Extensive PRN wardrobe department collection of over 250 pieces of dyed fabric swatches used to create the various iconic tour outfits worn by Prince and his bandmates during the Lovesexy period — every one of these dye fabric samples was presented to Prince and the wardrobe department for outfit approval.
The collection is highlighted by a three-ring binder that contains 68 sleeves and a total of 52 invoices that date from January 5, 1988, to December 4, 1988, with all documents issued by master fabric dyer Marliss Jensen at the Iris Color Studio (ICS) in Minneapolis, Minnesota. All of the invoices, which are annotated with sample descriptions and prices, are issued for “PRN,” with the majority presented with their original affixed fabric dye samples and embroideries. Also included with many of the invoices are the original dye sample request sheets that the PRN wardrobe department sent to ICS. These handwritten request sheets, which feature notes relative to the required fabric and dye, retain their finished request dye samples.
Among the various notes found in the binder is one signed “Heidi,” ostensibly Heidi Presnail, who was in charge of the PRN wardrobe department. The handwritten note reads: “Marliss, Here’s the silk knit to dye to match gold faille swatch. I have enclosed a piece of 55% cotton 35% poly-10% lycra in Bag. If you can use piece as tester (along w/ gold) just to see how much dye it will take up. Don’t go out of your way on this (that is, don’t do as a separate sample for additional cost at this point). If you can't do it, that’s OK, too.”
Supplementing the binder is a large array of loose fabric swatches and buttons of varying shapes and sizes, design materials that proved essential to the ever-growing touring wardrobe of Prince and his band during this exciting time frame. Acting as a time capsule of sorts, these color samples represent the aesthetic evolution of one of Prince’s most influential periods as a fashion icon. His unique ability to mix styles, fabrics, and colors with equal doses of glamour and audacity played a significant role in shaping fashion trends during the 1980s and beyond.
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