Fashion & Priscilla.
Famous for her signature black bouffant hair, hard cat-eye look, and vintage style, Priscilla Presley is one of the most iconic figures of mid-century fashion. Although the American businesswoman is most known for her tumultuous romance and marriage to singer Elvis Presley, her contributions to fashion are far more significant than the wife's title most people tend to focus on. And, as Sofia Coppola's new colorful biopic starring Cailee Spaeny in the lead role, hits cinemas, Priscilla style's impact has only become more evident.
With a distinctive sense of style, Priscilla Presley's fashion has grown with her, from hippie 60s to rock-and-roll-meets-Hollywood to 80s structured suits to long-sleeve minidresses, the iconic figure has worn outfits from a variety of designers including Prada, Chanel, Bill Belew, Neiman Marcus and more.
Some of her most beloved looks range from the bright Neiman Marcus pink collared dress worn after the birth of her daughter Lisa Marie in 1968 to a lilac-shirred puff-sleeve shirt and matching purple trousers to the iconic silk chiffon with a pearled neckline and sleeves embellished floor-length wedding gown from 1967, acquired during a shopping stroll to the Westwood department store in Los Angeles.
In Coppola’s production, the references are elaborate and almost too-authentic. For costume designer Stacey Battat, who also worked on Coppola’s The Bling Ring and The Beguiled, the couple's famous appearances were crucial points of reference in the planning of costumes of the movie. For Coppola’s Priscilla, Battat commissioned over 120 custom looks, and even Priscilla herself, although being an executive producer, worked in the costume department.
Inspired by a 1970 photo of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, the costume designer noticed how the two had differed in style and real life. Likewise, Battat and Coppola noted how uncomfortable Priscilla looked in the picture, which influenced their vision of the character and her style for the whole movie. Focused on transmitting the characters' psychological factors through their looks, Battat's let the film's garments convey a more subtle, private story of a woman creating her own identity.
The film starts with a young Priscilla Beaulieu, in pastel cardigans, comfy pinafore skirts, and a heart-shaped necklace, residing with her family in a U.S. Army base in Germany. While preparing the look, Battat and her team researched textile alternatives and outlines from the late '50s and early '60s, looking for inspiration in old Vogue and Harper's Bazaar editions. The group also consulted a candid of Priscilla, in a checkered dress with a see-through headscarf, replicated for the movie, bidding farewell to Elvis when he returned to the United States.
She later moves to Memphis, where she sees her life absolutely transformed. From gingham skirts,delicate pieces, and bows to dramatic opera gloves and appealing mini dresses, Priscilla suffers a severe style and beauty make-over. During their shopping trips, Elvis would advise Priscilla on what to wear, including urging her to dye her hair black and begin using eyeliner. As a result, Priscilla appears in exaggerated make-up, stylings, and outfits, such as a series of blue and pink outfits that Elvis has approved, without prints or browns, both of which he detested.
Although the transformation process of Priscilla's style and many other of her looks fascinate the audience, the most mentioned fashion occurrence in the film is undoubtedly the couple's marriage looks. The replica of Priscilla's wedding dress is custom Chanel since Coppola has been a brand ambassador of the French house since 2019. Much Elvis looks, on the other hand, came from Valentino - such as the wedding suit and the star's iconic knit pieces, such as reproductions of the turtleneck sweater worn in the 1957 film "Jailhouse Rock."
As the couple evolves, they start dressing differently. While the singer switches his leather coats and suits for bright, colorful, bold jumpsuits, Priscilla adopts the everyday 70s style with pants, many patterns, jeans, and her own fashion choices.
More than a fashion and beauty icon, Priscilla became a successful businesswoman when she partnered with stylist Olivia Bis in the ‘Bis & Beau boutique, which operated in Beverly Hills from 1974 until 1976. The label's in-house line, designed by a duo with a celebrity clientele that included stars like Cher, Liza Minelli, and Natalie Wood, found a giant success with fans and clients alike.
Their unique style, which included 70s blow-out hair, boho styles, bell bottoms, and loads and loads of denim, had the distinguishing factor of adding rhinestones on the jeans.
In the boutique’s grand opening, Priscilla wore one of her designs, a bedazzled Canadian tuxedo complete with denim tie, which became one of the trademarks of her style and the 70s era in fashion in general. In a video for Vogue, Presley reflects on the denim and fur outfit she and her business partner Olivia Bis created. She remarks, “I look back, and I go wow, we were ahead of our time on this.”
Although the movie did not focus much on Priscilla's fashion business aspect, the stylistic direction is still attractive, being described worldwide as an aesthetic anthem, just like Coppola's previous productions, such as Marie Antoinette and The Virgin Suicides.
