The King of Style: Dressing Michael Jackson Hardcover – November 6, 2012

If you're fascinated by the creative process - you will love this book. Regardless of whether you're an MJ fan or not. Because through reading this book you really understand how the man, the artist and the muse were one. I had high expectations of this book and reading it exceeded them. Bush provides a beautifully vivid account of his 20+ years designing for Michael. Through it you see how Michael cajoled, teased and pushed Bush to nurture his creativity, invent clothes that had never been thought of before and chase an idea from the vintage shops of London to ancient Egypt. The pictures are gorgeous, the costumes are stunning in the only way that MJ costumes are stunning. And the stories of Michael are fascinating - giving a real insight into his prankster personality, his belief in people's talent, and his tireless quest to innovate and to create. The things that he'd observe, the details that he'd play with to test whether his audiences were paying attention, the way that he'd set creative riddles for Bush to solve, and the small and large acts of generosity combine to give a richly detailed picture of a man who was a creative genius, a loyal friend and a uniquely sensitive humanitarian who truly cared about the people and world around him.

This book was really great -- esspecially for any MJ fan! This had many insights into his wardrobe and his style. It reveals many iconic items and reveals the story behind them, for example the arm band -- I won't reveal the real answer. Of the letters CTE during the History Period.... So many things I thought I knew, were confirmed or denied by this book and many things I assumed as well. It has loads of pictures and drawings, and also explains why the author had all the pictures and drawings. One of my favorites that I will reveal is about the importance of putting all the tour outfits in exact order, otherwise, half way through, by the time Beat it was on set...his pants had to be almost two inches smaller around the waist because by that time, he had already lost 5 pounds of water weight from performing!! No magic in pants falling down! ha ha - It also explains where many of the designs were influenced from like a movie...or historical figure. And also little tricks on the clothing to make it look perfect or move a certain way like his tie, but don't touch the shoes!!! Or innovative ideas like silver boots, or eccentric ideas of his Crown.

This is a great book for Mj fans and also fashion design students.It shows the developing relationship between Michael Bush and Michael Jackson over 25 years. How MJ tested him by throwing cherries at him at the first meeting and seeing his reaction. This was to see if Michael Bush was alright with his, MJ's pranks. The book also shows the development of MJ's costumes over time and Michael Bush's genius at altering costumes to suit Mj's show, such as the Levi 501 jeans being picked apart and spandex sewn into the seams, so Mj had more movement on stage while dancing. Who would have known this.I was actually surprised at the detail in the jackets and I can only say how sumptious the designs were. Obviously as someone who was not around Michael Jackson I would not have known of the detail in some of his jackets. The pictures in the book show this. Some of the Bush/Tompkins designs were truly something else. Although the press liked to portray Michael Jackson as some half wit, this cannot be so as the people he chose to work around him were talented and Michael Jackson knew how to get the best out of them, especially in this relationship.Michael Bush works through this relationship from their first meeting, designing clothes for various tours and going on tour with Michael Jackson, dressing him for the 2005 trial, some of the costumes for This Is IT and dressing him for his burial. The book is supported by many pictures detailing the many costumes and even knights costumes that were made for MJ by them. It is a real peek into the creativity of Michael Jackson and Bush/Tompkins.