Freddie For A Day

Freddie Mercury, lead singer and principle songwriter for the band Queen, was a one-of-a-kind human being. His voice wasn't like any other and neither was his stage presence. A natural-born showman, this man knew just what to do in front of a crowd of hundreds or tens of thousands.

After his death, his bandmates set up a trust to raise money for the fight against HIV/AIDS. In 1992, the web editor for the Mercury Phoenix Trust, Liz Swanton decided she was going to raise funds by dressing up as Freddie for a day and going to work like that. The response was overwhelming and one of the most unique September holidays was born. FFAD is celebrated either on September 5th, or if that day falls on a weekend, on the Friday before it. The idea is to be out in public, at your job, dressed up as Freddie Mercury.

Think of it this way, it's not "what would Freddie do?" It's "what would Freddie wear?"

If you never miss at the gym and really want to have a bold Freddy Day, then why not give this 1970s look a try? This Harlequin Jumpsuit was an outfit that Mercury sported around 1977. The original outfit went to auction in London on July 3, 2012 and was sold for £22,500! Paired up with a shag wig and you'll be rocking the world in no time...

This fabulous shirt was made for Freddie by desiger Zandra Rhodes. However, if you are as crafty and skilled and determined as Jimmy at Intergalatic Transport, you can try making your very own pleated, bat-wing shirt for FFAD.

For Queen's legendary concert at Wembley Stadium, Freddie paired up a yellow military jacket, white tank top and a pair of white pants with two red stripes down the outside of each leg. Finished off with a pair of Adidas sneakers and a white belt, undoutedly this was something that was comfortable to wear under the stage lights and made for good visibility to the approximately 80,000 strong crowd watching.

This outfit is so iconic, you can actually buy ready-made replicas or costume versions.

One of Freddie's more simple looks was often called the Castro Clone as it echoed popular SF gay men's street fashion. Washed-out pale blue jeans, a white racer back tank top, a studded arm band and a matching belt are all you need for this one. And don't forget the mustache!

This was how Freddie Mercury appeared on-stage at LiveAid in the summer of 1985, and it's how I'll always mentally picture him because I just happened to be 17 years old and in London when LiveAid took place. I had just graduated high school and my best friend and I were given the trip as our graduation gift. We stayed with my friend's cousin who had an apartment in Holland Park, a nice neighborhood of London, and we spent about 20 hours glued in front of his telly watching first the British concert and then staying up late into the night as the American version went on. That performance was one of Queen's best, and since I never had the chance to actually go to one of their concerts myself, this was pretty fantastic.

Whether you need a costume reference or want to work on your moves or work on your singing (or probably lip-syncing for most of us), it's always great to see videos of Freddie. That man sure knew how to put on a show...

"I always knew I was a star, and now the rest of the world seems to agree with me."

~ Freddie Mercury

Did you dress up for Freddie Day? What did you wear? How did people react to you during the day? Did you have a Queen party with friends? Or just spend the day by yourself being fabulous?