Mick Jagger has set the standard for rock star style since the '60s, and like any fashion icon, his taste is timeless. In celebration of his 70th birthday on Friday, we offer an ode to Jagger's wardrobe staple, on and off the stage: a nice tight pair of pants.
Jagger's preference for a slim-cut trouser makes sense when you consider the era in which he became famous. Seen here in 1966, the rocker's trousers were also a sign of the times.
But it seems the singer had a more simple reason for wearing his pants high and tight, as he did here in 1970 alongside his girlfriend at the time, Marianne Faithfull. "I've always done a kind of skinny silhouette because I am skinny; I don't have to worry about covering up fat bits!" he has previously told Women's Wear Daily. "So you've got to emphasize your silhouette."
In the early '70s, Jagger took a liking to revealing jumpsuits crafted by designer Ossie Clark. This pearl white velour number, bedazzled with sequins, was auctioned at Christie's for around $32,000 in November 2012.
Jagger, seen here on stage with the Stones in 1975, always made comfort a priority. His pants may be tight, but not so snug he can't dip into his famous hip gyrations.
At times, like this performance in 1976, the Rolling Stones front man wore a costume so theatrical it was like a show unto itself.
In his private life, Jagger also favors slacks that cut a sharp figure. Here, Jagger poses with his now-ex Jerry Hall around 1981.
In 2011, Maroon 5's Adam Levine paid homage to Jagger's vintage look -- such as this midriff-baring outfit from the Rolling Stones' 1982 European tour -- in the music video for "Moves Like Jagger." In it, Levine, too, slips into a pair of skintight skinnies and rocks out without a shirt.
Even as the fashion shifted to favor wider pant legs for men, Jagger stuck close to his personal style in 1989.
In 1995, Jagger was past 50 -- but you wouldn't have known it judging from his look.
When he took the stage at the My VH1 Music Awards in 2001, Jagger looked long and lean in fitted pinstripe pants.
He refrained from going topless, as he did in his younger years, but Jagger still kept the pants tight while on tour with the Rolling Stones in 2003.
At Super Bowl XL in 2006, Jagger was in fine form in sleek black slacks. His bandmate, Keith Richards, echoed his rock star style in a nearly identical uniform.
Jagger is known for his love of fashionable women, and he does his best to look just as chic. Here, the artist attends amfAR's Cinema Against AIDS 2010 benefit gala with girlfriend L'Wren Scott.
Jagger celebrated 50 years with the Rolling Stones this summer. Judging from the star's style, he's feeling as youthful as ever.
- Mick Jagger turns 70 on Friday
- He's the latest '60s rocker to cross the threshold
- But, like many of them, Jagger still playing, creating music
- They were mocked when young, now mocked for being old - but they're having last laugh
(CNN) -- What a drag it is getting old.
How many times has someone mocked Mick Jagger by using that lyric from the Rolling Stones hit "Mother's Little Helper"? Jagger and Keith Richards wrote and recorded the song in late 1965, when they were 22, with Jagger alternately lecturing, alternately pitying dejected housewives and their pills.
Ah, youth.
Sir Michael Philip Jagger is going to be 70 years old on Friday, and if it's been a drag getting old for him, he certainly hasn't shown it.
The Rolling Stones are celebrating their 50th anniversary as a band with new music and an extensive tour. Jagger can still move like, well, Jagger, his sinewy dancing and endless energy showing little sign of flagging despite his grandfatherly age. (The man has two children in their 40s, for Pete's sake!) He's made classic records, kept the gossip columns busy and always maintained an astute eye on the spotlight.
CNN photo blog: Never before seen Rolling Stones photos
Mick Jagger has been fronting the Rolling Stones since the band formed in London in 1962. "I'll never tour when I'm 50," he said when he was 29. But he turns 70 on Friday, July 26, and the band just wrapped up its 50th anniversary tour. Take a look back at the five decades of Jagger's legendary rock career.
From left, Charlie Watts, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Bill Wyman and Brian Jones carry their bags past London's Donmar Rehearsal Theatre in 1963.
The Rolling Stones receive bouquets from fans in New York during their first U.S. tour in June 1964.
The band gets ready to perform on the American musical variety show "Shindig" in 1965.
The Rolling Stones leave London on a flight to New York on June 23, 1966, before the start of their fifth North American tour.
Paul McCartney of the Beatles, left, sits across from Jagger on a train at London's Euston Station in 1967.
Mick Jagger sits in a London recording studio during the filming of French director Jean-Luc Godard's "Sympathy For the Devil" in 1968.
Jagger performs with the Rolling Stones in central London's Hyde Park in 1969. His then-girlfriend Marianne Faithfull watches from behind the photographers.
Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards holds his son Marlon alongside Anita Pallenberg, the mother of his first three children, and Mick Jagger, right, in 1970.
Mick Jagger and his new bride, Bianca Perez Morena de Macias, make their way through the crowds on their wedding day in 1971 in St. Tropez, France.
Mick Jagger returns to his seat during a cricket match between England and Australia in 1972.
Daily Express entertainment writer David Wigg interviews Mick Jagger in 1973.
The Rolling Stones record a music video for the song "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I Like It)" in 1974. Filmed in London, the video was directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg.
Mick Jagger takes a break during rehearsals for a show in 1975.
Mick Jagger empties a bucket of water on stage at the 1976 Knebworth Festival in Hertfordshire, England.
Mick Jagger and his wife Bianca spend an evening at Chez Castel in Paris in 1977.
The Rolling Stones film a music video for the song "Respectable" in New York in 1978.
Mick Jagger arrives at a London court in 1979 to go over his divorce settlement with Bianca. They were married for nine years.
Mick Jagger performs in 1980 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta.
After attending a Jimmy Cliff show in 1981, Mick Jagger returns to his New York apartment.
Mick Jagger looks out at the crowd during a 1982 concert at Wembley Stadium in London.
Mick Jagger and then-girlfriend Jerry Hall, center, attend an opening at the Mizuno Gallery in Los Angeles in 1983. Jagger and Hall were married for nine years starting in 1990.
Makeup is applied to Mick Jagger's face backstage in 1984.
Mick Jagger performs at Live Aid in Philadelphia on July 13, 1985.
From left, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger and David Bowie take the stage together at London's Wembley Arena in 1986.
Jerry Hall and Mick Jagger spend a day at the beach in Barbados in 1987.
Mick Jagger and Bruce Springsteen share a microphone during the Beatles' induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.
The Rolling Stones are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a year later. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards take the stage in 1989.
Mick Jagger performs in the Netherlands during the Urban Jungle Tour in 1990.
Mick Jagger poses for a portrait in France in 1991.
In 1992, Mick Jagger and then-wife Jerry Hall leave the Shaftesbury Theatre in London.
From left, Kevin Nealon, Mike Myers as Mick Jagger, and Mick Jagger as Keith Richards do a "Weekend Update" skit on "Saturday Night Live" in 1993.
The Rolling Stones perform at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
Mick Jagger takes the stage in Holland in 1995.
In 1996, Mick Jagger parties with Slash of Guns N' Roses at a club in London.
Mick Jagger has his picture taken on a subway in New York in 1997.
During the 1998 World Cup, Mick Jagger attends the final match between France and Brazil. France won 3-0.
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards perform on stage in London during their Bridges to Babylon tour in 1999.
Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall leave The Ivy Restaurant in London after Hall's debut in the stage production of "The Graduate" in 2000.
Jimmy Fallon acts like Mick Jagger's reflection during the "Mick & Mick" skit on "Saturday Night Live" in 2001.
From left, Charlie Watts, Mick Jagger, Ron Wood and Keith Richards pose in front of a Rolling Stones blimp after arriving in New York in 2002.
Mick Jagger addresses the crowd during a show in Munich in 2003.
Rolling Stone magazine founder Jann Wenner, left, is presented his award by Mick Jagger and Ahmet Ertegun during the 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in New York.
Mick Jagger, David A. Stewart and Variety editor-in-chief Peter Bart attend a 2005 Golden Globes after-party at Trader Vics in Beverly Hills, California. In 2011, Jagger and Stewart, best known for his work with the Eurythmics, formed a supergroup called Super Heavy with Joss Stone, Damian Marley and A.R. Rahman.
The Rolling Stones perform at halftime during the 2006 Super Bowl between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks in Detroit, Michigan.
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards perform in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2007.
From left, Charlie Watts, Mick Jagger, director Martin Scorsese, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood attend the opening ceremony for the 2008 Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany.
Bono of U2 and Mick Jagger perform together at a concert at Madison Square Garden in New York marking the 25th anniversary of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on October 30, 2009.
Mick Jagger leaves his hotel in France during the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.
The Rolling Stones perform at the Staples Center in Los Angeles during the 2011 Grammy Awards.
Mick Jagger watches the 2012 Olympic Games in London with his girlfriend, American fashion designer L'Wren Scott.
Mick Jagger takes center stage at the Glastonbury Festival in England on June 29, 2013. It was the Rolling Stones' first appearance at the event. Showing no signs of slowing down, Jagger thanked fans for following the band through the years.
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Photos: Mick Jagger through the years
Besides, Jagger is only the latest of the 1960s musical heroes -- the backbeat of every classic rock station and baby-boomer record collection -- to cross the three-score-and-ten age threshold.
Paul McCartney turned 70 last year. So did Brian Wilson. Bob Dylan hit 70 two years ago. Grace Slick, Paul Simon, Jagger's bandmate Charlie Watts -- they're all in their seventies.
Sure, it's easy to make fun of that. Pop music is a young person's game, after all.
Happy Birthday, Mick Jagger
"Everybody that you mention looks like an old woman now," says Chris O'Dowd, playing an employee of a record company specializing in heritage acts, in the movie "This Is 40." "You're just mentioning a bunch of Jessica Tandys."
We should all be so lucky, though. Jessica Tandy lived until she was 85, acting until almost the very end. Better that than the alternative.
If you're doing something you love, you should keep doing it. McCartney still tours. Dylan, who calls his travels the "Never Ending Tour," hasn't stopped in years. Why not? Most of the '60s-era rock stars, believing the music was just a fad, had no idea they'd still be rockin' and rollin' as they entered their eighth decades. Asked in 1964 why they were so popular, the Beatles could only shrug.
"If we knew, we'd get together four boys with long hair and be managers," said John Lennon.
So go ahead and sneer at them like the oldsters of their own youth did. Mick and his ageless friends are having the last laugh.
What can a poor boy do, 'cept to sing for a rock 'n' roll band, right?
Happy birthday, Mick!
