Tag Archives: Elvis Shirts

Elvis’ Fabulous Wardrobe – Part 7

Elvis' Suzy Cream Cheese Two-Tone Brown Suede Fringed Jacket - Back

Sadly, only one of the last four Graceland Auctions offered more than a minimal selection of Elvis’ wardrobe. Here are the two items offered on Jan 6, 2018 during the Elvis Birthday Week celebration.

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1970s Leather Jacket:

Elvis' Leather Jacket He Gave to Bodyguard Dave Hebler

 

The auction website says, “Leather jackets have always been synonymous with the kind of cool of which Elvis Presley certainly had no shortage.”

This light brown leather coat with three-button front closure and two side pockets was one of several that Elvis owned in various colors. A manufacturer’s tag at the back collar states, “Genuine Leather / by Grais / Made in U.S.A.” Rubin Grais was an immigrant shoe maker from Russia who came to the U.S. and adapted his skills to create one of the iconic leather manufacturers of the ’40s and ’50s.

Grais Label

Elvis gave this coat to his bodyguard, Dave Hebler, who worked for him from 1972 to 1976. A Letter of Authenticity from Hebler states,

“One day Elvis invited me upstairs to his bedroom at Graceland and offered me all of his jumpsuits. He complained that they no longer fit him and that he wanted them out of his closet. I told him I had no use for his jumpsuits nor did I have the ability to store them at my apartment. I then moved a majority of the jumpsuits to the shed at the back of Graceland. I did receive several jackets including this brown leather jacket. Elvis had several of these.”

Perhaps because there was no accompanying photo of Elvis wearing the coat, the auction had an estimate of $3 – 4,000, which seemed pretty cheap to me. Somebody picked up a good deal at $2,875 including the auction surcharge.

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Signed Shirt from Elvis’ Personal Wardrobe:

Signed Shirt from Elvis' Personal Wardrobe Provided as the Grand Prize in a 1973 Boy Scout Raffle

 

Besides being a typically cool Elvis shirt, this one has an interesting history. The green shirt has gold buttons down the front and gold stars across the chest and on the collar and cuffs.

Elvis was well-known for his generosity and philanthropy, which became a long-standing tradition. A good example is Elvis donating this shirt to Memphis Boy Scout Troop #225 to raise money for their Jamboree Trip Fund. Tickets were printed for the raffle and each sold for a donation of 50 cents.

Announcement on Elvis' Donated Shirt

 

Harold A. Smith purchased this ticket in 1973 and was the lucky winner. Harold’s wife Shirley, who was a part-time nurse at Methodist Hospital in Memphis, took the shirt to work when Elvis was there as a patient and was able to get his autograph on the lower left front side.

Elvis' Signed Shirt

 

Smith had the shirt framed, and it hung in his KOA campground office as a big attraction until he sold the campground in 1984.

Although there is no picture of Elvis wearing the shirt, it is stamped “Elvis” in the collar, and the lot includes the winning ticket and a Memphis Press-Semiter newspaper article about Elvis’ donation to the Boy Scout troop. However, it is the autograph that made it a highly prized Elvis double collectible. The minimum starting price was $8,000, and the winning bid was $11,250.

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Now, I would like to take a look at Elvis’ clothing items from the Gotta Have Rock and Roll auction held earlier this month.

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Paisley Shirt:

Elvis Presley's Paisley Shirt 1

 

Elvis purchased a lot of clothing from IC Costume Co. including this orange and blue paisley long sleeved, button down shirt. Elvis gave the shirt to his Aunt Delta in the 1970’s. There is no accompanying photo of Elvis wearing the shirt, but it does come with a letter of provenance from Aunt Delta. The estimate was $4 – 6,000, and it went for $3,993.

 

Green Suede Pullover Top:

Elvis' Pullover Top

 

Elvis’ personally owned and worn custom green suede pullover top with the Anton, Beverly Hills label and his initials “EP” sewn on as labels. Elvis gifted this shirt and many other articles of clothing to his close friend Charlie Hodge. Like the preceding shirt, the estimate was $4 – 6,000, and it went for $3,993.

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Black Faux Fur Pants:

Elvis' Black Faux Fur Pants

 

These unusual pants also came from the IC Costume Company. Elvis seemingly gave away his clothing to everybody, this time to his uncle Vester Presley (Vernon’s brother) one day when he was cleaning out his closets. For some reason, the minimum bid was only $2,000, but six bids pushed the winning number up to $4,290. Too bad they didn’t come up with a photo of Elvis wearing faux fur pants.

 

Paisley Shirt:

 

The facts are the same on this red and blue paisley long sleeved shirt as the previous one – made by IC Costume Co, given to his Aunt Delta, and an estimate of $4 – 6,000. However, it sold for $3,300, which is $693 less. I can’t figure out why they weren’t valued the same.

 

 

From this point on, we will look at something I’ve never seen before at auctions of Elvis’ wardrobe – six NO BIDS.

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Pale Blue Balloon-Sleeved Shirt:

Elvis' Pale Blue Balloon-Sleeved Shirt

 

First we have another Elvis owned and worn IC Costume Co. shirt with pale blue balloon-sleeves and large pointed collar. Elvis gave the shirt to his close friend and valet Richard Davis. It seems like stuff Elvis gave to Davis has been showing up at auctions for a decade. I wonder when the supply will run out. The minimum bid was only $2,000, but nobody cared to pony up that much. Maybe the shirt was too plain.

 

Stay Away Joe Red Wine Denim Jacket:

Elvis' Red Wine Denim Jacket from Stay Away Joe

 

Elvis wore this red wine colored denim jacket in his film “Stay Away Joe.” It is one of several denim jackets made for Elvis to wear in the film. Elvis gave the jacket to Charlie Hodge who was an extra on the movie. Hodge apparently accumulated a ton of Elvis’ clothing over the years. Also offered were three photographs of Elvis wearing the jacket during filming, such as in the shotgun wedding scene.

Elvis in Stay Away Joe Shotgun Wedding Scene

 

I have always maintained that photos of Elvis wearing an article of clothing enhanced its value to collectors. That must have been the thinking when the minimum bid was set at $8,000 and the estimate at $9 – 12,000. Pretty strong, and it must have scared off potential bidders. Also, this is movie wardrobe, not clothing that Elvis purchased and wore in his personal life.

 

Suzy Cream Cheese Two-Tone Brown Suede Fringed Jacket:

Elvis' Suzy Cream Cheese Two-Tone Brown Suede Fringed Jacket

 

The back of this stunning two-toned brown suede fringed jacket is shown in the first photo of this post. Elvis gave it to his friend Shaun Nielsen, who first met Elvis when he was a back-up singer on his gospel album “How Great Thou Art.” Shaun sang with Elvis until his final show, and one day when they were recording in the Jungle Room at Graceland, Elvis took the members of his band and vocalists upstairs and told them each to pick out something that they liked. This jacket was just one of many items he gave to Nielson. The minimum bid of $7,000 seemed reasonable to me, but not to the bidders.

 

Suede Shearling Coat:

 

Elvis’ personally owned and worn tan suede coat that he purchased from one of his favorite stores, Goldsmith’s in Memphis. Goldsmiths would often open late at night for Elvis so that he could shop privately.

 

Suede Shearling Coat- Elvis Wearing 2

These are two of the three supplied photos of Elvis wearing the coat.

Suede Shearling Coat - Elvis Wearing

Elvis gave this coat to Richard Davis who took care of his wardrobe and eventually became Elvis’ wardrobe manager. With three supporting photos, I thought the minimum bid of $6,000 was reasonable. Shows how much I know. Nobody bid.

 

Blue Track Suit with Red and White Stripes:

Elvis' Blue Track Suit with Red and White Stripes - Both Views

 

Elvis owned and wore this blue track suit with red and white stripes. He wore it at Graceland and when traveling on his plane. Elvis gave the track suit to Aunt Delta.

It does come with a photo, but the auction website says “Comes with a photo of the same track suit, or one virtually the same (I added the italics).” That might have tampered the enthusiasm of the bidders, and surely the minimum bid of $5,000 did.

 

Burgundy Patent Leather Boots:

Elvis' Burgundy Patent Leather Boots

Burgundy patent leather boots that Elvis wore off-stage for his casual every day wear. They ended up with Charlie Hodge who make a surprising statement in his letter of provenance: “Elvis’ shoe size varied from size 10 to 12.5 depending on the make of the shoes or boots.”

Here’s an included photo which the website says shows Elvis wearing the same, or very similar boots. There’s not even much of the boots showing. The estimate was $5 – 7,000, but again no bids.

 

 

Gotta Have Rock and Roll

So, a total of six items of Elvis’ wardrobe drew no bids. I’ve mentioned several possible reasons for this unheard of occurrence. But I think the big problem was that this Gotta Have Rock & Roll auction featured memorabilia from dozens of singers and bands. It probably attracted many bidders with no interest in Elvis.

On the other hand, the Graceland Auctions are 100% Elvis items, and they are scheduled to be part of big events like Elvis Week. My suggestion to the owners of the no-bid items here is to try again at the Graceland Auction in January 2019. With slightly lower minimum bids on the Stay Away Joe jacket and the track suit, I think every one of six items will draw multiple bidders and sell.

 

 

© 2018 Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister All Rights Reserved www.ElvisBlog.net

 

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Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

 

Elvis in Short Sleeves

EP Monogrammed Elvis Short Sleeve

There are lots of photos out there showing Elvis as a fashion icon.

Cool Elvis Out the Sun Roof

In fact, in March 2010, Graceland introduced a new exhibit called Elvis Presley: Fashion King. According to the press release at the time, it explores the fashion trends ushered in by the King of Rock & Roll.

Elvis Presley Fashion King Logo

 

The best fashion photos of Elvis came from his later years when he wore some stunning clothes. Even his casual wear during that period was notable.

Graceland Fashion King Exhibit

 

But in the fifties and early sixties, when Elvis dressed casually, he wore a number of short sleeve shirts with no particular fashion statement.

Elvis in Very Plain Short Sleeve

Not only did he wear short sleeve shirts, he rolled up the sleeves.

Elvis on Phone in Short Sleeves

 

Sullen Elvis in Short Sleeve

The top few buttons were almost always open.

Elvis with Short Sleeves Rolled up, Buttons Open, Collar Up

 

Elvis Signing Autographs Wearing Short Sleeve

There are a lot of photos of Elvis wearing this shirt.

Elvis WearingCustom Made Pink Gabardine Short Sleeve Shirt

When Elvis first started getting into stylish clothes, he went to Lansky Bros. in Memphis. This custom made Lansky shirt from 1956 sold for $2,925 at a 2013 Gotta Have It auction.

 

Elvis during Rehersal for Ed Sullivan Show

Elvis wore this shirt while rehearsing for the Ed Sullivan Show in 1956. It shows another common Elvis preference – the collar turned up.

 

Elvis Wearing Short Sleeve in Girls, Girls, Girls

Elvis had all of his favorite early shirt features going in this shot from Girls, Girls, Girls – rolled-up short sleeves, open buttons, and turned up collar.

Elvis in Plain Black Short Sleeve

But, he doesn’t have them here. Looks pretty plain for Elvis, doesn’t it?

 

60s Elvis in Short Sleeve 1

This is older Elvis in unusually conservative clothing. Still rolling up those sleeves, though.

 

Elvis in Short Sleeve Like a Regular Tourist

Elvis looks like he could be just another tourist in Hawaii in this shot.

Elvis Wearing Faux Suspenders Short Sleeve

This looks like faux suspenders to me.

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Elvis did make attempts to get some fashion elements into his short sleeve shirts with so-so results

Elvis in Jazzed Up Short Sleeve

Young Elvis in Decorative Short Sleeve

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However, there is one shirt that doesn’t look very sharp by itself, but it shines when a sport coat is added to the ensemble.

Short Sleeve Shirt Worn by Elvis while Singing Hound Dod on Milton Berle Show

 

Elvis Doing Hound Dog on Milton Berle Show

This is Elvis performing “Hound Dog” on the June 5, 1956 Milton Berle Show. If you don’t know all about how Elvis’ gyrations that night ignited a firestorm of protest, you need to brush up on your Elvis history

. Black rayon shirt with pink yoke worn by Elvis Presley on The Milton Berle Show on June 5, 1956

I don’t know if the other parts of Elvis’ outfit from that landmark performance still exist, but the shirt sold for $51,000 at the Julien’s Music Icons Auction in June 2010. Not bad for an ugly short sleeve shirt.

 

 

© 2016 Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister All Rights Reserved www.ElvisBlog.net

 

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Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.