Early Bowie, Gary Glitter, New York Dolls, Slade, Sweet. It was more a look than a sound, although it can be discerned from what came before & after.
John Lennon said it best: It's just rock & roll with lipstick.
Yeah, I thought about that -especially Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust era- but I really don't find that Def Leppard really falling into that trend (and this is where the sound comes in) because Def Leppard really wasn't about the look until the mid 80s (c. Hysteria).
EXACTLY...thank MTV. Joe Elliot in those ripped up jeans singin' HYSTERIA...I never even KNEW WHAT THEY LOOKED LIKE. WHO KNEW? See??? I REALLY DON'T THINK THAT DEF LEP started OUT like TO BE KNOWN/REMEMBERED like that...but those guys CAN ROCK. They put on an AWESOME SHOW...Do they care? Doubtful...but I wonder if it was PART of the gameplan?