HOT HOT Recent picture of Michael w/ his personal stylist Rushka Bergman

I've just found a picture of her holding the magazine MJ was in. GUYS REALLY, READ IT! It's very interesting!!

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EDIT-- ugh, should have edited the post above

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At "Michael Jackson This Is It," moviegoers will not see the elaborate costumes created for the tour that never was, bedazzled with 4 million Swarovski crystals and lighted up using LED technology. Those are on display at the O2 Arena in London, where the tour had been scheduled to begin in July, and will go on to New York and Tokyo.

But what they will see, in addition to tough and tender moments that humanize the pop singer and one hell of a music and dance show, is an amazing array of designer outfits Jackson wore to rehearsals.

A black leather pagoda-sleeve jacket and a crystal-trimmed tuxedo designed by the likes of Christophe Decarnin for Balmain, Kris Van Assche for Dior Homme and Tom Ford speak to Jackson's renewed relevance in fashion circles, and the changing relationship between music and fashion.

Jackson became a style icon in the 1980s because of his individual, often theatrical styling choices for the stage -- the single sequined glove, the white socks, the fedora. But his recent comeback was engineered with the help of fashion designers, with Balmain's Decarnin recognizing the retro appeal of tennis-ball-shaped shoulders and over-the-top embroidery, and Jackson appearing in his designs. We had been used to seeing Jackson show up for courtroom appearances in scrubs, surgical masks, arm bands and other kooky attire, some of it designed by his longtime L.A.-based costume designers, Michael Bush and Dennis Tompkins, who have a Michael mannequin in their Los Feliz studio.
But his look changed with an introduction to fashion stylist Rushka Bergman, and it is her work that is mostly front and center in the film, because Jackson's everyday clothes end up as his de facto costumes.

A pint-sized powerhouse from Serbia who says things like "forever daaahling," Bergman first met Jackson when she styled him in Dior Homme for the October 2007 issue of Italian Vogue L'Uomo.

Some might say it was the beginning of his comeback when she put him in Hedi Slimane's slim-line suits, fashionable at the time with Mick Jagger, Beck, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand and nearly every other credible male rocker.

The morning of the film's premiere, Bergman pulled out snapshots of Jackson trying on clothes at his house, and called him her "supermodel" because he fit into anything, including women's clothes. She emphasized his sex appeal ("He's sooooooo sexxxy!"), which comes into focus in the film for the first time in a long time.

"When he wears Balmain on-screen, you say, 'Wow!'," she said.

In the film, Jackson looks fabulous much of the time, save for a few unfortunate print shirts and patched sweat pants that could well be the influence of L.A. fashion impresario Christian Audigier, who had approached Jackson about collaborating on a line.

But more often, you notice sharp tailoring and light-reflecting color. In a Tom Ford tuxedo worn during dancer auditions, skinny orange Dior Homme jeans, a red leather Balmain motorcycle jacket with crystal studded shoulders worn during the "Thriller" rehearsal and a Balmain suede military jacket worn with Alessandro Dell'Acqua gold sequin pants, Jackson looks powerful and contemporary.

"Seeing the clothing Rushka had selected, you could see Michael's influence," said Travis Payne, assistant director and choreographer for the This Is It Tour.

Payne wanted to bring fashion relevance to Jackson's on-stage persona too, so he solicited sketches from several designers, including John Galliano and Alexander McQueen.

Jackson was to have 10 costumes by Zaldy and six by Bush and Tompkins. Bush also helped dress the dancers and singers, as did Jennifer Rade, a Hollywood stylist whose star client is Angelina Jolie. The tour costumes will be featured in a "This Is It" DVD.

"Zaldy is the new cool thing and working with him gave Michael credibility. But Michael Bush is near and dear to his heart. So I wanted them to collaborate," Payne said.

Bush's "Smooth Criminal" costume is a white, 1940s-inspired pinstripe suit. Zaldy's updated "Thriller" jacket is hand-embroidered to look like it has blood dripping from the shoulders.

"That was probably the hardest piece to do because it was so iconic," Zaldy said.

But his "Billie Jean" costume was the piece de resistance, with a jacket, tuxedo pants, ankle socks and a single glove that would light up using remote control, thanks to new Lumalive LED textile technology rushed through development by Philips Research in the Netherlands.

Zaldy remembers, "In the fitting, when Michael tried it on, his mouth literally dropped and he said, 'It's everything I always wanted.'"
 
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For those who ask why she isn't smiling :

She's in the fashion business. They don't smile.
 
aww they actually look really sweet together. I normally get real jealous about women with Michael ;) but they genuinely seem to like each other (as friends) :D
 
she must be a bit mad is my opinion(no offence) lol I sure would smile i'd be grinning like a cheshire cat lol

yesss me too! :woohoo:

Article above translated:
Famous New York stylist who was born in Takov (?), the woman who enchanted Steven Spielberg, Nicole Kidman and Hilary Clinton, for two and a half years she was inseparable with the tragic King of Pop, who said a month before he left this world’s stage that he will forever be with her.

Written by: Zaneta Apostolovski

Photos: Private Albums

Michael Jackson was never selfish, he shared his love with the whole world, but that he’s the King of Pop – no one truly admitted that till he died. Michael wasn’t a *****, even though so many ugly things and lies were written about him. People simply didn’t understand him just like they didn’t understand Beethoven and Mozart but time has proven that they were musical geniuses as well. Jackson was an amazing artist. He lived in his own world with his music. I’m happy/lucky because I got to be his friend and that he chose me out of all people to be his stylist – says Ruska Bergman, the personal stylist of the late pop icon.

She’s only worked for a few years in New York but she’s already worked with Hilary Clinton, Bjork, Cindy Crawford (?), Nicole Kidman, Gwyneth Paltrow and many other stars. She’s convinced that Michael Jackson was the most noble and sophisticated person that she worked with.

“I work for the Italian ‘L’Uomo Vogue’, I styled lots of directors, athletes, actors and when we had to pick out a music icon for our photoshoot, I suggested Michael Jackson, so I sent him a letter. I was at the theatre when after three weeks I got a phonecall from his lawyer who said he was calling on behalf of Michael Jackson.” – I was completely caught off guard. I got scared that I did something wrong in the way I contacted him. so I started apologizing. When the lawyer told me that Michael agreed to do the photoshoot, I asked him to repeat that sentence again before I pass out I called the editor of the magazine right away and told her that Michael Jackson agreed to do the photoshoot.”

According to Ruska, the preparations for this photoshoot were the most intense preparations on the planet.

“I got thousands of girls assisting us but by the end of it we decided on six. Completely impressed with what he saw, Michael simply shouted, “Girls, you are divine!” – but in order for Ruska to hear that sentence she worked very hard for five months.

Even though he was a megastar, Michael never acted like one on the set. He was very professional, he knew that he was working with the best stylists, make-up artists and photographers and he never saw their work as something beneath him.

There were hundreds of people on set. We played his Thriller album, he immediately stood in front of the camera and started dancing and a few moments later everyone was in tears. He had so much energy that I then, and many times later, thought that he must be from a different planet

Michael Jackson thought the same about Ruska though. He was amazed how much love she put into her work . Because of similar sensibilities, they continued to work together and their professional association quickly turned into friendship. He loved her character and honesty. He appreciated the fact that she was always honest about what she could and couldn’t do as far as her work goes.{/b]

The change in Jackson’s style over the last couple of years was very noticeable and noticed by the world media (I agree, he looked ******g beautiful lately, shazaaaam!)…on the internet blogs, everyone was asking who was behind the new look of this 20th century pop icon. His secret weapon was of course RUSKA BERGMAN!

“He trusted my taste a lot and he used to always tell me to never stop because I’m the most interesting person he’s ever met! When we became friends, he told me when I first showed up on his door in Vegas he could smell the Mediterranean sea on me”

Ruska and Michael were working intensely with one another over the last two years. They saw each other often and stayed in touch regularly.

“My phone rang on New Years. I picked up the phone and heard someone singing opera. I was completely baffled. I asked who it was and Michael responded, “Who do you think it is?” – He was very shy and I can’t even describe how gentle he was. But his talent, voice, music and charisma can’t be surpassed.”

Since the first time they met, Ruska was convinced he was a genius. After that meeting in Vegas, her whole world changed. She walked down the street and suddenly compared to Michael, all the people seemed so ordinary.

“The more I watched him the more I loved him. He was simply magic. He was the most noble person in the world. No man on Earth can compare to his inner and outer beauty. I met so many stars, talked to them, worked with them, but no one was even close to Michael’s charisma. He was simply always ahead of everyone else and I can’t believe that my dear friend died How can I believe it when we actively worked so much together lately? I was getting the styling ideas ready for the tour, which unfortunately he will never get to do now – and it would’ve been a true spectacle.

According to Forbes magazine, Jackson would’ve earned 2.5 billion dollars from that tour. But he wasn’t too concerned about that. He had over 30 people who took care of everything and he had eleven lawyers, he lived in complete isolation but he was able to see who his true friends are. The moment Ruska came to LA, Michael would call her and sometimes he himself would pick her up at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

“The window of the limo would go down and Michael – guarded by six bodyguards in there – would wave at me and call me over. We loved and respected eachother. He loved everything that I wore, and he always wanted to wear it. He always asked me where I was hiding for so long. A man like that will never come by again, but I’m convinced that his music will live for hundreds of years. Everyone copies him, but only when Michael himself showed up would people actually faint.”

The woman who works in the biggest fashion house and gives advice to Tom Ford, Givenchy and many others, she fascinated the King of Pop when it came to how humble she was and her general view when it came to money.

"When we had dinner just a month ago, Michael asked me, “Do you know why I love working with you? You never asked me for money. And we never talked about some agreements. You trusted me as I trusted you. I changed six managers in two years. You’re the only person who stuck with me. Everyone else came and went, and you, my dear, will be with me forever.”

The last time she saw him was two weeks before his death. She was at his house for five days in a row.

“He was truly beautiful. He didn’t seem depressed or sad at all. He even danced a bit. Didn’t seem to have a care in the world. As always, he was the gentlest person on the planet. It seemed almost as if he was ‘ours’ (“Ours” is a Yugoslavian expression when talking about people who are actually from ex-Yugoslavia. Like “that girl looks like she’s ‘ours’” ). I never felt that about anyone aside from ~Steven Spielberg. But Michael was so unusual, his warmth and love completely got me. Everything was just fine. I can’t believe that he’s gone all of a sudden.”

She heard the news about his death while she was in the studio. The moment she heard it she thought she would fall off the chair. The only thing she could possibly say was that it was simply impossible, it can’t be. She couldn’t stop crying for days. All the material and the photographs and data that she has, she’s keeping for the movie, This is It, that’s coming out.

“I know I was very privileged because I had the chance to be so close to him, to see him as a real person. We perfectly understood eachother. I feel sad that the media was so unfair and cruel to him. He didn’t have cancer, his nose wasn’t falling off, all those things are just fabrications, stupidities and lies. The pop icon is among angels right now, but his music will live forever.”


Thank you for this :)
 
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