An analysis of DIO’s fashion choices.
We may occasionally laugh at DIO’s obscene fashion choices, but for a while now I really wanted to delve into a more in-depth analysis of them. I believe that what he wears actually presents a really good reflection of DIO’s current position in life and his state of mind, so I want to write an analysis of all the outfits that he appears in throughout the series. (Note that this will only cover canon outfits that appear within the story itself, not the ones on the covers or other external artwork.)
In Phantom Blood, after being taken in by the Joestars, DIO immediately started dressing extremely properly for his new rank and the time period - interestingly, even more so than Jonathan, who was born into this life.
In Phantom Blood, after being taken in by the Joestars, DIO immediately started dressing extremely properly for his new rank and the time period - interestingly, even more so than Jonathan, who was born into this life.
This gives us the impression that Dio was quick to embrace his new social class and felt at home with it.
In his adult life as a member of the Joestar family, we see Dio wearing regular and appropriate attire closely resembling Jonathan’s. A notable difference between the two is that Dio is constantly seen wearing a frilly ascot, while Jonathan wears a more formal tie. This is an initial subtle clue to Dio’s preferences. |
I believe that Dio’s later actions show us that the proper Victorian attire wasn’t what he actually enjoyed wearing.
The first sign of this is when he has a minor breakdown and gets drunk after Jonathan caught him trying to poison his father. Dio letting himself become angry and drunk makes his mask slip and shows a glimpse of the true feelings he’s held all these years. |
To reflect that, his clothing style becomes somewhat more flamboyant, as he’s now wearing a feather-collared coat and a top hat. While the hat is era-appropriate, decoration such as feathers was not a part of common style at the time. This outfit is by no means as obscene as his later attires, but it once again subtly implies his preference for tackier outfits.
We now see him wearing gaudy outfits that look very outdated for the late 19th century, with elements such as puff sleeves and baggy pants - both of which were popular during the Renaissance several centuries ago. This is an important detail to keep in mind. His most prominent outfit we see throughout the Phantom Blood finale seems to include some kind of a corset as an outer layer, which is very unusual, seeing as corsets are undergarments. It’s also worth noting is that he doesn’t do his hair anymore, letting it be wild and messy, unlike before when it was kept neat and short. |
Before I go on to DIO in the 80s, I want to make a slight detour to Jonathan and his choice of clothing as well.
The significance of DIO’s weird outfits could be brushed off by saying that Jonathan dressed weird as well and this was just Araki creating fashion disasters for the hell of it, but I don’t think that’s quite right.
Fashion crimes were definitely committed, but not without a purpose.
Let’s take a look at Jonathan’s most bizarre outfit in Phantom Blood;
The significance of DIO’s weird outfits could be brushed off by saying that Jonathan dressed weird as well and this was just Araki creating fashion disasters for the hell of it, but I don’t think that’s quite right.
Fashion crimes were definitely committed, but not without a purpose.
Let’s take a look at Jonathan’s most bizarre outfit in Phantom Blood;
From the looks of it he’s wearing about four shirts and a vest, as well as gloves.
Many a joke has been made about this outfit, but here is my proposition:
This is a makeshift armour.
Phantom Blood happens during the late 19th century, and getting a proper armour wouldn’t be an easy task. This was an urgent mission and Jonathan had to act fast and smart - and he did. He wore multiple layers of clothing in an attempt to add padding in hopes to shield his body from the upcoming attacks.
Aside from this outfit, the only other strange one he wears is his final battle one, a crop top, which is really just remnants of this one, as it was mostly destroyed in the battle with Tarkus. Aside from this, he wears normal and era-appropriate clothes. (Not counting the various cover outfits that never appear in canon)
Now, on to DIO in Stardust Crusaders.
Of course, we most famously know him for the yellow outfit he wears in the 80s, and the alluring visage of the so-called Shadow DIO, but there are a few other outfits that appear briefly, which I wish to address. It’s important to take note that many of DIO’s outfits in this era have a connecting aesthetic to them; most of them have a Middle Eastern appearance to them - or at the very least what we stereotypically view as Middle Eastern.
I am not very familiar with Middle Eastern fashion terminology and can therefore only use very broad layman’s terms. I also think that the outfits in question are pretty vague and are probably not sourced from any specific culture, but the overall aesthetic in general, as many cultures in the area have very similar aspects to their fashion. Seeing as Araki is a big fan of Antonio Lopez and has notably sought inspiration in his 1985 book Tales from the 1001 Nights, it’s very likely that a lot of the outfit design for DIO has been sourced from the said book.
This is not something I’ve ever seen people mention, as DIO’s fashion sense is often simply written off as sultry and I very rarely see anyone acknowledge his style preferences when designing outfits for him. The reason I wanted to write this analysis is because I think what DIO wears during Stardust Crusaders is a very interesting perspective on his openness to other cultures.
Many a joke has been made about this outfit, but here is my proposition:
This is a makeshift armour.
Phantom Blood happens during the late 19th century, and getting a proper armour wouldn’t be an easy task. This was an urgent mission and Jonathan had to act fast and smart - and he did. He wore multiple layers of clothing in an attempt to add padding in hopes to shield his body from the upcoming attacks.
Aside from this outfit, the only other strange one he wears is his final battle one, a crop top, which is really just remnants of this one, as it was mostly destroyed in the battle with Tarkus. Aside from this, he wears normal and era-appropriate clothes. (Not counting the various cover outfits that never appear in canon)
Now, on to DIO in Stardust Crusaders.
Of course, we most famously know him for the yellow outfit he wears in the 80s, and the alluring visage of the so-called Shadow DIO, but there are a few other outfits that appear briefly, which I wish to address. It’s important to take note that many of DIO’s outfits in this era have a connecting aesthetic to them; most of them have a Middle Eastern appearance to them - or at the very least what we stereotypically view as Middle Eastern.
I am not very familiar with Middle Eastern fashion terminology and can therefore only use very broad layman’s terms. I also think that the outfits in question are pretty vague and are probably not sourced from any specific culture, but the overall aesthetic in general, as many cultures in the area have very similar aspects to their fashion. Seeing as Araki is a big fan of Antonio Lopez and has notably sought inspiration in his 1985 book Tales from the 1001 Nights, it’s very likely that a lot of the outfit design for DIO has been sourced from the said book.
This is not something I’ve ever seen people mention, as DIO’s fashion sense is often simply written off as sultry and I very rarely see anyone acknowledge his style preferences when designing outfits for him. The reason I wanted to write this analysis is because I think what DIO wears during Stardust Crusaders is a very interesting perspective on his openness to other cultures.
DIO is not just constantly hiding within his mansion in Egypt, plotting and scheming. He embraces Egypt. He knows the streets of Cairo, which implies that he goes outside often, either to find prey or for leisure. We know this for a fact, as he mocks Jotaro for thinking all streets look the same, while DIO himself skilfully navigates the fight - implying that he is, in fact, very familiar with the city.
|
Remember when I mentioned Renaissance earlier?
While I can’t be sure if this was Araki’s intention or not, I find it very interesting that DIO first sought to imitate Renaissance, and then Egypt - a time and place that are both associated with great advances in knowledge, which is something DIO is known to value.
Now to bring this back to outfits, let’s start with his most iconic one.
While I can’t be sure if this was Araki’s intention or not, I find it very interesting that DIO first sought to imitate Renaissance, and then Egypt - a time and place that are both associated with great advances in knowledge, which is something DIO is known to value.
Now to bring this back to outfits, let’s start with his most iconic one.
The baggy pants clearly hold inspiration in something like the “harem” style pants, or şalvar in the Arabian world, and a cropped jacket is far from unheard of in several cultures of the Middle East, including Egypt. For decoration, DIO wears ring bracelets, a common jewellery associated with the location.
It’s likely that the opening in front of the pants was inspired by cowboy chaps, as Araki has drawn DIO wearing them in several illustrations. His shoes are another big clue to the Arabian root of his outfit, as the Moorish shoes with a curled tip can be found throughout many cultures in the Middle East, and DIO is shown wearing several different pairs of such shoes. |
DIO also briefly wears two more outfits that appear to have roots in these cultures. The one on the left is a simple outfit similar to what Araki draws often draws background characters wearing. It’s somewhat surprising to see DIO in such a casual outfit, and it once again implies that he genuinely enjoys this type of fashion and feels comfortable in it.
The one on the right looks to be a modified tunic more than anything, which is, again, not an uncommon garment in that area. |
DIO also wears an outfit that seems to hold more of a British/American aesthetic. It seems to be some kind of a leather or potentially quilted jacket, similar to what Joseph is seen wearing during his initial appearance in Battle Tendency
|
We know thanks to Stone Ocean flashbacks that DIO has been to modern America several times, so him picking up something like a sick leather jacket over there is not a stretch to assume. Speaking of Stone Ocean - the outfits he’s drawn in there are just variations of the iconic yellow outfit, so I’m not going into those specifically.
Lastly, we can’t conclude this analysis without talking about Shadow DIO, whose outfit makes one wonder whether he has a horse somewhere in Egypt, because everything we see of this outfit seems to be inspired by equestrian clothing.
Lastly, we can’t conclude this analysis without talking about Shadow DIO, whose outfit makes one wonder whether he has a horse somewhere in Egypt, because everything we see of this outfit seems to be inspired by equestrian clothing.
He’s wearing cowboy chaps over what could be leather pants, while his shoes are very reminiscent of the tall British horse riding boots.
And that’s the conclusion of the fashion analysis. It’s very interesting to see how what he wears directly reflects his state of mind.
When he was still human, aiming to win the Joestar inheritance, he successfully and flawlessly played the role of the perfect son. Once he freed himself of his humanity and set his aims higher, he embraced his decadent whims by dressing as unconventionally as he pleased. But to me, the most curious part of this fashion saga is the showing of his deeper cultural appreciation of Egypt once he matures and regains focus on what he finds important.
And also he looks really hot.
And that’s the conclusion of the fashion analysis. It’s very interesting to see how what he wears directly reflects his state of mind.
When he was still human, aiming to win the Joestar inheritance, he successfully and flawlessly played the role of the perfect son. Once he freed himself of his humanity and set his aims higher, he embraced his decadent whims by dressing as unconventionally as he pleased. But to me, the most curious part of this fashion saga is the showing of his deeper cultural appreciation of Egypt once he matures and regains focus on what he finds important.
And also he looks really hot.