Theatre Costume
1984 (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is a replica of a jacket Prince wore in the 1984 film Purple Rain, during his performance of "When Doves Cry". It was made as a promotional item for WEA records (now Warner Music Group) during the campaign for the release of the film.
Purple Rain is one of Prince's most famous and enduring songs, the name of the eclectic and critically acclaimed album it came from, and the title of the cinematic film produced to accompany it. The film, in which this jacket was worn, told the autobiographical story of a musician struggling to make it in Minneapolis, USA, whilst trying to avoid following the path of his father into alcoholism. It was considered a great critical success at the time, mostly due to the power of the live performances; the soundtrack won an Academy Award for Best Original Score and it made $80 million dollars at the US box office. As a showcase for Prince's musical talents, it was a great success. Further films followed, all based around his later albums, but none reached the successes of Purple Rain, and no more were released cinematically after 1990's Graffiti Bridge.
Purple Rain is one of Prince's most famous and enduring songs, the name of the eclectic and critically acclaimed album it came from, and the title of the cinematic film produced to accompany it. The film, in which this jacket was worn, told the autobiographical story of a musician struggling to make it in Minneapolis, USA, whilst trying to avoid following the path of his father into alcoholism. It was considered a great critical success at the time, mostly due to the power of the live performances; the soundtrack won an Academy Award for Best Original Score and it made $80 million dollars at the US box office. As a showcase for Prince's musical talents, it was a great success. Further films followed, all based around his later albums, but none reached the successes of Purple Rain, and no more were released cinematically after 1990's Graffiti Bridge.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Velvet cotton cord and leather |
| Brief description | Jacket worn by Prince, made by Cats Pyjamas, California. Black velvet cotton cord with leather cuffs, padded shoulders, button down lapels and epaulettes. With white print/painted pattern. |
| Physical description | Black velvet cotton cord jacket with leather cuffs, padded shoulders, button down lapels and epaulettes. With white print/painted pattern. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Cats Pyjamas / Venice, California / Dry Clean Only / L (Label sewn in at top of jacket.) |
| Credit line | Given by Moira Bellas of WEA Records |
| Summary | This is a replica of a jacket Prince wore in the 1984 film Purple Rain, during his performance of "When Doves Cry". It was made as a promotional item for WEA records (now Warner Music Group) during the campaign for the release of the film. Purple Rain is one of Prince's most famous and enduring songs, the name of the eclectic and critically acclaimed album it came from, and the title of the cinematic film produced to accompany it. The film, in which this jacket was worn, told the autobiographical story of a musician struggling to make it in Minneapolis, USA, whilst trying to avoid following the path of his father into alcoholism. It was considered a great critical success at the time, mostly due to the power of the live performances; the soundtrack won an Academy Award for Best Original Score and it made $80 million dollars at the US box office. As a showcase for Prince's musical talents, it was a great success. Further films followed, all based around his later albums, but none reached the successes of Purple Rain, and no more were released cinematically after 1990's Graffiti Bridge. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.401-1985 |
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| Record created | July 1, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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