Diamond Dogs Tour (Robe, Sunglasses, and Skull)

The Stardust shows were certainly theatrical, but primarily because the Spiders’ costumes and showmanship. With the Diamond Dogs Tour, Bowie had changed his focus from elaborate costumes to elaborate sets. The set and props alone costed a combined $275,000 (adjusted for inflation, $1.58 million). On the other side, he parred back his onstage costumes significantly. His typical outfit (seen on the cover of David Live, and in much of the interview segments of the tour doc Cracked Actor) was a grey double breasted Yves Saint Laurent suit that he wore over a blue sweater and bright red shoes. This suit basically became a modular system, with the jacket or without, or with the red robe seen on this minilander for performances of “Cracked Actor”. This very specific visual setup of sitting on a stool with a red robe and sunglasses while holding a skull would support the song again on the Serious Moonlight tour.