Style: indefensible?

Most lawyers advise their clients to dress for court as they would for church -- a dark suit, a quiet tie, a tidy hairstyle and a minimum of jewelry.

But that’s just not Jacko.

Throughout his child-molestation trial, Michael Jackson hasn’t been dressed so much as costumed. And we’re not even talking about the famous pajama bottoms he wore to court at one point. (Although it should be noted that the “just rolled out of bed” look favored by so many college students these days didn’t do the child-man any favors.)

Plastic surgery aside, this trial has been about the many faces of Michael. On his first day of court, Jackson arrived in a white suit with an embroidered shirt and gold armband. The obvious reading would be one of purity and innocence, but Jackson looked more like a lounge singer.

With the dressing down of America, there are a few times in a person’s life when wardrobe really counts -- weddings, funerals, job interviews and court. The message most defendants want to convey through their clothes is innocence. But celebrities, who tend to fall under more scrutiny than the average defendant, don’t always seem to pull off the look that will win over jurors.

Martha Stewart didn’t show much humility when she arrived for her trial with an Hermes Birkin bag, a style that can cost thousands of dollars. Courtney Love looked like a rock star wreck when she was tried on charges of being under the influence of cocaine, dressed in grungy cardigans, thrift store floral dresses and even a black strapless evening gown. Perhaps it was a flagrant disregard for the seriousness of the charges, or maybe the cuckoo chic was meant to suggest that she was in need of help, not jail time -- a slightly ditsy damsel in distress.

There are others, though, who have used their sartorial sense to their advantage. When Winona Ryder was accused of shoplifting, she was able to counter that image with demure Marc Jacobs frocks. Kobe Bryant faced sexual assault charges in a sober suit, rather than the jeans and sweats he typically wears to post-game press conferences. And Sean “P. Diddy” Combs eschewed his rap mogul bling-bling when he was in court, accused of gun possession.

During the second week of his trial, Jackson made a similar move, ditching his peacockish pop-star persona for a businesslike suit and wire-rimmed glasses in step with the garb worn by his defense team. A dark suit is the ideal expression of strength. With broad shoulders and a nipped waist, it gives all men -- even scrawny, makeup-wearing ones -- the appearance of long legs, a barrel torso and strapping arms.

The look didn’t last long.

The fop parade resumed with suits in burgundy, scarlet, midnight blue and navy. Adorned with gold crests and brass buttons, Jackson’s jackets have a nautical, pseudo-aristocratic air, suggesting that at any time he could make a clean getaway from the courtroom to a yacht anchored in the Pacific.

Much of the embattled singer’s wardrobe has been designed by Chicago native Willie Scott, who has worked with Prince, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan and NBA superstars Isaiah Thomas and Antoine Walker. Before the trial started, Jackson summoned Scott from Dallas, where the custom clothier was traveling for business, giving him just a few days’ notice to finish garments for the singer.

The cut of Jackson’s suits is more than suitable. No, his sartorial sin has been the flamboyant accessories. Vests in pearly brocades, rococo florals and jewel-colored jacquards look as if they were rented from the local Friar Tux. And what’s with the armbands? In one of his few statements during the trial, Jackson replied to the question with a single word: “Fashion.”

Throughout history, wearing armbands has been less about fashion and more about conveying allegiance, mourning or an association with a political movement or an ideological belief. But Jackson’s armbands, often coordinated with the prints on his vests, resemble a kid’s craft project, as if he took a swatch of fabric or piece of ribbon and glued it to his sleeve.

Other accessories include a gold watch chain with dangling keys and charms that draws attention somewhat inadvisably to Jackson’s groin area. He has also adopted pocket squares -- a dandyish, look-at-me flourish. But most striking has been his wearing of military medals, many from Great Britain, a practice that has rankled servicemen and women there.

Wearing the symbols of the Royal Engineers and the Cheshire Regiment, among others, Jackson has at times borne an unfortunate resemblance to a toy soldier, a pop culture has-been clinging to someone else’s glory in the absence of his own.

But maybe there is method behind this military-regalia madness. Uniforms convey a sense of belonging, but also a sense of otherness, which is one quality that Jackson has to his advantage. Perhaps the armbands are meant to convey an allegiance to fashion, just as he has said. Jackson’s bizarre courtroom uniform, the badges and medals are a constant reminder to the jury that he’s not like everybody else. He’s rock ‘n’ roll royalty, a celebrity, and with that just might come some special consideration. Call it the fashion defense.