David Bowie

Stage worn tour costume designed by Diana Moseley, comprising: 1) Gold leather jacket with silk lining; cropped, with reptilian embellishments to both shoulders and sleeves; signed on the interior by David Bowie. 2) Gold leather pants with dark toning, with accompanying gold belt. 3) Gold shirt with billowing sleeves and patchwork adornment to shoulders. With accompanying tour program (stage suit pictured alongside the lyrics to "Never Let Me Down") and signed photograph.

Mel Estrin — Private Collection acquisition: 1988 Benefit Auction for Georgetown Day School

Pareles, Jon. "Bowie Creates a Spectacle." The New York Times, 2 August 1987

In 1987, David Bowie undertook the worldwide Glass Spider Tour in support of his album Never Let Me Down. Sponsored by Pepsi, the 27-song, two-hour plus concert was his most ambitious and expensive tour undertaking to date. Bowie wanted this tour to be "ultra-theatrical, a combination of music, theater, and rock." Ever the provocateur, his end goal, as he told The New York Times, was "to upset people to a certain extent, to keep people interested so that they say, 'Hey, you can do that stuff - I'm not quite sure what it meant but it was really exciting.' ''

He drew on a wide variety of inspirations for the tour - from modern dance particularly - naming German choreographer Pina Bausch as an important influence. Peter Frampton also joined Bowie on guitar for the duration ("I don't have a book to sell; I don't have an album to sell; I'm just here as a guitarist. The pressure is off. I'm enjoying myself.") Notwithstanding some criticism at the time, The Glass Spider tour greatly influenced the next generation of musicians to incorporate more theatrical elements into their tours.

The outfit on offer was worn in tandem with a pair of electric blue wings, and winged cowboy boots (not included in this lot) as Bowie descended into the venue on a harness singing "Time" in the latter portion of the concert. He wore this outfit through the encore, singing "Fame," "Blue Jean," "I Wanna Be Your Dog," "White Light / White Heat" and "Modern Love" along the way. 

Stage worn clothing from David Bowie is exceptionally scarce - a costume from the same tour sold for $37,500 earlier this year - the only comparable example at auction.