The creation of the Ziggy Stardust look…. (part 1)

One of the most significant appearances of the Glamrock period is Ziggy Stardust, the stage persona David Bowie created for the Ziggy Stardust tour, promoting the albums Aladdin Sane and Ziggy Stardust. David Bowie (born David Robert Jones) didn’t create Ziggy all by himself ,he had help from different people like Pierre Laroche, Suzi Fussey, Kansai Yamamoto and Angela Barnett/Bowie… 

The Ziggy Stardust make up  (by Pierre Laroche)

Pierre Laroche was born in Algiers ,moved to France and then to England. He became a make-up artist for Elisabeth Arden, but quit after 5 years because the company insisted he became more conservative. He then became a freelancer and make-up artist for the rock stars and celebrities of those days. He went on tour with Mick Jagger/Rolling Stones and became responsable for some of David Bowie’s most famous looks.

The astral sphere make-up on Bowie’s forehead was designed by Laroche for the Ziggy Stardust persona. Ziggy’s make up on stage also had a lot of Kabuki influences. Another very wellknown make-up design of Laroche is the lightning bolt motif on Bowie’s face for the ALADDIN SANE (1973) album cover photo. Bowie and Laroche also worked together on the Pin-Ups album cover, which also features Twiggy and on some video’s.

The Ziggy Stardust haircut   (by Suzi Fussey) 

There are two different stories about what inspired the haircut…..

1. Hairdresser Suzi Fussey from the Evelyn Paget salon on Beckenham High Street who gave Bowie his trademark Ziggy haircut – the famous bright red mane. The haircut was a combination of different hair styles selected from Vogue magazines. Fussey became Bowie and the group’s full-time hairdresser and wardrobe assistant on the Ziggy Stardust Tours. She then became Mick Ronson’s personal assistant and later married him.

2. David Bowie says: “The Ziggy hair came lock, stock and curler, from the cover of a magazine and was sported by a model doing a shoot for Kansai Yamamoto’s first London show. I couldn’t afford the clothes but I could get the hair. Suzi Fussey (later to marry Mick Ronson, gitarist) did a straight forward copy. The cut and colour were both Kansai’s – Schwartzkopf red was the colour. “I had her cut my hair short in early January 1972. No dye. Layed flatish. I believe that it went red and stood up between the 20th and 25th of January 1972, therefore that’s when the Kansai show must have been given maximum press.”

“When you’ve had red hair and no eyebrows you’ve got to have a sense of humour!” – Bowie (1993)