, after all. And he certainly can't fly without the proper attire.
YouTube
