Royal Blue Fireworks (aka) Owl Jumpsuit (1972)

[thejumpsuitman]

Perhaps 'altering' was just another word for "we've put the original in the box again, and ordered a replica that matches the same color as the discolored suit"

Albert, yours is a great example of climbing up a tree to believe a story when you can just stand on the ground and believe the truth.

Although I must say that I would be much more willing to believe that there were two suits. (However I do not believe that). If they ordered a replacement purple suede belt, it would still have to perfectly match the "accidental" purple color. (which is impossible, by the way... blue and red make purple) And if they ordered a replacement, it's amazing that they also replaced all the stars in exactly the same place, using both gold and silver as well as gold and silver chain. It would have to have been done in mid '72 because after that, they changed the way they constructed the belts. They stopped sewing facing on the top and bottom and turning them under.

[thejumpsuitman]

Hi Brad,

What I was going to say is that this belt is one of the few belts which is not made out of leather!
If you look close you can see that it's made of other material. (can't think of the name of it right now).
That material was dyed. And the color has changed.

Later on IC made another blue suit: the lucky suit (currently on display in Hollywood casino in Tunica).
I made photos using flash there (which was allowed). And also that suit has faded colors and now looks more purple then blue.
Also that gabardine material was dyed before the suit was made.

So my conclusion would be that both suits and the belt was blue. But that using dry cleaning had it's effect on the dye.
Not a cleaning mistake, but just it's natural causes of cleaning.
Although it remains strange as to why blue would change into purple. Obviously the belt wasn't washed. But color changed nonetheless.

Attachment 51977

Blue fades to a dull grayish blue kind of like the way the purple in the belt is fading to a light dull purple. We are just not going to agree with each other, but that's okay. By the way, Tandy Leather Factory STILL sells that exact color purple suede... 100% identical to the purple suede with which the belt was made. Perhaps I will go by there with my camera and take a picture (as long as it doesn't turn out blue )

One interesting thing is that it looks like the owl head was pewter plated or painted with gold. Look how it is rubbing off.

[thejumpsuitman]

This is an original unused Owl buckle from "La Mode" company. This is how the Owl would have looked on Elvis' belt when it was brand new...

[Albert]

Blue fades to a dull grayish blue kind of like the way the purple in the belt is fading to a light dull purple. We are just not going to agree with each other, but that's okay. By the way, Tandy Leather Factory STILL sells that exact color purple suede... 100% identical to the purple suede with which the belt was made. Perhaps I will go by there with my camera and take a picture (as long as it doesn't turn out blue )

One interesting thing is that it looks like the owl head was pewter plated or painted with gold. Look how it is rubbing off.

Interesting reading, thanks!

If you do make a picture, take a color chart with you and hold it next to the piece you're going to take a picture of. This way you can restore the blue values altered by your camera later on.

example:

[merry77]

the owl was pewter or silver plated. Never gold.
Blue and silver match better then blue and gold. Notice how often the blue suits have silver studs (lucky suit, 75 twopiece).

Can you elaborate a bit more on they way they constructed the belts differently?
I don't completely follow.

[thejumpsuitman]

But the belt has gold stars as well as silver, and the chain is also one piece gold, one piece silver.... Also, this was a purple suit, not blue.. (Couldn't resist, sorry... All in good fun. )

On the belt construction... Only in in 1971 and 1972 were the belts made from genuine leather, (or in this case suede leather). Afterward, they were made from vinyl. (with maybe a couple exceptions) My theory is that they found vinyl much more durable and much easier to clean.

To make one of the early leather belts, the fronts were covered in leather then trimmed flush to the edges at which point they sewed facings, of matching leather to the edges. The facing leather was most likely skived, (thinned) then sewn right side to right side to the top and botton edges, glued, then wrapped tightly around to the back, creating a welt on the top and bottom edge. An additional piece of leather was then attached to the full back side, thereby hiding the edges, stud prongs, etc. If you look closely, you will notice this welt feature on the Red Lion belt, the Fireworks belt, the Spectrum belt and the Owl belt. All of these belts are genuine leather.

On later belts, starting in late 1972, they simply wrapped the vinyl around the backing material as one piece without using a welt. The Aloha belt is a good example of this. I can see why they changed the process as number one, the feature is hardly noticeable for the amount of work it would have taken, also, since they started using vinyl, the welt would have been too large and prominent since vinyl is thicker than the leather they used and cannot be skived down any thinner. Perhaps I will make a mock-up to show what I mean.

[thejumpsuitman]

On the owl head itself, I personally believe it was originally plated gold. Look at the beak and eyeballs, how the color has rubbed off. The Owl head I photographed was brand new in the package from the 1970's, and it is gold plated pewter. If it was originally pewter, what is the color that is rubbing off? Also, that would explain why they chose to incorporate gold into the belt with gold chain and gold stars when everything else on the suit is silver.

[merry77]

The several owl heads I've gathered most of them are silver color.
The suit actually have nailheads that are gold and painted silver. Only the belt indeed uses two color studs (gold and silver). But most studs are silver.

The photo I showed wasn't mine and was taken with a flash. I have looked at one of my photos and indeed the two different colors can be seen.
Now the question is: was it gold painted silver?
or was it silver painted gold?

[merry77]

if I look at an original photo I see that the owls are silver color.

[thejumpsuitman]

I could certainly be wrong on the Owl head.... But you bring up a good question. Gold painted silver or silver pained gold? On the studs that you say are gold painted silver, I would like to see a picture of that. Actually those nailheads are all brass to begin with. But the nickel is very brittle. I wonder if what you saw is the nickel plating flaking off.

[TCBDavid]

if I look at an original photo I see that the owls are silver color.

i hate to point this out but that is a black and white picture that has been coloured in after the fact, its quite apparent because of the block colour and lack of texture so its no good for determining anything

[ntgb]

ITS CALLED THE ROYAL BLUE FIREWORKS - the name says it all ......

[merry77]

then have a look at the video Lost performances or This is Elvis.

[thejumpsuitman]

ITS CALLED THE ROYAL BLUE FIREWORKS - the name says it all ......

This is the name since when?... Last year? I've never even heard of this name until it was posted here. This suit has always been known as the Owl suit until very recently. And only by those who accept the myth that there were "official names" from the beginning. I don't believe it.

My case and the proof I have presented are irrefutable. People just don't want to believe it.

I am just amazed that a story is believed without any scrutiny. If somebody has a valuable or delicate piece of clothing, where do you take it? You take it to the dry cleaners... Because they are so cautious and are professionals and experts at safely cleaning things that you cannot clean yourself. Do you know how incredibly rare it is to destroy a piece of clothing at the cleaners?

And the material was originally white?... But all wool is white to begin with... Just look at a sheep! Dye is dye, whether it was done at a factory or in a washing machine. Wool and cotton are the most absorbent and dye-friendly materials on the face of the earth. The whole blue to purple story is nonsense. The only proof we have of the color is a purple suit and a purple belt sitting on display at Graceland.

If somebody can disprove my evidence and provide a LOGICAL, PROVABLE explanation as to why the suit is now contains a red element, turning blue to purple, I will listen. Otherwise, I say it was always purple.

[thejumpsuitman]

I went to the local Tandy Leather store today. Mike McGregor bought his horse tack hardware and leather goods from Tandy years ago. I found the exact same color suede that was used on Elvis' belt. Here is a picture I took of it... The manager allowed me to go outside so I could take the picture in direct sunlight. He himself said that the only way to get the color to come across accurately was to go outside. (I don't think there were any pictures of Elvis in the Owl suit out in the sunlight, are there?)



The gentleman running the store was about 65 years old and a 30+year veteran of leather working. I showed him the picture and asked him if there was any way that the leather in the belt used to be blue... He said "No way." He said suede might fade to a lighter color, but not change colors.

[Jumpsuit Junkie]

Although I find this continuing information and detail fascinating, I have to ask one very simple question......

If Gene Doucette created this Jumpsuit In purple, why does he with the help of Butch now make Blue replica's? I realise the material they are using will be different to scale down the cost and modern techniques mean fabrics are colour-fast. So why would they perpetuate an error instead of correcting it?

[merry77]

okay, the following images are screencaptures from the 1981 movie This is Elvis.

You can see Elvis when he is walking in. If my eyes don't deceive me the color I see is blue.
There is ample light which you can see by the reasonably sharp shadow on the wall.

And you know what?
I think I know why they won't show the cape at Graceland. Because that would tell the truth. The cape hasn't been going to the dry cleaners. And the cape will still be the original color.
Of all other suits they show you the capes, but not this one. I have no record of Elvis gaving away this cape or Graceland selling it.

[merry77]

Also if you go to Tunica Hollywood casino you can see the lucky suit and you can see the color is faded to purple whereas it was blue at first. There are patches on the suit not affected by the discoloration and you can see that the suit is more blue of color there.

You can also see that the lining is blue on the lucky suit. Again, they don't show you the arms and the lining of the navy fireworks, because by that you can tell what the original color was. The lining was of different material that has not been dyed.

[thejumpsuitman]

That footage is still taken indoors under artificial lighting, probably halogen tungsten or florescent which distorts the color.

As to why do they use blue instead of purple? First of all, I don't think they know anything but what they have seen in pics, and they have given their laundry story. Secondly, was Gene Doucette working with Bill Belew in 1971 when they probably actually started making the suit? And if so, that is 40 years ago. How sure would you be of a color used 40 years ago? I'm sure they use royal that's what people want. I make Royal blue Owl suits for the same reason. In any event, it was not the deep Royal purple that is available, nor was it the bright Lapis blue that is used. It is more of a "grape" color which is in between.

You can ask "Why don't they show the cape?" But the better question is why is the belt purple?

We are just going around in circles, and it's all for fun anyway, but I have put forth an independent witness and a load of evidence that would win in any court.

[merry77]

and I suppose this photographer also didn't know what he was doing?
Sorry, but that I just don't buy.
The color is obviously different now. That purple really is not the color the suit was when it was made.

Yes color is slightly different under lighting, but it doesn't make purple blue. The difference is there, but not that big.