Natasha Korniloff was a Russian costume designer active in London in the last third of the 20th century. She is best known for having created stage outfits for David Bowie, in particular the Pierrot costume he wore in 1980 in the videoclip for Ashes to Ashes[1] and on the cover of his Scary Monster album.
Life
Natasha Korniloff was a folk singer and costume designer[1][2] when during the winter of 1967-1968[3] she met David Bowie in the entourage of Lindsay Kemp. She was in charge of the costume design for Kemp and Bowie's play, Pierrot in Turquoise or The Looking Glass Murders,[4] and in particular designed for Bowie a “blue cloud” outfit.[3] During the tour she was accompanying,[2] she had an affair with the future star.[5][6]
Natasha Korniloff died of cancer around 2010.[citation needed]
Works
Her most famous designs have been worn by David Bowie:
full body tights in a black spider web pattern, largely revealing the body, with two basket hands on the chest, for a 1973 Ziggy Stardust concert;[7][8]
a pencil skirt in the style of a "Communist China Air Hostess" worn in December 1979 for the Saturday Night Live show in New York;[9]
outfits from the 1978 Stage tour (Isolar II Tour): white baggy pants, worn with a T-shirt and sailor cap, a plastic tuxedo, a faux snakeskin jacket worn again during the Outside tour in 1995;
the costume of Pierrot from the album Scary Monsters and the clip Ashes to Ashes, in foamy points and silver mesh.[10]
