Michael Jackson was no novice at setting style trends in the early 70s. As the superstar lead singer of the Jackson Five, his choices of fanciful bellbottoms, velvety apple caps and puffy afros were often imitated by the masses. But his fashion appeal reached staggering new heights when, in 1983, he took the stage on a television special called Motown: Yesterday, Today, Forever. Seemingly defying gravity with a new dance move called the moonwalk, he sported a black fedora, highwater pants with white socks and black shoes, and the iconic singular glitter-laden glove. From that defining moment, Michael Jackson took control of the 80s and the world followed in his moonwalking footsteps.

A child star of immense talent, both in singing and dancing, Michael had been in the spotlight continuously since he was five years old. Throughout the 70s, he enjoyed success in films like The Wiz and with his “comeback” album, Off the Wall. But it was his next offering, a collection of material called Thriller that would send his popularity into the stratosphere and make him the self-proclaimed “King of Pop”. And the album sales and accolades supported that assertion. Thriller would sell 104-million copies, boast seven top-ten singles, and go an astounding 27-times platinum. And as this was also the early days of a little experiment called MTV, Michael enjoyed plenty of visual exposure as well. With each video, he would set new fashionable trends, emulated the world over.

Besides the aforementioned Fedora look, he also pulled out the pink shirt, bow tie, and leather suit, complete with rolled-up sleeves, for the “Billy Jean” video. His hairstyle was transformed as well, from the afro look of the 70s, to a more compact Jheri-curl style. In the video for “Beat It, ” the public laid eyes on the more rugged Michael, wearing a leather jacket borrowed from the style of an earlier era of Marlon Brando and The Wild One look of the 50s, although modernized to incorporate a plethora of zippers covering the jacket. And for the video of “Human Nature,” a softer, more innocent Michael, complete with yellow sweater vest, rhinestone encrusted brooches and a bow tie. The public ate up every bit of it.

In his follow up album, entitled Bad, he showed off some new looks. His leather wear was now accentuated by lots and lots of buckles to replace the zippers. Another look he was fond of harkened back to the days of Sgt. Pepper, with colorful, military uniforms, complete with sequins, gold epaulets, and aviator glasses. And in a nod to his previous style, a sole glove – his trademark - remained on hand.

The years that followed the King of Pop weren’t quite as kind. A series of accusations and criminal charges would tarnish his wholesome image, and the lackluster album “Dangerous” would put his musical dominance into question as well. It was the end of an era, the end of being a trend-setting icon the likes of which will likely never be repeated. Of course, the possibility always exists for a comeback and in early 2008, a new album is scheduled for release. For anyone else, failure might be a foregone conclusion, but Michael Jackson still has millions of fans around the world that literally idolize him and heck, if he can come up with a catchy new dance step like the moonwalk, he might just waltz into the forefront of pop culture again. Stranger things have happened.