Mick Jagger Gets Dressed by Committee

On the singer’s eightieth birthday, a look at how the Rolling Stones singer achieves his rock-star style. View in browser | Update your preferences Annals of Style Performance Mick Jagger on tour calls for a bit of color. By Ian Parker Mick Jagger turned eighty today—a prospect that was surely unimaginable for the singer’s teen-age fans, back in the sixties, when he was a young rock hellion. Jagger and the Rolling Stones have been appearing in The New Yorker for much of the period since, including in 2002, when the staff writer Ian Parker joined the musician as he geared up for the band’s next tour. Beyond the music, Jagger needed to figure out his wardrobe, which had progressed over the decades from thin ties to scarves to what Parker wryly describes as the singer’s “gay-quarterback phase.” Figuring out a look for Jagger, who was then a mere fifty-nine years old, was no minor undertaking. As Parker reports, the process required a highly regimented schedule and input from a colorful menagerie of consultants—plus airtight logic for why he needed custom Nikes to go onstage. In their humorous way, the discussions illuminate Jagger’s rarefied cultural position, a perch situated between art, image, commerce, and celebrity. “In the end,” one trusted adviser remarks, “it’s all about the pants.” Read the story Also from the Archive The Talk of the Town Like a Rolling Stone From 1975: In the seventies, the band dished out artistic excess of all kinds. By Hendrik Hertzberg Photo Booth Fifty Years of the Rolling Stones From 2012: The band—and its fans—over the decades. By James Pomerantz More from The New Yorker U.S. Journal A Small-Town Paper Lands a Very Big Story In Southeast Oklahoma, a father-son reporting duo’s series on the county sheriff led to an explosive revelation. By Paige Williams Annals of Law How Alex Spiro Keeps the Rich and Famous Above the Law With a common touch that appeals to juries and a client list that includes Elon Musk, Jay-Z, and Megan Thee Stallion, he’s on a winning streak that makes his rivals seethe. By Sheelah Kolhatkar Today’s newsletter was written by Nathan Burstein. Thanks for Reading. Let us know your thoughts about today’s edition. Plus, browse more newsletters and invite a friend to sign up for The Daily. You’re receiving this e-mail because you signed up for the New Yorker Classics newsletter. Manage your preferences | View our Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe The New Yorker may earn a portion of sales from the products and services that are purchased through links in our newsletters as part of our affiliate partnerships with retailers. Copyright © Condé Nast 2023. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.