Prince of pop, King of style

Prince was a musical genius - a multi-instrumentalist who wrote, arranged and performed prolifically throughout his 58 years. But he was also one of the most flamboyant, fearless and provocative dressers to grace a stage.

A new exhibition, opening today at the Newbridge Museum of Style Icons (MOSI), in collaboration with Julien's Auctions of Hollywood, showcases how Prince loved clothes, devoted immense resources to crafting his singular style and understood innately the power of image in forging his status as a rock icon.

Often boundary-pushing, frequently shocking, the diminutive musician (5ft2in) was always supremely stylish and dressed to elicit a reaction. Most of what Prince wore was custom-made because of his slight frame and exotic tastes. As Martin Nolan, the Executive Director of Julien's, explains: "Prince had a certain style that was impossible to pull off and only he could do it. His clothing is super flamboyant and sometimes borderline skimpy, but the clothing is what helped him become so famous as his style was so unique."

In his band, Prince was the only one permitted to wear purple. His penchant for the regal hue first featured on the cover of 1984's Purple Rain, his breakthrough record. It remains his iconic look: an Edwardian style purple metallic coat and trousers paired with a dramatic ruffled white shirt, lace gloves and a bouffant permed mullet.

As Prince's fame grew, he continued to experiment with his image: he maintained a dedicated wardrobe department and collaborated with designers, including Pablo Lobato and Jose Arellanes whose work features at MOSI. Nolan believes Prince used costumes to bolster his confidence. "He certainly maximised the power of clothing to compliment his amazing stage performances and perhaps helping to distract his audiences as he tried to disguise his shyness."

The grandiose showman was a persona Prince put on with his costumes: on stage, he was a hypnotic presence, courtesy of his talent and sense of style. It is hard to conceive of Prince as shy when you see his more outré outfits - his signature look encompassed brocade trouser suits, ruffled dandy shirts, opulent fur coats, sequinned jumpsuits, stacked heels and slickly tailored Zoot suits. He always presented an aura of cool confidence but his costumes were the essential props that helped Prince Roger Nelson transform into Prince the superstar.

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