Prince’s Purple Rain shirt becomes ruffled icon

A Prince screen-worn shirt from Purple Rain will be auctioned by Boston-based RR Auction.

The custom-made white ruffled shirt worn by American singer-songwriter Prince in the iconic 1984 film Purple Rain, lavishly crafted from soft silk, features a gathered high-neck collar, three layers of ruffles down the front, gathered “puffy” long sleeves, ruffled faux-French cuffs, faux pearl buttons down the front placket and light shoulder pads. Sewn inside the neck is a purple-on-white “Prince” label.

Playing The Kid in Purple Rain, Prince is seen wearing a white ruffled shirt at several key points in the movie – including his rendition of Beautiful Ones, and then later in the finale, when he sings Purple Rain, I Would Die 4 U and Baby I’m a Star.

It is accompanied by a letter of provenance from Juanita Escovedo, the mother of Prince protege Sheila E, stating the shirt was made for Prince during the making of Purple Rain and was given by Prince to Sheila E.

It was later sold as part of a fundraising effort.

Purple Rain grossed over $72 million (about R1.1 billion) worldwide (against its $7.2 million budget), won the Oscar for Best Original Score and served as the launching pad for Prince’s superstardom.

“As an iconic, screen-worn shirt from the classic movie, this is a remarkable museum-quality piece,” said Bobby Livingston, executive vice-president at RR Auction.

The Fine Autograph and Artifacts sale will conclude on 10 March.