Turned out in a bespoke three-piece Timothy Everest suit, Casey Spooner riffs on old-school Hollywood glamour in his new music video “Cliche.” Directed by Jason Cacioppo and filmed in a single take, Spooner’s performance was inspired by the 1973 broadcast of An Evening With Marlene Dietrich—a live concert format television special starring the silverscreen idol. “She is very powerful, with such an economic use of gesture. The way she moves reminds me of traditional Japanese theater,” he says. As an antidote to Fischerspooner, his outré electro-pop act with Warren Fischer, the singer-songwriter sought to make his 2010 rock-leaning solo debut, Adult Contemporary, a pared-back affair. The silver herringbone ensemble seen in the video is the same one he wore on tour with the Scissor Sisters last summer. “I didn’t want any costume changes, dancers or anything avant-garde—just something classic, elegant and natural,” he says. Below the culture chameleon shortlists his favorite celebrity suits.

Michael Jackson
For me, the most iconic MJ is MJ on the cover of Off The Wall (1979), in the black tuxedo and bow tie with the sparkling sock. That’s his first major image as a solo artist. It’s a classic look, but he finds a way to make it his own by adding the glittering white sock with the loafers. He never let go of that look, which is incredible.

David Bowie
Bowie is kaleidoscopic as the Thin White Duke. I like that in a weird way he is the absolute opposite to Marlene Dietrich––or exactly the same. He is a man who is somehow masculine and feminine, like Dietrich is a woman who is both feminine yet masculine.

Elvis 
His most iconic look: Elvis in the gold lamé suit, every time. It’s super beautiful, but on anyone else it would feel totally absurd. 

Prince 
His take on the suit is more flamboyant and New Romantic: bring out the ruffles and the colors. It’s an aesthetic he defined. I can’t believe what he gets away with: high heels, ruffles, beads. He almost looks like a very nice mother, but somehow it comes off sexy.