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MJJC Exclusive Q&A with Michael Bush - Submit your questions

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ivy

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As you know Michael Bush , Michael's long time designer, has recently released a book called "The King of Style: Dressing Michael Jackson".

In MJJC style we will conducting a Q&A with Michael Bush. So what are you waiting for , please submit your questions for the next 7 days.
 
You wrote at the beginning of the book that Michael never wore fur. So why did he wear jackets made out of snakeskin? I found this a bit surprising given how Michael seemed to love his pet snakes so much. Didn’t he know what the jackets were made of?
 
Mr. Bush,

1) In your book, you describe how MJ had all his stages from all tours custom built with a white/grey dance floor to show the contrast to his feet when dancing. Why was the stage during the This Is It rehearsals black and not MJ's signature white/grey?

2) What model of Florsheim shoes did MJ wear?

3) You mention that there was an elastic band on his Florsheims to keep the shoes on MJ's feet when kicking and dancing. Was that stock Florsheim or added by you and Dennis Tompkins?

4) You describe how MJ would only dance in his Florsheims. What was his response to the custom built Smooth Criminal anti-gravity lean shoes? Did he like dancing in them at first?

5) What was the material of the costume red dress shirt MJ wore in 2002 for the 50th Anniversary of American Bandstand?

6) I am guessing since you were the one to dress MJ, you were at the MJ and Friends Concerts in 1999. During the 2nd concert in Munich on June 27, 1999 and the bridge collapsed during Earth Song, what was your reaction?

7) In the book you talk about the creation of the HIStory Tour gold pants and jacket. Apparently the gold material used in the costume was very hard to acquire. So you bought as much of that material as you could, for possible use in future tours. Do you still have all of that gold material?

8) Can you elaborate on the belt buckle that looked like a star shaped police badge. MJ wore this at times during the Bad, Dangerous, HIStory tour, and the 30th Anniversary Special. It seemed like he always wore it with his Billie Jean pants, but not on all occasions and concerts. What was the thinking behind it? What did it say or show up close?

Thank you for a great book!
 
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Why did Michael Jackson always wear a black and red cape on his back, while in the air above the audience performing 'Beat It' live during the 80's and 90's, but during the 'This is It' rehearsals he wore a white one?
 
- It was mentioned in ICONIC magazine that "museums have rejected [auctioned MJ costumes] numerous times over." Is it true? Were these American museums?

- You said you donated part of the costumes to the estate, however we saw at the auction that the entire catalog was sold. How many costumes were donated to the estate? Why didn't you donate such iconic pieces as the HIStory-teaser costume and concert Thriller/Beat it jackets?

- There was an LA Gear standee sold at the auction http://www.julienslive.com/view-auctions/catalog/id/77/lot/33868/ where MJ's signature looks a little strange. Where does this standee come from and how long ago did Michael sign it?

- Is it true that you have a video of MJ signing things when drugged, and if yes, why did you film it?

- This is personal, but I'll give it a shot: Were you ever in love with Michael? :)

I should ask something about the clothes but can't think of anything right now...
 
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Why did all of Michael’s costumes have long sleeved? Is it true he chilled easily and was that the reason? Given the amount of body fluid he lost during performances did you use materials that were extra absorbent and what were Michael’s favorite materials to wear.
 
Some of the following may have been answered in the book, which I haven't read so...


1) You are selling off some of Michael's iconic stage costumes citing storage difficulty and a lack of interest from museums as some of the main reasons to do so. However, at any point, did you try offering them to Michael's Estate? I'm sure they would have been happy to take them as they have plans to open a permanent museum someday.

2) After the Julien's catalogue was published, you mentioned (and so did Michael's Estate) that after careful consideration you are donating a few of the most iconic pieces to MJ's Estate. Can you please tell us which ones they are?

3) For public functions, Michael dressed up, but at home he really dressed down - in baggy t-shirts and all. Did Michael like to shop for his casual clothes or were these specifically made for him as well? If Michael shopped, what were some of his favorite places and brands?

4) Were there any celebrities whose dress style influenced Michael and he spoke of with you and Dennis Tompkins when discussing new designs for him?

5) Do you know the style he preferred for women? I read he liked women to be really dressed and done-up - think Elizabeth Taylor. Is that true?

6) A lot of people and celebrities try to emulate Michael, including his fashion. What did Michael think of people - celebrities, who copied his style?


7) Michael's fashion evolved over the years. In the last years of his life, 2007 - 2009, he was rocking Ed Hardy and Balamain, and even pulled-off wearing women's jackets! What was his fashion focus during these years?

8) Was Michael more a Boxers or Briefs guy? :) And what was his favorite brand?


I might add more questions to this list, so watch this space...
 
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Did Michael talk to you about Zaldy Goco's designs for the This Is It tour?

If so, what did he say to you? Was he going to wear them? Could he dance in them? (as that was his first priority)
 
Woman in the Mirror said:
I want to know everything about gold paints
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They were designed by Gianni Versache (who also did some Dangerous Tour outfits, including the golden fencing suit). The "zipper" was fake, and the pants were of elastic material. Hope this helps, in case he won't be asked that question ;)
_______

I've not read the book yet, so I'm not sure if the answers to my questions can be found there, but...

-Do you know what he thought of the outfits he wore when he was young/during the seventies when he was older?

-What was the idea of all the different (gorgeous) suits he wore in 2005?
 
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- why did MJ change his Bad Tour shirts at the beginning?

- did he really do the lean in kansas 1988? because we thought he did it in munich '92 for the first time.

- why didn't mj wear the blue bad tour shirt?
 
Were the TII outfits you designed similar to what we'd seen before on other tours or were they completely different? (like Zaldy's designs)
 
BadTourHD said:
- why did MJ change his Bad Tour shirts at the beginning?

- did he really do the lean in kansas 1988? because we thought he did it in munich '92 for the first time.

- why didn't mj wear the blue bad tour shirt?
Click to expand...

He had a blue variation of the outfit? Are there any pics??

Also, (while you weren't asking ME, haha) I'd say for question 1, he was feeling out the different colors/styles of the outfit. For all we know, the original plan was to alternate those outfits nightly. I think I remember reading he thought the outfit was too much leather n stuff.
 
Hello Mr Bush. How did you or Michael aquire the Jackson Five costumes that are included in the auction ?
Were they Michael's or did the Jacksons consigne them to you to auction for them. Thanks
 
LaNixie said:
They were designed by Gianni Versache (who also did some Dangerous Tour outfits, including the golden fencing suit). The "zipper" was fake, and the pants were of elastic material. Hope this helps, in case he won't be asked that question ;)
Click to expand...

Actually, in his book Bush tells us that he and Dennis designed the fencing outfits (both leather black for the photoshoot and golden for the tour). I think he says the same for gold pants. And he has supporting photos. So let's clear this confusion. Question to Bush:

- Did Versace play any part in designing the fencing suit and the gold pants? Where does this quote in Wikipedia come from?

Another interesting fact is that Jackson's gold leotard costume for his Dangerous Tour was designed by Gianni Versace, whom later also designed Jackson's gold costume for his HIStory Tour.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dangerous_World_Tour
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Victory22;3745661 said:
Why did all of Michael’s costumes have long sleeved? Is it true he chilled easily and was that the reason? Given the amount of body fluid he lost during performances did you use materials that were extra absorbent and what were Michael’s favorite materials to wear.
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This is all covered in the book. In the book he says that long sleeve were due to vitiligo. He says that Michael's favorite materials were China silk and silk charmeuse, as well as stretching fabric (usually waterproof spandex) for performances, rustling and moving clothes for public events and corduroy for home/casual.

He also answers in the book to some of these:

-Was there a certain material Michael seemed to prefer?
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see above

-Did Michael care about brand names?
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Bush says Michael hated labels unless they said "Bush and Tompkins". He also closely followed fashion magazines in order to learn what to avoid - he wanted to set trends, not follow them.

-Do you know if he really had a wardrobe full of red shirts and black pants, so that it would make photographs of him worth less as it would be hard for anyone buying a magazine to see the difference between photos from different weeks?
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yes he had. According to Bush, he said, "Bush, if I have fifty corduroy shirts in my closet, I don't have to think about what I'm going to wear. What of waste of energy and time." and "If I only have one choice in my closet, then you won't know if I have had this on for the last three days. Is it clean? Is it dirty? You don't know..."
 
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Two more questions:

- From the book I understood that most of MJ's cryptic symbols didn't really mean anything. However, for a long time fans were curious about runes on the sleeves of soldiers in the HIStory teaser. What inspired them, are they based on any real alphabet, was there any meaning to them, or were they just random?

2q1zc6x.jpg


- Why did Bush decide not to include any of the trial suits in the book? Would he consider doing a picture catalog featuring them? I understand that they represent a dark time for Michael, but they are gorgeous, and they are also a part of history now.
 
You wrote in the book that Michael never wore wool. Can you tell us why?
 
Hunterr said:
He had a blue variation of the outfit? Are there any pics??

Also, (while you weren't asking ME, haha) I'd say for question 1, he was feeling out the different colors/styles of the outfit. For all we know, the original plan was to alternate those outfits nightly. I think I remember reading he thought the outfit was too much leather n stuff.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the answer!
btw. the blue shirt -> http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/9720/55774410152264858785089.jpg
 
Hello Mr. Bush and thank you for this Q&A with MJJC

-During the Dangerous Tour, it seems obvious that Michael didn't have any underwear on. Wasn't this highly uncomfortable for him when performing? or did he do it to feel more freedom, so to speak, when moving, in case he did not use any ? It seems so unlikely for someone shy to avoid wearing it. Or perhaps, was it just the fabric that accentuated his figure?

Thanks.
 
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Hi Michael, One of my favourite MJ jackets is the 'V8' jacket worn for a photo shoot by Jonathan Exley which I really love. I think this jacket was one of the pieces included in the recent auction. Can you tell me anything more about the inspiration behind this piece? I really love your book by the way. Thank you
 
MjsLovelyOne88 - haha nice Q. I wanted to quiz him on underwear, but held back. You have motivated me, and I'm going to edit my question list ;)
 
Becky from Facebook asks

1. I just want to know if there was any premonition that Michael was leaving us.

2. Did Michael ever mentioned what his dreams/plans for his children were...
I asked this because if there any one 'casualties' of Michael leaving us, it's his children...my heart ache each time I see them.
 
I would like to know...

How did Michael feel about the clothes he had to wear through his childhood? How do you think those styles influenced what he liked, disliked, and looked for in clothes and costumes?
 
Rhilo said:
MjsLovelyOne88 - haha nice Q. I wanted to quiz him on underwear, but held back. You have motivated me, and I'm going to edit my question list ;)
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Haha thanks Rhilo! I had to, I really had to. I was holding back myself at first but I know a LOT of us wanna know more about that. I'm glad you edited your Q, hopefully these will be submitted to Michael Bush!
 
Questions from Russian fans:

- Your collection is breathtaking. It's a real treasure - gorgeous and incredible in its artistry and handicraft. There was information that part of this collection is donated to the MJ estate for a future museum. You probably know that fans are eagerly waiting for such a museum to be established. If your goal is to preserve these gorgeous pieces for future generations of fans, why didn't you donate ALL of them to the future museum?

- How often did the costumes break/tear/not work as supposed to on stage, and did MJ get upset about it?

- Was the idea of the fencing suit for Dangerous tour practical (to make sure the shirt doesn't stick out), or simply a fashion statement? Was this suit ever intended to be worn inside the pants?

- In "Come Together" music video Michael seems to have huge shoulders. Did he use shoulder pads? Who came with the idea of yellow shirts + black shiny pants? It looks stunning.

- Who designed "Blood on the Dance Floor" red costume and how did it come about?

- Was there any meaning to MJ's headscarf in "You Rock My World" video? Why did he wear it? Did it have anything to do with the feud with Sony?

- (This one's from Hungary) Was anything in MJ's military style borrowed from Hungarian hussars? Here is a pic - a lot of similarities
c700fc97fc9d.jpg


- When Michael went backstage in between numbers on tour, did you talk with him and what did you talk about? (other than what you mention in the book?)

- From the book it seems that mostly Bush went on tours with Michael? Did Dennis also go? Was it just that Bush was responsible for dressing MJ and Dennis stayed behind the scenes?

- You and Dennis didn't work for Michael since the trial in 2005 and until This Is It tour in 2009. What did you do (job-wise) in those four years?

- Did you design/sew little jackets for kids who traveled with Michael (they sometimes wore same outfits as he did) and Bad jackets that MJ presented to Princess Diana's sons?

- Why did "Black or White" '93 in Mexico include a cherry picker? http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Vjf_HMLWsMg

- Do you know anything about the original Motown 25 iced Billie Jean shirt (Michael also wore it when he performed with Diana Ross in Diana Special in 1981)? Who designed it?
 
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MjsLovelyOne88 said:
Hello Mr. Bush and thank you for this Q&A with MJJC

-During the Dangerous Tour, it seems obvious that Michael didn't have any underwear on. Wasn't this highly uncomfortable for him when performing? or did he do it to feel more freedom, so to speak, when moving, in case he did not use any ? It seems so unlikely for someone shy to avoid wearing it. Or perhaps, was it just the fabric that accentuated his figure?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

That includes History Tour too I think. So much freedom in those pants at times, not always but sometimes..
 
Rhilo said:
8) Was Michael more a Boxers or Briefs guy? :) And what was his favorite brand?
Click to expand...
As described by Sam L Parity here and seen below, Michael wore Hanes size 32 briefs.
l.jpg


He's also been spotted wearing "Fruit of the Loom" underwear...
030.jpg


;)
 
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