25 Fashionable Moments in Album Cover Art

The fashion adage, “Dress like you’re on an album cover,” isn’t used enough. In the case of these 25 albums, that could mean: make your shoulder pads wider, your tie skinnier and your flattop higher. What it really means is: look your best and push the envelope, just like these icons whose funky, sleek or understated style was immortalized by cover art.

Click through the gallery above and simultaneously take notes on how to dress for winter, how to accessorize a white suit, and how to rock a ruffle collar.

1 of 25 The Message, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five: This album cover features studded belts, a bucket hat, leather pants, and white bellbottoms. Urban Outfitters will probably sell all of these items in three years.

2 of 25 After Hours, Timeflies: Image from a John Varvatos look book, or electropop cover art?

3 of 25 Elephant, The White Stripes: This cover is half-fashionable, half- looks like a drunk couple at a Halloween party dressed as a ghost and cowboy.

4 of 25 Sticky Fingers, The Rolling Stones: The most evocative ode to denim of our time.

5 of 25 Reasonable Doubt, Jay-Z: I'd like to think that the shadows, vintage style, and obscured face on Jay-Z's 1996 album were the inspiration for Taylor Swift's Red cover.

6 of 25 Hejira, Joni Mitchell: Joni's oversize fur coat and beret outfit on the cover of her 1976 jazz album is so opulent and high-fashion, it wouldn't be out of place on a Kanye album.

7 of 25 Tim Buckley: The nonchalant checked coat goes really well with Tim Buckley's melancholy gaze.

8 of 25 Goo, Sonic Youth: Not sure why I don't see a million couples wearing these outfits for Halloween every year. It's easy, it's chic, and the costume could double as two members of The Beatles or Ghost World characters.

9 of 25 What's Going On, Marvin Gaye: The blatant pop of this collar puts all frat boys to shame. This is how it's done.

10 of 25 Based on a T.R.U. Story, 2 Chainz: An impressively minimal cover by the man who brought you the line, "The cheapest thing I got on is my belt and it's 400."