Stars and Stripes Jumpsuit

[nabelt24]

Thought that this might interest a few of you jumpsuit junkies!!!

Elvis? costume designer Gene Doucette presented a jumpsuit this past month called ?Stars and Stripes? which had originally been drawn up by Gene for Elvis.

There were a number of patriotic ?idea? sketches in the ?73-?74 time period after Elvis and the fans reacted so positively to the first Eagle suit which was beamed out all over the world from Hawaii via satellite in 1973. However, after Elvis started gaining weight around l974, Gene changed course with many of these ideas as he felt, like any good designer, that his primary responsibility was to design clothing that would be complimentary to his client?s image.

Made by Butch and Kim Polston of B & K Enterprises, the ?Stars & Stripes? suit was exclusively produced and tailored for ETA Rob Ainslie and is a "one and only." How he was bestowed with this honor, I've no idea?


Now, can you imagine Elvis in this suit??? What is your opinion here???

[Danny Ocean]

It is a nice suit, but I don't think Elvis would look great in it. It has something but, look for yourself;-)

[KPM]

To tell the truth it reminds me of the suit Evil Knievel wore during the 70s during his motorcycle jumps and shows. I doubt Elvis would have worn it since it really does resemble Knievels quite a bit. On the other hand Knievel based his suit on Elvis and his stage suits. What a circle.

[nabelt24]

Cool job, Danny!

Here's some info on Gene Doucette in case you were wondering...

In 1972, Gene started doing the designing on Elvis Presley’s costumes. Because Gene worked in the background, Bill Belew’s name became synonymous with Elvis Costumes. In the 1970’s, Bill Belew was (and still is) in big demand. He was busy doing television shows and movies, so he would give Gene the blank suits and Gene would design them himself. Gene designed most of the suits from 1972 until Elvis’ death. He designed the more elaborate suits such as the Aloha, Peacock, Sundial, Tiger, and American Eagle. The list goes on and on.

[Lee82]

To tell the truth it reminds me of the suit Evil Knievel wore during the 70s during his motorcycle jumps and shows.

That was the first thing that came to my mind! :lol:

[Abbi]

This suit is absolutely horrible. It is tacky and in bad taste. Elvis already has an image problem because of the extravagant jumpsuits but this one is the worst i've seen.

[THENATUREBOY]

Thank God Elvis never wore this jumpsuit!

[boogie]

Can not imagine Elvis on stage in this suit....(n)

[nabelt24]

Just a note here... I never said I liked this suit. I really don't care for it myself, but did find it interesting. I do think, however, that it would be cool to see some other designs?

[THENATUREBOY]

Just a note here... I never said I liked this suit. I really don't care for it myself, but did find it interesting. I do think, however, that it would be cool to see some other designs?

It would definitely be awesome to see some of the other designs that were drawn up for Elvis . (y)

[Leroy]

This suit is absolutely horrible. It is tacky and in bad taste. Elvis already has an image problem because of the extravagant jumpsuits but this one is the worst i've seen.

Elvis didn't had an image problem because of his jumpsuits, at least not during his life time. If he has an image problem now it's because of all those horrible impersonators with the personality of a bag of salt and suits that look like shit and because of fans who are not able to see his wardrobe through the eyes of the seventies and judge everything with the standard of this day.

If Gene had designed this suit during Elvis life time it would have been up to Elvis to accept it or not. I'm sure that if this suit would have been a part of Elvis' wardrobe and would have worn it several times (prior to 1974) people would have looked and reacted differently. I mean he did wore the 1976 "Colourful Flame Suit" too and this one is liked by a lot of people.

I would like to thank Nabel24 for bringing this suit under our attention. I had an appointment on January 12th to meet Gene and Butch Polston in Amsterdam right after the Blackpool Tribute. I had met with Butch before in Rotterdam last year. These are very genuine people. Gene would never dress Elvis up in something that would not become him. Sad thing is that all over the word Bill Belew is seen as The Man while Gene had to stand and work in the shadow. He never got the chance to share his ideas one on one with Elvis who never even knew about Gene's existence. He was kept away. But it was Gene who gave Elvis (and us) the most fantastic designs and theme's.
Bill invented the jumpsuit as we came to know them and was also responsible for Elvis' private wardrobe. Gene started to work on them at the end of 1971 and kinda took over in 1972. He lowered the collar, widened the flares and shaped the suits into something perfect.

[nabelt24]

Thank you for your post, Leroy! I'm glad you enjoyed seeing this thread! I do agree, that if we had seen Elvis himself wearing this suit, we would probably look at it completely different.

[orwell1976]

I'm just glad I don't have to see Elvis wearing that suit. (n) (n) (n)

[Danny Ocean]

You know what I like to see? Original suits in diffrent colors, like a black Aloha suit. Or a Red Sundial. With diffrent color stones and all that. It would be awesome I think!

[0349054]

Just cant see Elvis getting into a suit like that. It's screams of tacky, cheap and impersonator.

[marshallking]

I saw this suit close up and i dont think Elvis would have worn it,its not a flattering suit as the legs are too narrow ,no kickpleat,and no crash helmet.

does anyone have any pics of the belt Elvis wore in TTWII rehearsal when he wore the b&w floral shirt?

any closeups of the snowflake belt?

[EnigmaticSun]

Well, I would prefer seeing his Bicentennial suits instead of this one. I don't mind America being a nation, but the suit has got to be both esthetical & practical. I don't like the way the pattern of coulours is being displayed - too much on the top and the bottom, though too little in the centre. On top of that the legs are too narrow. One other point to note is that the suit would have to leave enough space for some karate movements (I don't know how flexible this stars & stripes suit is)...

I like to look at Elvis' jumpsuits because he did understand something about cosmology and the stars. There were mythological themes: the phoenix, the sun, the dragon, the tiger, the eagle and many others... Elvis had developed an understanding of all the religions with Abraham as their root father, but also knew a lot about the Chinese Zodiac and the story of Native Americans.

Funny thing to note is that Elvis was looking for themes which he considered to be suitable. I recall him wearing many suits with a bird's theme, but none had the theme of the serpent as far as I know.

[Leroy]

Well, I would prefer seeing his Bicentennial suits instead of this one.

There were no "Bicentennial Suits". These names were invented by fans in retrospect. These suits were called "Egyptian Birds". The only American thing was on the belt of the "Blue Egyptian Bird" where you can see the presidential seal. The only suits with American themes were the "Aloha Bald Headed Eagle" and the 1974 "American Eagle".

[Jumpsuit Junkie]

A couple of things to add here really, firstly I am convinced that the design has been influenced by the passing of time and modern design hence the lack of kick pleats and flaired bottoms, secondly this design seems to be too far removed from anything that Elvis wore throughout his career circa 1969-1977. The Aloha Jumpsuit is and was the only Jumpsuit that really shouted out I am American like no other suit before or after.

I agree with Leroy that there were some Jumpsuits that perhaps didn't quite hit the mark as others did, but overall there was a theme to which the design had a story to tell, detail which to anyone sitting three rows back would not have been able to see..... but it was there!, the earlier Jumpsuits were simplistic but stylish.

The Stars and Sripes suit somehow lacks the panache of previous Jumpsuits designed by Gene Doucette when you consider some of the other Jumpsuits made for Elvis between 1973-74 e.g. Black Spanish Flower, Egyptian Pharaoh, American Eagle & king of Spades. The Stars & Stripes seems a little too crude and upfront in comparison. It would perhaps have been better suited to a Two Piece. The leg design is reminiscent of the Black Aztec & Dark Blue Gypsy, the top has a similar line as the Cisco Kids!

It also worth noting that all Jumpsuit designs from 1974 onwards had no Stones or design on the sleeves.

Overall I think the Jumpsuits that Elvis wore were of a more sophisticated design that although could be classed as showmanlike retained a sense of dignity and style

The Stars and Stripes Jumpsuit has the same heritage but regrettably not the same pedigree

Matt

[nabelt24]

Very well said, Matt!!!(y)

[thejumpsuitman]

No disrespect to Mr. Doucette, but I don't care for it either. Another thing to consider is that in the US, some are very sensitive when it comes to the American flag or stars and stripes. There is very specific etiquette and protocol in dealing with the flag and it's elements. Elvis, being an army veteran, would have known this. The suit, by many, especially with a military heritage, would have been considered to be in bad taste. On the other hand, the eagle, as a theme, was totally acceptable as a wearable patriotic symbol.

[EnigmaticSun]

There were no "Bicentennial Suits". These names were invented by fans in retrospect. These suits were called "Egyptian Birds". The only American thing was on the belt of the "Blue Egyptian Bird" where you can see the presidential seal. The only suits with American themes were the "Aloha Bald Headed Eagle" and the 1974 "American Eagle".

Thanks for your clarifying information. As far as I know Elvis started singing America The Beautiful in 1975 because America's bicentennial year was coming up - I recall him wearing these specific suits from this time on and I don't think he wore them in 1977, so that would add up to a 'bicentennial' theme. I don't proclaim to be a jumpsuit-expert, but I hope not to have confused anyone with my messages. Do you happen to know if Elvis wore the presidential seal because of America's bicentennial year? Anyway you look at it, I still prefer seeing the 'Egyptian Birds' instead of the Stars and Stripes design and that was the main idea. According to Mayan prophecy the eagle rules the north and the condor the south; the eagle theme was suitable for Elvis.. Eagles are also considered to be the kings among animals, just like the lion and the bull. The eagle keeps it's eyes focused upon the truth, soaring in the heavens and looking for a meal to catch with it's mighty claws.

[Danny Ocean]

My opinion is that the bald headed eagle suit was made at the right time for the right moment with the right details and pattrons