100 Most Influential People in Fashion

Fashion Influential #81: Robert Smith

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ROBERT SMITH
Born:
April 29, 1959 in Blackpool, England
Most Important Albums:
Pornography, Disintegration, Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, Wish
Fans:
Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge, Joel Madden, Ashlee Simpson, Pete Wentz, David Bowie, Trent Reznor, Mike Leigh
Beginnings.
"Pop culture's unkept poster child of doom and gloom" (as described by online mag NYRock) may have stolen part of his signature look from another rock goddess, Siouxsie Sioux. The band Smith fronts, The Cure, opened for Siouxsie Sioux and the Banshees on their British promo tour in the late '70s. According to Sioux's bassist Steven Severin, a blitzed Robert Smith used some of Siouxsie's lipstick during a particularly fierce opium high. Smith denies the story, claiming he's worn makeup since he was a little kid. Figures.

Career Highs.
In the '80s, The Cure moved away from New Wave, post-punk rock toward a somber, gothic sound that is now permanently associated with the band's name. In 1982, with the release of The Cure's Pornography, Robert Smith began adopting his now signature look of towering, amply-sprayed hair, heavy black eyeliner, and smeared red lipstick. He was one of the strangest-looking figures on MTV in 1987, when the single "Just Like Heavent" went huge in the UK and the US.
If I didn't wear make-up I couldn't get on stage. I'd be much too self conscious.
- Robert Smith

Smith arguably stole his look from post-punk icon Siouxsie Sioux.

Career Lows.
Smith doesn't like being categorized a goth. He said, "it's so pitiful when 'goth' is still tagged onto the name The Cure" in 2006, and has expressed distaste for goth music in general. While the band continues to sell tickets and records, they haven't had a mainstream hit since "Mint Car" in 1996.

Legacy.
Whether Smith likes it or not, he is largely responsible for having popularized the look most people associate with Goth subculture. Gothic fashion, from all things black to the sampling of Elizabethan and Victorian looks, has been showing up on the runways of contemporary fashion notables like John Galliano, Vivienne Westwood, Gareth Pugh, and Alexander McQueen.

Smith continues to perform in full makeup.

Get the Look.
It's possible to incorporate elements of Smith's style into your everyday wardrobe without going the full monty - unless, of course, you want to. Pull out your liquid eyeliner and red lipstick, and apply liberally. Black is generally a safe sartorial choice, as are tears.

- Alicia