Reply With QuoteThank you Leroy for all your interesting information regarding these jumpsuits.
Tommy
More Were Made
No They Were The Same Ones!
Elvis had an other taste in suits than most of us. The suits we consider to be the real beauties didn't really seem to interest him. For example; he hated the color red. In that light it's understandable he wore the "Red Matador" only three or four times. The same goes for the 1975 "Red Bird" . But like you I will always wonder why the beautiful "Peacock", "Mad Tiger" and "Chinese Dragon" were not used during the later years. I'm pretty sure these suits belonged to the ones that could be let out. Maybe, and this is pure a twist of my mind, it had something to do with the fact that Priscilla had something to do with the designs of these three above mentioned suits. The human psyche could work in a mysterious way. But again...it's pure speculation.
Another thing is that all suits he wore from the period between October 1976 until the end has an Native American en Native Mexican theme (except for the "Colourful Flame Suit"). Maybe we have to look in that direction to find some answers.
Thank you Leroy for all your interesting information regarding these jumpsuits.
Tommy
I dream a world where man no other man
will scorn. Where LOVE will bless the earth
and peace its paths adorn...
Thanks for the reply Leroy, Just to take this a little further, It seems unusual that given Elvis wore The Indian Feather in the early part of 1977, did something happen to this suit that stopped Elvis wearing it and rely so much on the Mexican Sundial?
Looking at Images from Feb 1977 of Elvis wearing the Indian Feather there was certainly plenty of room for the more weighty Elvis!
Matt
To tell you the truth it beats me. Space technical I guess the "Indian Feather" was less tight than the "Mexican Sundial". They really "larged" it out. My first reaction would be he didn't care enough anymore. But after a while that thought comes too easy, too cheap, too un-Elvis. So I suspect there's more to it but right now I can't put my finger on it. Looking at the tour sceduels there's a pattern.
In February 1977 the "Mexican Sundial" was only worn twice on an amount of 10 concerts.
In March he wore it every other day altering with the "Ace of Spades".
Then in April/May he wore it 10 times over 13 concerts. The other suit was again the "Ace of Spades".
In May/June it was only the "Mexican Sundial" 14 times in a row.
And finally in June he wore it 9 times on ten shows. Only one time he used the "Ace of Spades". Just a tiny detail; the "Ace of Spades" is also missing some cuff buttons.
And I really wonder what would have happened if the August tour had been fulfilled...........
I guess it was as easy as it seems. Elvis didn't care! He sang the songs he always sang and he wore the suits he always wore. Every time his mood was good (like by mid 1975 or in the end of 1976) he changed his suits and sang different songs. But in the end, he just wasn't interested in such things and it didn't bother him too much, that his suits looked a little worn out. Even for his television show he wasn't interested to wear something special. He just had lost interest.
I think that Elvis did care, I think Illness and apathy robbed him of the will to go the extra mile in some casesOriginally Posted by orwell1976
JJ
But the thing that's keeping me thinking is that Elvis himself was not responsible for the choice of stage wear. Someone else was in charge........
I know, Elvis was so stupid, that he didn't decide for himself. The colonel told him what to wear, what to eat, what drugs to take and who to have a relationship with...
Last edited by Sonny; 11-22-2005 at 05:20 AM.
Even if Elvis wasn't responsible for the choice I'm pretty sure after wearing the Sundial so many times he would have expressed some concern if he wasn't happy
Matt
Orwell1976, it has nothing to do with stupidity. Elvis had a team of people with several responsibilities. If you are an artist the only thing you want to concern yourself with is your art, your songs, your performance. And not with all kinds of details that would lead away your attention from what you came to do.
Matt, what precisely do you mean with "something happened with the other suits"? You mean damages?
Yes perhaps ripped or in a bad shape that Elvis didn't want to wear them?
Take a look at the Ace of Spades Feb 19th 1977, It looks fine and it is infinately better than the Sundial! (Picture Below)
Also if you look at the Inca Gold Leaf from 1976 this again looks great!
And the Indian Feather looks like it has room to spare.
The white Bird certainly could have been used as in 1976.
Its a shame that these were not evenly spread accross the later tours of 1977
JJ
Orwell1976, it has nothing to do with stupidity. Elvis had a team of people with several responsibilities. If you are an artist the only thing you want to concern yourself with is your art, your songs, your performance. And not with all kinds of details that would lead away your attention from what you came to do.
Matt, what precisely do you mean with "something happened with the other suits"? You mean damages?
__________________
"If the songs don't go over, we can do a medley of costumes..." (Elvis in TTWII - August 1970)
I didn't say that Elvis decided everything by himself. BUT it was his show and no one told him to stick with one jumpsuit! You have to get used to the idea, that Elvis wasn't in a good mental condition by the end of his life.
I don't have to get used to that idea about his mental condition because I already am for over 25 years. And you are right about that. In that case it could also have been a matter of turning over the responsibility. Let's face it; at that particular time he had enough on his mind.
Matt, you are absolutely right about the other suits. They would have fitted him and they were truly in a better shape. During the last tour he used the "Ace of Spades" one time and he looked great in it. Especially if he used the original belt with it. I guess it's about time I turn this matter over to the well known source.
The counterpart of this story is the absence of the "Mexican Sundial" for about three years. This suit was first introduced during the October 1974 engagement in Lake Tahoe. He wore it a couple of times and then it was never been seen until February 1977. Why the gap??
Few opinions about suits:
If there are two versions of Blue Rainbow Suit (I don´t believe that....) and Indian Feather Suit (I doubt about it), there have to be two versions of Inca Suit too. See the pics from 1976 last tour of that year....
But IMO - there has to be two versions of Mexican Sundial Suits. Yes, 1974 version seems a bit "larger" than should be, but... I´m sorry, Elvis put on a lot of weight to June 1977 and that suit still seems to be OK to him. See to the pics from 18th June 77 - King of Spades was made in 74 too, and that suit seems not to fit.... And he looked same as in this suit in Mexican Sundial... IMO - there had to be 2 versions of Mexican.
(Blackmore - Gillan - Glover - Lord - Paice)
Sweet child in time
you?ll see the line
line that?s drawn between
good and bad
see the blind man
shooting at the world
bullets flying taking toll
If you?ve been a bad
oh Lord I bet you have
and you?ve not been hit
by flying led
you?d better close your eyes
you?d better bow your head and
wait for the ricochet
- Lyrics of most beautiful song in rock music ever!!!
Peter, if you would have read my earlier posts carefully you could have read that the suits were made to let out if nessecary. I talked to the man who worked on the suit and even reorganized the cuff buttons when they started to fall off. He also repaired some of the stones that were damaged by the cleaners. Bottom line is: there was/is only one "Mexican Sundial". This is not even an IMO but a FACT.
The only suits that were duplicated were the 1970 "White Nail" and the 1973 "Aloha Bald Headed Eagle". If you look closely to the 1974 pictures of the "Mexican Sundial" you can see that the suit's already larger than other suits.
And if a second version would have exist then why would one version be so damaged. He could have simply atered the suits, but he didn't. He wore it completely off.
the only jumpsuit that had 2 alike were aloha and the flame thats it the reason is for the flame being double is the first flame was with red kick pleats that was to small for him so they had to make a 2nd one for him just a day or so before his concert and the one that he did ware was the 2nd one and you can see him waring it that had the orange kick pleats
there was only 1 sundial made the reason people thought there were 2 is because of elvis's weight and the button on his sleeve the suit was enlarged to fit him better over the years and the button came off thats it
the reason that he wore the sundial more aside from the peacock suit the sundial was his all time favorite one
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