![]() ![]() But he started to fade into the background as middling to bad reviews for his films rolled in, and his music - mostly tied to movie soundtracks - slipped into irrelevance.īy 1968, Presley badly needed to redefine his image and did so at a comeback concert in Las Vegas. “He birthed youth culture by giving teenagers their own unique voice as a consumer group, with tastes and aspirations that often contrasted greatly with their parents’ values,” she continued.Īs time went on, Presley moved away from music and into movies as the British Invasion took hold, with The Beatles leading the charge. “He made it ok for young men to dress differently from their dads,” as Goto puts it. Nowadays, the King of Rock is an undisputed cultural icon who helped redefine what it meant to dress like a man. I don’t see how he can call the youth of today immoral and delinquent.” Presley responded to Sinatra publicly at a press conference, saying: “If i remember correctly, was also part of a trend. However, Presley’s rebellious swagger spoke to a newer post-war generation and young men in particular, who would begin to experiment with more flamboyant styles as the Peacock Revolution took hold in the 1960s - with Goto saying he had “paved the way” for the movement. Even Frank Sinatra would criticize rock’n’roll as Presley’s hits such as “Heartbreak Hotel” climbed the charts, telling the magazine Western World that the genre was “the most brutal, ugly, degenerate, vicious form of expression” and adding it was a “rancid smelling aphrodisiac.” ![]() Presley’s pelvic thrust, heavy make-up and provocative performances would go on to upset television critics and the Catholic Church. “ was seen as highly effeminate and suspicious by conservative society, although his fans lapped it up,” Goto explained, adding that he expertly blended masculine and feminine elements. ![]() Zoot suits were typically associated with people from minority backgrounds, with Goto suggesting Presley would likely have been inspired by Southern Black musicians wearing the outfit – further shaking up convention. Then Presley came onto the scene, wearing bubblegum pink blazers, crop tops and Zoot suits – an outfit consisting of a jacket with dramatically defined shoulders and oversized lapels, paired with wide legged trousers. “The style template at that time was teaming loose, sack suits from Brooks Brothers with button down Oxford shirts, crisp club ties, cuffed pants and penny loafers,” she added. Zoey Goto, the author of “Elvis: From Zoot Suits to Jumpsuits,” explains to CNN over email that Presley emerged onto the scene at a time when “heritage and respectability” informed menswear and Ivy League-style suits dominated. Presley’s jumpsuit wasn’t his first challenge to the dominant fashion norms of the time, although his career started in the conservative mid-1950s. Baz Luhrmann, the film’s director, told IndieWire that even if newer generations don’t know Presley’s music, they know “he’s the guy in the white jumpsuit.” In the trailer, Butler can be seen cycling through a rainbow array of jumpsuits with his arms outstretched. Just like the King of Rock’s music has endured, so too has the image of him in a sparkly white jumpsuit, paired with a rockabilly pompadour coiffed to perfection.Īctor Austin Butler will appear as Presley in the movie “Elvis,” which opens in the US on June 24. The iconic jumpsuit now sits in Presley’s former home-turned-museum Graceland as a highlight of an exhibition titled “Elvis: Dressed to Rock,” which features more than 100 pieces from the later stages of his career. “He told Bill, ‘I just want the suit to say America.’ This was one of the few occasions when Elvis made a special request of his designer,” Marchese said. Speaking to CNN Style over email, Graceland’s vice president of archives and exhibits Angie Marchese said Presley would have been aware of the “gravitas of a worldwide audience” and worked with his longtime costume designer Bill Belew to perfect his ensemble.
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