S U N DAY, M AY 1, 2016 S TA R T R I B U N E SA15

Prince of pop,
king of style
By AIMEE BLANCHETTE aimee.blanchette@startribune.com

Prince was more than a musical virtuoso; he was a veritable style

magnate. Onstage and off, his style transcended narrow gender
constructs and pushed boundaries for what fashion means for both
men and women.
For Prince, fashion meant Lycra jumpsuits, high-stacked heels,
leopard print, bespoke suits and everything in between.
His image was just as important as the music, said Stacia Lang, a
costume designer for Prince in the early 90s. One couldnt be without
the other. The combination made him so powerful.
Prince seemed to get tired of a look before anyone else had the
chance to, whipsawing from a buttoned-up black and white polka dot
suit to a butt-baring citron yellow jumpsuit.
He was a true artist in every sense of the word, said Sherry Heart,
a hairstylist for Prince in the 90s. He made a career out of manifesting
his fantasy.

FA S H I O N I C O N : Princes style was undefinable, marrying influ-

ences from disco, hip-hop, jazz, history and high fashion to create
a look all his own. He broke every fashion rule in the book, but was
able to pull it off with incredible panache. His clothes were meant
to attract and they were typically out of the norm, said Gwen Leeds,
Princes longtime personal shopper. He was his own man.

Photos by Steven Parke (above), David Brewster, Star Tribune (bottom left),
Associated Press, Getty Images

E A R LY 8 0 S M I D - 80 S L AT E 8 0 S MID-90S 2011-PRE SENT

Leopard print, mane
Early on, record labels wanted
Prince to dress the part of an R&B
Casanova. Prince had other plans.
He wanted his style to reflect his
music, with its mix of rock, punk
and funk and lyrics dripping
with sex. He ditched his Afro for
a blown-out mane and traded his
Spandex pants for leopard-print
G-strings. High-heeled boots
became on-stage staples. Those
boots, said Leeds, had to be custom-
made with steel rods in the heels
to withstand his stage acrobatics.
Raspberry, ruffled
The release of his musical film
Purple Rain solidified Prince as
a fashion powerhouse. The king
of reinvention reigned on stage
in paisley-print jacquard fabrics
in swirls of raspberry and purple,
ruffled high-collar shirts, lace and
pearls. He knew what he liked,
and what he liked was nothing
you and I liked, said Leeds. This
dramatic look would go down in
history as quintessential Prince,
while earning him the moniker
The Purple One.
Tailored, flamboyant
Prince wanted to share his love
for Minneapolis with the world.
An hour before opening night of
the Lovesexy tour, he asked his
wardrobe staff if they could write
Minneapolis on the sleeve of his
perfectly tailored jacket. Yes, of
course. For as much as his style
changed through the years, there
were certain themes that stayed,
said Helen Hiatt, Princes ward-
robe director from 1985 to 1991.
His love of tailoring, his elegance,
and his flamboyance.
Symbolic protest
In 1993, after trading his name for
a symbol, Prince sashayed across
the stage in citron-yellow trou-
sers, sparkly embellishments, and
the word slave written on his
cheek. This was during a dispute
with Warner Bros., and was his
way of protesting. Nobody told
Prince how to dress or what to
do, said David Maderich, one of
Princes makeup artists. He had a
whole crew of people to bring his
ideas to life, but he always had the
last word. who seemed out of this world.
Third eye glasses
Until the very end, Prince was
outrageous, but never out of
style. There were no boundaries
between what might be perceived
as mens or womens fabrics or
styles, Lang said. He could wear
it all. In his later years, Prince
returned to his roots. He toned
down the sexy, but stayed as sub-
versive as ever, rocking a classic
Afro, tiny flared pants and exotic
tunics. His three-lensed sun-
glasses portrayed a musical guru