Think about growing up in the cold city of Minneapolis. Prince was a very small kid, literally. He was only five feet and two inches tall. But inside, he had a massive, colorful dream. He wanted the whole world to look at him. He wanted to be a giant.
Prince’s Fashion Evolution 1979-1989
He looked up to wild, flashy stars like Little Richard and Jimi Hendrix. Then, he realized something truly brilliant. He did not have to choose between looking like a tough man or a pretty woman. He could actually be both at the exact same time.
The amazing clothes he dreamed about did not even exist in normal stores. So, he hired local seamstresses to build them from scratch. He was not a trained fashion designer. He was not a runway model. He was just a musical genius trying to be a spectacular visual masterpiece.
Even though his main job was playing the guitar, he completely flipped the global fashion world upside down.
Long before it was cool or popular, Prince proudly wore tall high heels. He wore soft lace, bikinis, and bold crop tops. He totally blurred the strict gender lines. He proved that true style has zero limits. He paved the exact road for modern stars like Harry Styles.
He also did something no other musician was doing. He treated every new album like a brand new fashion season. He wore beautiful, heavy Victorian ruffles for the Purple Rain era. He wore bright neon colors a few years later. He even completely owned the color purple. Today, giant luxury fashion designers still use his old eras as mood boards.
Prince – Purple Rain (Official Video)
What made his outfits so incredibly special? It was all about perfect fit and total fearlessness.
Because he was so short, he used custom-made boots with hidden lifts to look like a towering statue. Every single piece of clothing was perfectly tailored to his small frame. He wore shiny sequins and metallic silks to catch every bright stage light. He made sure you could not look away.
He even used his clothes to fight big battles. When he was fighting his strict record label, he wrote the word “Slave” right on his cheek. He used his bold fashion as a sharp, political weapon.
You do not have to fit into the boring boxes the world gives you. You can build your very own stage. Prince proved that when you are completely fearless and dress exactly how you feel inside, you become a living work of art that history will never forget.