Big Suit
The "Big Suit" was a costume worn by David Byrne during the live performances of the 1983-1984 tour. It is one of the most iconic visual symbols of the band.
Background and Creation
The idea for the suit came to David Byrne while in Japan in 1982. Talking Heads had just finished a tour there, and David was staying behind. While talking to somebody about live performances, David heard the line "on stage everything is bigger!" Taking this to heart, David started scribbling a design on a napkin, "it was just a little line drawing [...] it was basically a rectangle with feet sticking out the bottom and a little tiny head on top."[1]
The costume was designed in part by Gale Blacker. Underneath the outer suit, David would wear a "kind of girdle" which attached to the pants and the jacket, "so the pants kind of just hung down. They barely touched my legs and same with the jacket. The jacket had a big shoulder armature, and the jacket just kind of hung down from that and barely touched my chest.."[1]