Jacket and shirt Trussardi 1911 Jeans Ksubi Tie band of outsiders Shoes Jean-Michel Cazabat

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When American Idol ended this past fall, Adam Lambert waited about five seconds to tell the world he was gay. Not a dumb move. As the first out gay American pop star, Lambert suddenly found himself free to present his image to the world however the hell he wanted—as evidenced by his highly sexualized (and controversial) American Music Awards performance in November.

“What I do has been done before,” says Lambert. “It’s glam. I’m inspired by the ’70s and ’80s. Bowie is a huge influence. So are hair bands.”  But recent male pop stars have been less adventurous than they were twenty or thirty years ago, mainly due to homophobia. “Why must a crazy look necessarily be gay?” asks Lambert. “Our society is more fearful, I guess. And they don’t party enough. Everyone was partying in the ’80s.”

For Lambert, creating his sensational image is, in a way, his favorite part of stardom. “I’ve always just wanted to play dress up,” he laughs. “Last night I was trying on this Dolce & Gabbana suit—I love the way Dolce fits—and noticed this mannequin in the corner with this weird headdress made out of melted ribbons. So we sewed it onto the suit. It was great. I ended up looking like someone had left me too close to the fireplace.”

Styling Ilaria Urbinati
Hair Philip Carreon (The Wall Group) 
Grooming Lina Hanson (The Magnet Agency)
Photo Assistants Jordan Nuttall  and Drew Schwartz
Digital Technician Tim Bell for Speedster Digital  
Location Milk studios, L.A.