Notes

Elvis: Dressed to Rock
One of Elvis’ most iconic costumes, this sparkly white jumpsuit paired with a rockabilly pompadour coiffed to perfection, still sits on display at Presley’s former home-turned-museum Graceland. The jumpsuit was a staple of his live shows, but the look transcended stagewear and has become a fashion symbol. The costume—which features a patterned suit and matching pants, as well as a pair of gold-toned stiletto heels and a beaded necklace—is part of a new exhibition that focuses on the evolution of Elvis’ style. The exhibition, titled “Elvis: Dressed to Rock,” runs through September.

elvis costume ’s Oscar-nominated biopic ELVIS has already swept the awards season and has captivated audiences around the world with its powerful portrayal of The King of Rock and Roll. For the film, costume designer Catherine Martin drew inspiration from the King’s legacy and his impact on culture, not only through his music and dance moves but also through how he affected culture through his style. “He was affecting the parent generation through his looks,” says Martin, who designed the silky pink outfit worn by Austin Butler in the film.

A big part of the movie’s success was capturing the essence of the man within a manageable runtime, and that meant sifting through a lifetime of minutiae to find the most meaningful choices to depict the character. For Martin, this meant incorporating a sense of time and place in the clothing. “When you’re dealing with a historical figure, every choice can be scrutinized and analyzed,” she explains.


In order to capture the time and feel of the early 1970s, the designers chose to go with a monochromatic color palette for all of the main characters’ outfits in ELVIS. In this way, the film felt evocative and timeless at the same time.

Elvis wore this jumpsuit during his 1972 January/February Vegas engagement and then again on tour in 1973. Elvis wore this suit with the "Black Way Down Belt" until 1976 when he switched to the "Egyptian Belt".

The Black Conquistador suit, or Black Nudie Suit as it was known, is an early-era Elvis look before the extravagance took hold of his style. It was first spotted on Elvis in the NBC Comeback Special, and it was later used in the movie Loving You. This is a rare Elvis suit, as it was made with the last pieces of material they had in stock. The original belt that went with this suit was a “Lion Head Belt”. Kurt Russell wore it during his performance in the 1979 movie “Elvis”.

My Website: https://www.elviscostume.store/