Michael Jackson’s iconic fashion is getting another lavish treatment with the upcoming release of King of Style II: Dressing Michael Jackson, a new book from longtime designer and stylist Michael Bush.
Bush, alongside his late creative partner Dennis Tompkins, spent decades creating some of Michael Jackson’s most recognisable costumes, from the legendary Bad and Dangerous Tour outfits to the futuristic looks of the HIStory era.
The new book, told by Bush to acclaimed author David Wild, promises to take fans behind the scenes of that extraordinary creative partnership.
And there is certainly plenty to explore.
A look behind the costumes
King of Style II: Dressing Michael Jackson is described as a lavishly illustrated memoir covering the two decades Bush and Tompkins worked with Michael.
The book promises personal stories and photographs from Bush’s own archives, as well as newly commissioned photography of Michael’s garments.
Readers will apparently be taken from the designers’ workshops to Neverland and Hayvenhurst, rehearsals, recording studios, hotels, planes and backstage areas around the world.
Bush recalls a Michael who was relentlessly creative and intensely focused on every detail of his appearance. Costumes weren’t simply clothes, they had to perform.
From jackets designed to fire flashes at paparazzi, to shoes that helped Michael achieve his famous gravity-defying lean, crystal-covered gloves and socks, military-inspired jackets and even a crown inspired by the British Crown Jewels, the book promises to explore how some of these creations came to life.
Bush was also the person who dressed Michael for the final time, following his death in 2009.
That personal connection is arguably what makes a book such as this particularly interesting. Bush wasn’t simply observing Michael’s fashion from the outside. He was there, working alongside him and translating Michael’s often unconventional ideas into reality.
The original The King of Style: Dressing Michael Jackson, published in 2012, remains an important visual document of Michael’s wardrobe. The new book therefore has the potential to provide fans with another fascinating perspective on an area of Michael’s career that has always generated enormous interest.
But then there is the price…
The standard edition of King of Style II is priced at $100.
And that’s where we at MJVibe have to pause.
There is no doubt that a large, beautifully produced coffee-table book containing previously unseen photographs, personal memories and detailed photography of Michael’s costumes will have significant production costs.
But $100 for the standard book is a lot of money.
Especially in today’s economic climate.
For comparison, the original The King of Style: Dressing Michael Jackson was published as a 216-page hardcover in 2012.
And the new book doesn’t stop at $100.
Collector editions reach $950
Several extremely limited boxed editions are also being offered, each containing a fabric swatch from surviving material used to create one of Michael’s costumes.
The HIStory Teaser Armband Edition, limited to just 302 copies, contains an original swatch from the fabric used for the distinctive “777” armbands worn by the soldiers in Michael’s HIStory teaser.
Price: $950.
The Bad Tour Shirt Edition, limited to 590 copies, contains a fabric swatch from the iconic shimmering silver shirt Michael wore during the Bad Tour.
Price: $950.
The Dangerous Tour Jacket Edition, limited to 380 copies, includes a swatch from the brightly coloured holographic fabric used for one of Michael’s opening Dangerous Tour jackets.
Price: $950.
And the HIStory Tour Jacket Edition, limited to 453 copies, contains a swatch from the surviving material used for Michael’s dazzling white military-style HIStory Tour jacket.
Price: $950.
For serious collectors, these are undoubtedly unusual pieces of Michael Jackson history. The fact that each contains material surviving from the original costume gives the editions a physical connection to garments that Michael actually wore.
But at almost ten times the price of the standard book, these are clearly aimed at a very different market.
The auction question
There is another aspect of this release that caught our attention.
The publisher’s description places enormous emphasis on Michael’s costumes, Bush’s personal archive and the extraordinary number of garments created during their years working together.
And that naturally brings us back to Julien’s Auctions.
Julien’s has a long history with Michael Jackson memorabilia and, in particular, with the work of Michael Bush and Dennis Tompkins. Back in 2012, the release of the original King of Style was accompanied by exhibitions and a major Julien’s auction featuring costumes and other pieces from the designers’ collection. Contemporary reports noted that hundreds of pieces were being offered, including iconic Jackson garments.
It is therefore difficult not to look at the current situation and wonder whether history is beginning to repeat itself.
With the renewed interest in Michael Jackson following the success of the biopic, the growing collector market and a number of major Michael Jackson auctions now appearing on the calendar, the timing of King of Style II is certainly interesting.
As we previously reported in “Julien’s Jackson Jackpot Returns: Abu Dhabi Auction Promises a Mountain of Michael Jackson Memorabilia,” Julien’s is preparing another major offering of Jackson-related memorabilia.
That doesn’t mean the new book is simply a vehicle for another auction — and we certainly aren’t suggesting that without evidence.
But when a book centred on Michael’s costumes arrives alongside an increasingly active memorabilia market, it is reasonable for fans and collectors to ask where this is all heading.
A book for collectors?
There is an undeniable irony here.
Michael Jackson’s fashion was about creativity, imagination and pushing boundaries. Today, that same fashion has become an increasingly valuable commodity.
A piece of fabric from one of Michael’s costumes can now be packaged alongside a book and sold for $950.
For some collectors, that will be an irresistible opportunity.
For others, it will feel like yet another example of how expensive the Michael Jackson memorabilia market has become.
And this is where MJVibe’s opinion is quite straightforward: $100 is already a very high asking price for the standard book.
The book may well be beautiful. It may contain fascinating stories. It may feature photographs that fans have never seen before. And Michael Bush’s first-hand perspective is undeniably valuable.
But $100?
In 2026, that’s a serious investment for a book, even for Michael Jackson fans.
At $950, the collector editions move firmly into luxury memorabilia territory.
Ultimately, fans will decide whether they feel the price is justified.
For those who want it…
King of Style II: Dressing Michael Jackson is currently available for preorder, with standard-edition preorders expected to ship in November.
For collectors who want one of the limited editions, the numbers are considerably smaller — particularly the 302 copies of the HIStory Teaser Armband Edition.
The book and the various editions are available through Julien’s Auctions.
Michael Bush undoubtedly has some incredible stories to tell about the man behind the costumes.
The question for fans isn’t whether Michael Jackson’s style is worth remembering.
It absolutely is.
The question is simply how much are we expected to pay to remember it?
