Sir Elton John’s showy signature style naturally made him a fan of Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele’s colorful, spirited designs — many inspired by the British pop star himself.
Actor-musician and longtime Gucci ad campaign star Jared Leto connected the two, and the rest was history.
So it’s no surprise, as Gucci told The Hollywood Reporter exclusively, that Taron Egerton is also kitted out in some of Gucci’s greatest Elton John-inspired fashion hits for Dexter Fletcher’s forthcoming Rocketman biopic (hitting theaters Friday), which tells the story of musical prodigy Reginald Dwight’s ascent into sparkly global superstar Elton John.
After John opened his costume archives to Michele, Gucci’s spring-summer 2018 fashion show was peppered with sartorial ’70s glam-rock references to the legendary British pianist and singer. Standouts from that runway worn by Egerton in Rocketman include a lurex blouson jacket and matching wide-leg pants with musical note appliqués; a red, white and blue-checkered jacket blinged out with crystals, stud detailing and contrasting metallic trim; and a bright purple shantung jacket decorated with a crystal- and sequin-embellished green snake pattern. A floral jacquard jacket with black velvet-trimmed peak lapels from Gucci’s cruise 2018 collection will also be seen onscreen.
At the 2018 Grammy Awards, Elton John donned a sequined geometric-patterned custom Gucci jacket, along with boots emblazoned with his E.J. monogram and embroidered stars. And in March 2018, a Gucci Elton John capsule line was unveiled that featured the cover art from John’s single “Levon” on tote bags, a T-shirt and sweatshirt. The Italian fashion house is also wardrobing the 72-year-old pop icon for his three-year global Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour (over two dozen outfits for more than 300 concerts) that kicked off last year. For the landmark event, Michele fashioned multiple iterations of suits, tracksuits, and dressing gowns decorated with over-the-top embellishment.
And at the Cannes film festival’s premiere of Rocketman on May 16, Elton John once again turned to Gucci for his wardrobe, stepping out on the red carpet in a custom black tux with a rocket embroidered on the front and the words “Rocket Man” spelled out in silver sequins alongside a star on the back, accessorized with Gucci Elton John heart-shaped sunglasses with rose-colored lenses. At the film’s daytime photo call, John wore a powder blue custom Gucci suit with a notch-lapel jacket, decorated on the front with floral embroidery and the word “Rocketman” in flowery lettering. He accessorized with Gucci’s blinged-out white leather platform Ace sneakers trimmed with crystals and wide-rimmed powder blue cat-eye sunglasses.
Related Stories
In Rocketman, Egerton (outfitted by costume designer Julian Day) wears a silver version of the same Ace sneakers with red, white and blue-striped platform heels and a glittery rainbow-striped iteration of the cat-eye shades as well as a sparkly, colorfully striped pair in an oversize square shape with green lenses. Egerton’s onscreen sunglasses wardrobe (an Elton John style trademark) also includes Gucci’s black crystal-bedecked round sunglasses and a glitzy gold oversize pair with gray lenses.
“It’s Alessandro’s mad spirit, the lack of rules, the celebration of individuality and the fact he’s a magpie that makes me love him so much,” John told The New York Times last September. “I’ll wear Gucci in my daily life for as long as Alessandro is there. He’s like manna to heaven for me.”
