All-TIME Fashion Icons

The glittering glove. The Thriller-era leather jacket. Those spit-shined penny loafers that gave him the otherworldly ability to glide across the stage.

Yes, it's no coincidence that we associate the different chapters of the King of Pop's career with the clothes he wore. But what's perhaps most impressive of all when it comes to Jackson's aesthetic is that it never once felt contrived. His wardrobe — though flamboyant — was never some grandiose political statement or performance-art afterthought. Like his music, his style reflected the inverse of an introverted artist wrought with complexity: flashy, singularly talented and larger than life.

It was a wardrobe, for lack of better words, fit for a king. less