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Dear David,

Last night I was in Target, browsing in Men's Clothing, and to my surprise, I saw your name on the label of a shirt. At first, I thought, "No, it couldn't be . . ." But then I turned over the cardboard tag and there you were, pictured with a designer named Keanan Duffty.

"This collection was inspired by David Bowie, a force that has defined fashion, youth culture and music for five decades," the tag read.

I looked at the shirts, pants and jackets, but to me, they didn't say David Bowie. They said Ryan Seacrest. They said twentysomething guys out with their girlfriends at P.F. Chang's on a Saturday night. In short, they said sleek, stretchy conformity.

David, as one of your devoted lifelong fans, I have to ask, "What happened?"

I grew up in the '70s, when you stood at the forefront of fashion. No, you were bigger than fashion. You blazed trails. You turned trends on their head. That lightning bolt streaking across your face on Aladdin Sane was like an electric current burning through the polyester ethos of that whole decade.

Maybe the Target line reflects how you dress now. You're 60, a family man, more conservative. Like you once sang, "Time may change me . . ." But you're still David Bowie. To lend your name to a line of menswear is a big deal.

So why didn't the designer study some old pictures of you for inspiration?

Well, according to Target's website, he did. The vest was inspired by the Thin White Duke, and the dress shirts by your character in The Man Who Fell To Earth. Hmm, I don't really see it.

I wonder, couldn't you have slipped a little more subversion into the racks than a black polo shirt silk screened with tiny winged Les Pauls?

Sure, the average shopper wouldn't necessarily go for the off-the-shoulder glittery body stocking you wore at the Hammersmith Odeon in '73. But how about the Berlin-era foreign correspondent look? The wool suit, belted overcoat and fedora. You'd have one customer right here.

I realize there are politics involved in collaborating with a corporation like Target, and bottom line, you want to sell your product. I don't have to tell that to the guy who wrote, "Fashion, turn to the left . . ."

That aside, after 30 years of holding you up as an innovator, I feel a little betrayed knowing that your foray into clothing should be so safe and nondescript.

Don't worry, I won't be trading in my copy of Hunky Dory or anything rash. I just wanted to let you know how I felt.

Hope you're doing well. Hey to Iman.

Sincerely,

Bill DeMain

P.S. - Remember those brown pleated trousers you wore on the Dick Cavett Show in '74? If you're not using them anymore . . .

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