The King of Fashion: Elvis Inspired Outfits in 2022
The Elvis Movie is in Theaters on June 24!
If you’re new around here or only read the blog and don’t follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you might have missed this…
About a month ago, a rep from Warner Bros. Pictures reached out to me regarding the upcoming Elvis biopic. The movie was written, directed, and produced by Baz Luhrman (known for other cinematic delights like The Great Gatsby, Moulin Rouge, and Romeo and Juliet). And the costumes were designed by Oscar award-winning costume designer Catherine Martin (who is also Baz’s wife).
The reason Warner Bros. contacted me was that there is a considerable fashion element to this movie. In fact, the studio gave a directive to find stylists in various markets and have them put together updated Elvis and Priscilla looks from local stores. As a total fashion nerd and the lucky stylist they picked in the Cleveland market, I jumped at the opportunity to get a sneak peek of the movie AND have some really artistic fun producing these looks.
Just to give a bit of background…
As I mentioned above, Catherine Martin is the movie’s costume designer, and her track record is impeccable. She won academy awards for both Moulin Rouge and The Great Gatsby. And in reading about her process for the Elvis movie, I was intrigued. Martin said she took well-known photos of Elvis and Priscilla and used those looks to tie in a theme for the designs. Specifically, her goal was to give a solid nod to the image of the king without looking like an exact replica or a Halloween costume.
Martin partnered with the fashion houses of Prada and Miu Miu to design all of the costumes. Collaborating with a designer such as Miuccia Prada takes the style in the movie to a whole new level. Additionally, it helps the fashion feel current and relevant for today.
The other interesting aspect to take note of is that the film covers three different eras of fashion. And that is not an easy feat. Capturing the look and feel of a single era is difficult enough, but three? Synthesizing the mood of the times while being true to historic photos and still having it all exhibit a contemporary vibe is exactly why there is major buzz about Catherine Martin scoring yet another Oscar nomination.
Fun facts:
For Austin Butler, who plays Elvis, there were 90 costumes for him alone!
Elvis Presley didn’t have a stylist - he had a true sense of his own style.
There were over 9,000 costumes for the stars and extras, spanning 3 decades.
Because of Covid and sanitizing costumes, they needed ⅓ more clothes to hold in stock.
Olivia Dejonge’s Priscilla wig was a huge bouffant, but it had baby hairs laced on the edge to help it look more real.
Elvis-Inspired Outfits
Even if we didn’t grow up with Elvis, we are all familiar with his unique style. Specifically, items like his white studded jumpsuit and cape. However, for this assignment, I focused on his earlier looks. I believe the fashion from his younger years is both more relevant today and also where Elvis originally developed his distinct style.
For each model (who, by the way, were the BEST sports), I focused on a look inspired by an era and the movie. And then focused on how some of those Elvis or Priscilla-inspired items could be worn in real life. So the photo on the model is the TV, slightly over-the-top version, and the collage is how I imagine they could translate the look into a real-life outfit.
Modern Elvis
Modeled by Jess
Early in the movie, as well as in his career, Elvis wore a lot of pinks. While I could have dressed Jess in a whole pink suit, my goal was to find pieces that they might really want to wear in real life. Possibly not styled exactly the way we did for the TV segment, but wearable. So, a whole pink suit was a little extra, even for a fashion-forward guy like Jess.
Instead, I opted for a black linen suit from H&M and paired it with a hot pink silk shirt and some super snazzy, two-tone oxford shoes. The reality is Jess might wear the pink shirt with jeans or the shoes with a more toned-down outfit. But he could definitely wear the suit in multiple ways. Putting it with a colorful short-sleeved polo-style shirt and suede driving mocs gives it a definite 2022 vibe.
A Modern Priscilla
Modeled by Maggie
Honestly, there are not many photos available of Olivia Dejonge as Priscilla. But when I saw this Alice and Olivia dress it felt so Priscilla to me. And it also felt like something very modern. For the TV spot I paired the dress with a vintage bag and sling-back shoes. I also added rhinestone shoe clips I picked up at a vintage shop - but you can find similar items on amazon.
The hair and makeup team from ManeChic did an incredible job, giving Maggie a subtle bouffant (which btw, took A LOT of teasing and hairspray), as well as a double-wing eye.
For the modern interpretation, I’d pair the dress with a silver strappy sandal and a white bag for a monochromatic look. And I also think when wearing a vintage feeling outfit, keeping the hair and makeup non-era specific helps the look feel less costume-like.
Elvis, King of Style
Modeled by Joey
As Elvis’s life and the movie progress, his style becomes somewhat darker and bolder. Tighter pants, exaggerated collars, and a neckerchief that’s typical of the time period.
Joey’s outfit is from J3 Men’s Clothiers. The dark floral shirt, black jeans, and textured blazer would absolutely be worn today to deliver a modern, edgy vibe. I added a neck scarf from Madewell and a scarf ring I found at Monarch Vintage. There are also the little touches that might not have “registered” on TV. Like the multiple silver rings Joey had on both hands. A tip to the king (who loved his accessories). And also these rings are made by our other model, Jess. He is a talented silversmith. To get more information contact Jess here.
There are just a few changes to make this outfit something Joey would wear today. Just loosing the glasses and neck scarf, that alone makes it. And then I also swapped the dark top for a classic white button down and sneakers for the monkstrap shoes - and now he’s current, cool and business casual.
Early 70s Priscilla
Modeled by Audrey
There are some key scenes where Priscilla is wearing a stunning orange skirt set. I was jumping up and down when I found this at Zara. To give it more of a mod feel I matched it with a white shoe and a patchwork bag. I also asked the ManeChic team to make Audrey’s hair less bouffant and more early 70’s Priscilla. I love everything about this!
To take the orange outfit and make it more real-life wearable, I put the top with jeans and more strappy white sandals - it is something she could wear now and yet it has the inspiration of Priscilla.
This was such a fun, creative project to work on - AND, the movie is a cinematic delight. Definitely get some snacks because it’s 3 hours - and IMHO worth every minute.
Elvis is in theaters Jun 24, 2022.