Tina Turner's Most Memorable Style Moments Throughout Her Career

Start of a Superstar

Tina Turner began her career with a trend she'd wear for five more decades: lots and lots of sparkle.

White Hot

The ankle-length hemline on her white curve-hugging dress with glittery purple streak, worn in 1964, was tame by Tina standards, but it showed she always brought the glitz to the stage.

Shimmy and Shake

By 1969 she found her signature style: tiered fringe dresses with the shortest possible hem.

Favorite Find

Case in point? She wore a nearly identical outfit on the The Ed Sullivan Show in 1970.

Snip, Snip

As she topped the charts, the singer's hemlines kept getting shorter and shorter and the shocking slits were all her idea (see above, 1971).

"Tina didn't have any money at the time; she'd buy these really cheap evening gowns in jersey [material] when she was in Europe and bring them in," Bob Mackie, the designer of sparkly white dress, told Billboard. "I'd stand in front of the mirror with her and would just start cutting. She'd say 'a little higher here,' and I'd cut and then we'd pull it open and tack it down."

Tina Did it First

Before "naked dresses" became standard on the red carpet, Tina was the trend-setter, wearing plunging, sheer, cutout naked dresses on stage.

She Was a Showgirl

She wore another Bob Mackie creation in Las Vegas in 1977: a cutout corset with exposed sheer bra and no pants.

Red Alert

Tina's legs were legendary, and showcased thanks to outfits like this red tattered bodysuit.

Fire Dancer

Bob Mackie created this memorable costume in 1978 that he said "sparkled like dynamite" for her nightclub act. "We made this big feathered back-piece that goes on her shoulders for her entrance," Mackie said. "Nobody's as exciting on stage as Tina. She's just a whirling dervish of excitement."

Leggy Looks

Tina launched a major comeback in the '80s after her split from husband and musical partner, Ike Turner, with her glitzy rock 'n' roll shows. But one thing stayed the same: she wore slits so high they went past the top of her thigh.

Tamed-Down Tina

She'd never been so covered up (in a loose white button-down, tie and high-waisted mom jeans in 1984) and looked so sexy.

Denim Diva

If you couldn't tell by the embellished denim jacket, fishnet tights and sky-high hair, the year was 1985 and Tina was trying out all the trends.

Moves Like Jagger

In 1966, Tina helped Mick Jagger out with his onstage choreography by teaching him the Pony and "some hip movements backstage." And when they teamed up to perform at Live Aid in 1985, he had all the right moves.

Fashion Friendships

Tina collaborated with her friend, legendary designer Azzedine Alaïa, with looks for her album cover, videos, photoshoots and the red carpet. And when she attended his 1989 fashion show she said that his clothes were "unlike anyone else's clothes; very special. It's not easy to wear Azzedine's clothes … but you have to try them on sometimes just to get the feel of it, just sort of get an attitude in his clothes. You become very French actually." We'd say she wore this skin-tight cutout LBD like a Parisian pro.

Trend Setter

Tina helped usher in the mom jean craze in the '90s, by giving them a spin on the stage of her Foreign Affair tour in 1990.

Still Got It

At 56, she performed at Wembley Stadium in 1996 wearing a lace-trimmed sparkly slip dress.

Jump for Joy

Tina wore a glamorous black lace jumpsuit on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 1997.

Stunningly Sheer

Time went on, but Tina's signature style remained, as evidenced by this completely sheer jumpsuit worn to accept the NRJ Music Awards in Cannes in 2000.

Queen 'T'

Beyoncé and Tina teamed up for an epic duet of "Proud Mary" at the 2008 Grammy Awards. Bey channeled the star in her signature sparkly mini dress, while Tina kept rollin' with a high-shine corset and dangerously tight leggings.

Haute Look

Tina celebrated her friend, designer Giorgio Armani, when he won his Legion D'Honneur award in 2008, wearing a beaded culotte jumpsuit that dazzled from every angle.

Mini Master

Not many people can whip out a sparkly mini red dress with extra high-cut slits inspired by a look they previously wore decades earlier, and that's because no one else was like Tina, who wore a sparkly red mini at her 50th Anniversary tour in 2008.

Legend Status

At the Giorgio Armani fashion show in 2012, she was still wearing the style that started it all — shimmer, shine and sparkles.

All That Glitters

Tina surprised the audience with an emotional speech after opening night of Tina - The Tina Turner Musical, the acclaimed show based on her life, in New York City in November 2019. Joining Tony-nominated actress Adirenne Warren, who portrayed Tina in the show, the icon dazzled the crowd in her long-sleeved glittering gold gown.