An Interview with Michael’s Costume Designers

Michael’s costume designers revealed that he never wore an outfit twice, and that the clothes he wore during the court period were sewn every day. Michael Bush and Dennis Tompkins, the Los Angeles-based costume designers, have been responsible for designing and sewing Michael’s outfits for more than twenty years. Bush told Los Angeles Times this week that during Michael’s trial, he would wake up every day at 3:00 a.m. to take the special outfit of the day to Norland. Without exception, there was a colorful, patterned vest and a matching suit jacket with military accessories. Bush says Michael always thanked him and hugged him. "We have two or three tailors in the city that we hand the jacket sewing to, because we couldn’t do it ourselves in time." These two designers tried to go to bed at nine at night, but sometimes they stayed awake until eleven. Bush says: "And we take pictures of everything out of fear. Because it happened that we prepared a suit for Michael, and then he would call and order another one. It’s possible that an outfit could go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, or to the Madame Tussauds Museum in London. And he likes to keep one of them at home." During the trial, Michael had been criticized by the media for his flashy outfits. But these two costume designers say the criticisms were unfair. They prepared his trial clothes on a mannequin the same size as Michael. After Michael’s white suit caused a media uproar at his first court appearance, he preferred darker colors for his suits. The designs for the suits came from magazines that the two designers had reviewed together with Michael, and Michael was the final decision-maker. Once Michael objected to them and ordered: "This is the outfit that everyone wears. Make something better." Michael’s vests were made of Indian silk, with European jacquard patterns and Los Angeles-focused designs worked into them. Bush says Michael likes to put military insignia on his clothes because they demand attention, have consistent, well-matched lines, and make the outfits look like dance costumes. Although Michael’s clothes seem very expensive, Bush says the cost of the outfits was a topic of discussion between them. "Michael is a businessman. A lot of people think money means nothing to him, but that’s not true." Over the years, these two designers have used wool fabrics, silk, canvas, nylon, gold, British ceremonial badges, police emblems, and even car parts in the outfits they made for Michael. They made a jacket that was expertly decorated with pieces from the hood and license plates of old rally cars. Bush says that once, in the middle of the night, Michael called him and posed a riddle: "What is it that every woman, man, and child in the world knows about?" Mickey Mouse was the first thing that came to Bush’s mind. But tableware was the answer Michael had in mind. He said: "How can you make a suit for me with these items?" The result was a jacket with several knives, forks, and spoons hanging from it. "Michael gave his outfit the title of a dinner jacket. It’s a joke—part of the human side of the story that nobody knows about." Source: eMJey / CNN