How to recreate The Rolling Stones' most stylish moments
From Mick’s outlandish stage outfits and Keith’s archetypal guitar hero blueprint to Charlie’s exquisite taste in tailoring and Ronnie’s all-round exuberance, here are 12 images of the boys in the band throughout the years at their sartorial finest The death of Brian Jones. Altamont. Heartbreak and heroin. 2016. The Rolling Stones have seen and survived it all, and then some. This year, they’re not only celebrating the fact that their band is still the greatest rock'n'roll band in the world, but are actually, despite being well into their seventies, wrapping up their 2017/2018 No Filter world tour. We’re just as speechless as you are. Their music aside, the Stones have always been at the forefront of fashion, regardless of trends or the decade in question. From Mick’s outlandish stage outfits and androgyny and Keith’s archetypal guitar hero blueprint to Charlie’s exquisite taste in tailoring and Ronnie’s all-round exuberance, here are 12 images of the boys in the band throughout the years at their sartorial finest.
Getty Images1/12Although Mick, alongside Keith, has been at the forefront of the Stones for the bulk of their career, there was once a time when the band’s founder, Brian Jones, was where everything was at. Captured here in 1967 with his golden locks and outfit equal parts drag and rakish, he has every reason to be grinning, and Jagger — whose smart striped blazer can’t even compensate for his bowl-and-scissor bangs — every reason to look less than thrilled.
Getty Images2/12Behold, the antithesis of the cuddly Beatles in all their louche glory. In 1963, the Stones didn’t dye their hair orange or fasten safety pins all over themselves to exude grit, angst and rebellion against the old guard — they did it through their music and attitude. Despite being very sharply dressed here in the music mecca of Denmark Street, they look like dissolute schoolboys on the run contemplating their next petty crime. Ironically, it was on this very street that the Beatles spotted the Stones, invited them into their car and gave them their ’63 hit "I Wanna Be Your Man".
Getty Images3/12The late Sixties and early Seventies saw the Stones at their sartorial apotheosis. Strung out on smack, haunted by the horror of Altamont and having lost Brian Jones (the "27 Club"’s inaugural member), their dishevelled looks were a perfect reflection of their musical output as well as the zeitgeist of the era. Nick Kent’s description of Keith — "elegantly wasted" — sums up his look here in 1970, while Mick seems to be playing the role of the "lonely schoolboy" in their song "Cocksucker Blues", and new kid Mick Taylor is wondering how he’s going to make it out of the underworld in one piece.
Getty Images4/12If there’s one thing we can agree on with Adam Levine, it’s that Jagger has certainly "got the moves". Dressed to the nines in a coruscating jumpsuit, bedizened with bracelets and armbands evoking images of the ancient world, and leering back at the rest of the boys in the band with his kohl-rimmed eyes à la Cleopatra, he’s the rock'n'roll frontman par excellence. Imagine him strutting around like this during an encore of "Brown Sugar"; in the words of Paul Weller, "that’s entertainment".
Getty Images5/12It wasn’t only Mick’s choice of clothes that made him a fashion icon in the Sixties and Seventies, but also his upending of gender norms. As with 1968’s The Rolling Stones Rock And Roll Circus film, there’s no doubting his masculinity with respect to his look here in 1973; yet there’s just the right dash of effeminacy provided by his hair, use of make-up, clothes and, most important of all, the way he’s carrying himself. Lock up your daughters — and your boys.
Getty Images6/12As with the sound of the Stones, Mick has constantly changed his style as necessary, while still being himself. The early Eighties saw him take inspiration from American football and blend it with other elements to concoct something so unique, and so... Mick. Flush with the lively backdrops of the Still Life tour, his outfit is a perfect example of how to go about colour-blocking and mix seemingly disparate items and accessories into a sublime whole.
Getty Images7/12"Some girls give me money, some girls buy me clothes," sang Mick on the title track of 1978’s Some Girls. If that’s the case, then we want to know who bought that superb bomber jacket accentuating his playful V-neck jumper. There’s much to be said for the rest of the band too: Keith appears casually menacing with his wild hair and "nuclear waste" vodka screwdriver in hand; Ronnie (far right) looks like the type of guy we’d want to have cocktails with till sunrise; Charlie’s (second, left) putting everyone to shame with his Savile Row get-up; and Bill — well, that’s Bill.
Getty Images8/12Wearing shades indoors can be tricky to pull off smoothly — unless you’re Keith Richards or Mick Jagger. Keith in his aviators is the real pièce de résistance here in 1980. The sunglasses add the perfect finishing touch to what he turned into the archetypal guitar hero look: unbuttoned white shirt, just-threw-this-old-thing-on scarf, skinny blue jeans, suede boots, skull rings and chain bracelets, and an out-of-control mane. His bandmates may be on trend with the whole post-punk and New Wave thing, but he’d rather be a one-off badass.
Getty Images9/12You know how the members of bands such as The Libertines and Greta Van Fleet like to sing into the same microphone? That’s because it was a hallmark of the Stones’ performances in the Seventies, an image that can almost, in itself, represent the spirit of the decade. In response to punk, the "Glimmer Twins" shook up their sound — and their look. Despite it being 1978, Mick’s vivid tee (and even patent leather trousers) look surprisingly fresh, while Keith gives an otherwise ordinary pinstripe shirt an edge by rolling the sleeves up well beyond his elbows (something he would routinely do in the late Seventies and Eighties).
Getty Images10/12Yes, folks, it is possible to be both king of the jungle and rock'n'roll. For 1997-1998's Bridges To Babylon tour, Keith stole the show with his leopard-print overcoats, zebra-stripe shirts and cool-as-hell sunglasses that brought to mind the oversized fly-eye ones he used to rock in the late Sixties. As with now, the message Keith was communicating through his style and attitude was that the Stones are here to stay. Says who? Says God, snarlin’ atcha in a leopard-print overcoat.
Getty Images11/12While the Stones’ world tours of the Seventies were the stuff of legend, it wasn’t until the Eighties that they began embarking on the larger-than-life stadium shows they’re now famous for. If Mick looks like he’s about to go for a jog, it’s because he is, right down to the very last number. Keith, on the other hand, is taking things a bit more easy, opting for the odd kick and subtle display of bravado every now and then in a ripped-tee and skinny jeans get-up as simple and punchy as his guitar riffs.
Getty Images12/12Over half a century on and still rolling. Unlike many acts who were contemporaries of the Stones in their heyday, the Stones still ooze rock'n'roll musically, as well as aesthetically. Forget the fact that they still have their locks — they still dress up for every gig as if it’s the last one they’ll ever play. Jackets? As loud and shiny as possible. Trousers? Skinny and in any colour you want, as long as it’s black. Accessories? Headbands, skull rings, gem-studded belts, etc. We like it, like it, yes we do.
Follow us on Vero for exclusive music content and commentary, all the latest music lifestyle news and insider access into the GQ world, from behind-the-scenes insight to recommendations from our Editors and high-profile talent.
