For the second post of my humble sartorial segment about my style icons, I decided to feature a true emblematic 80′s figure, pop & neo-expressionist artist Jean-Michel Basquiat whose style, in my opinion,
is still very relevant today.

Here’s what journalist, author and friend of Basquiat Glenn O’Brien had to say
about the artist’s status as a fashion pioneer:

“He was a chromatic physicist who practiced an unspoken, unwritten theory of textile relativity. He puts a shirt, jacket and pants together like it would conjure the weather or influence the next day’s headlines. With a paisley tie eccentrically tied over a plaid shirt under a tweed jacket he worked colors and textures. His taste was a signature, and in every photograph he’s perfect, outside time and fashion, an eternal aristocrat.”

I’m starting yet another segment on the blog showcasing my personnal style icons. Rest assure, this isn’t turning into a fashion nor a celebrity blog. There are enough (too many?) of those already. I just thought it’d be inspiring to look back at some of the great artists, musicians, actors
and public figures whose styles have transcended time and trends.
I have enough pictures gathered already for a good 15 posts. So expect more in the near future.

—

First installment pays homage to the man with the horn, the chameleon of cool, Mr. Miles Davis.

Here’s what Robin D. G. Kelley, professor of history and Africana at NYU
wrote about Miles’ style in the New York Times back in 2001:

Practically every photograph of him is iconic. Like the coolest pimps on my block while I was growing up in Harlem, Miles was constantly posing; he knew how to stand, how to move, how to compose himself in space so that the world revolved around him.

Film from a 1967 Stockholm concert showcases his mastery of movement. Every gesture seems choreographed but effortless, the way he nonchalantly walks onstage, rubs just behind his ear, puts his impeccably manicured fingers to his lips just before bringing the horn to his mouth. His smooth brown skin never breaks a sweat. Even the way he ambles off stage can be classified as a pimp stroll.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Miles Davis – So What (Kind of Blue, 1959)