Carbon Costume

Try as he might to make a new name for himself, Robert Van Winkle, better known as Vanilla Ice, will always be remembered for such classics as “Ice Ice Baby” and “Ninja Rap.” While the rapper now dresses like a member of Limp Biscuit, it’s his hi-top haircut and harem pants of the ’80s that make his costume fun to imitate.

Hip-hop pioneer, Flavor Flav has stayed true to his style despite adding reality television star and restaurateur to his resume. Combining lots of “bling” with a giant clock necklace, copying Flavor’s style probably won’t score you a model like Brigitte Nielsen but it will have people asking you for the time.

Beck has come a long way since writing songs like “Loser” and “Devil’s Haircut” but oddly enough his fashion sense is still pretty much the same. Pick up a leather jacket and dress pants at the thrift store and you can pass as ’90s or present day Beck. The boombox is optional.

Lisa Loeb became America’s sweetheart when she burst onto the music scene with her song “Stay.” While she may be considered a one-hit wonder to some, her style has managed to stick around. While dressing in all black is simple you really need the tortoise shell cat eye frames to make this look work. Otherwise people might just think you’re a beatnik.

In The Fox, the Norwegian comedy duo Ylvis seeks to answer the age old question, “What Does the Fox Say?” Everyone already knows that “Dog goes woof, cat goes meow. Bird goes tweet, and mouse goes squeek.” But did you know that the fox goes “Ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding! Gering-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding!” and sometimes even “Wa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pow!” or “Joff-tchoff-tchoff-tchoffo-tchoffo-tchoff!” Obviously.

Björk’s white swan dress, made by Macedonian designer Marjan Pejoski, was worn to the 2001 Academy Awards. The dress is one of the most memorable Oscar outfits ever. Björk laying eggs as she walked the red carpet might have something to do with that.

David Bowie took fashion to a new level when he unveiled his alter-ego Ziggy Stardust. Part rock star, part alien-being, it takes more than just a colorful unitard and elaborate makeup to pull off this look. You need the confidence to go along with it. Of course, it also doesn’t hurt if you can sing.

Freddie Mercury was the frontman for Queen best known for his hits “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Don’t Stop Me Now”, and “We Are the Champions”. Mercury was also well known for his stage performances and flamboyant outfits. If you’re feeling courageous, you could try on one of the many form fitting leotards that he wore on stage.