The white lace shirt worn by Prince on his ‘Purple Rain’ Tour in 1984-1985 is set to be auctioned later this month.
The garment is one of over 400 items spanning the history of popular music due to be sold during the latest instalment of RR Auction’s Marvels of Modern Music series.
The long-sleeve shirt is constructed entirely of sheer lace with a vine-and-leaf pattern, featuring a high-neck collar, three layers of ruffles on the chest, pearloid buttons down the front placket, and ruffled faux-French cuffs with stunning sewn-on blue jeweled cufflinks.
Also up are the handwritten lyrics for Prince’s Nothing Compares 2 U, which became a hit for Sinead O’Connor in 1990, taken from the collection of Prince’s assistant Therese Stoulil.
It is accompanied by a letter of provenance, stating: “After 10 years of working for Prince, I resigned in May of 1996. And it was months after that there was a knock on my door, and I looked out the bedroom window and saw a black BMW in my driveway and immediately recognized it as Duane’s, Prince’s half-brother.
“I went downstairs, opened the door, and he only said ‘this is from Prince’ then he got in his car and left. Once I realized what Duane delivered, I was both stunned and humbled.
“Prince would use white console marking tape to adhere the lyrics to his vocal microphone; that tape is still on both pages.”
Included among other Prince lots is: an exquisite beaded jacket worn on-screen by Prince in Under the Cherry Moon; Prince studio-played Fender Acoustic Guitar for the ‘Diamonds and Pearls’ album; Prince stage-worn Gold ‘Jam of the Year’ Tour outfit.
Meanwhile, there are multiple lots from music legends The Beatles, including a fully signed ‘Meet the Beatles’ promo album, inscribed on the back cover to George Harrison’s older sister Louise
There are also autographed lyrics for Like a Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan, which come accompanied by a 2013 letter of authenticity from Jeff Rosen, president of the Bob Dylan Music Company. According to the note, there are only five of the manuscripts known to exist for the song.
Other highly-anticipated lots include: Kurt Cobain & Courtney Love’s personally-worn dresses; Lady Gaga’s personally-worn black satin dress by Alexa Chapman; Rihanna’s personally-worn Paris Fashion Week ‘Fear’ shawl; and a Beret worn by Harry Styles for his Variety ‘Hitmaker of the Year’ photo shoot.
Bidding for the Marvels of Modern Music Auction from RR Auction began on June 17 and will conclude here on June 24.