In 1987, Bowie undertook the most ambitious of his touring exploits: The Glass Spider Tour. Not since the Diamond Dogs Tour had so many resources been poured into his stagecraft. Like the robe & skull and boxing gloves in the Let’s Dance era, the Diamond Dogs Tour contained another oddly specific visual convention that would resurface later: Bowie sitting in a suspended seat, singing into a telephone mic. The 1974 version of this rig was crude, with a brown mechanical arm affixed to a small platform and seat mounted on top of it. In 1987, this setpiece was refined into a chair suspended by cables, which was arguably a more visually appealing approach.
This suit was designed by Diana Moseley, the personal costume designer for Freddie Mercury.