The late, great Prince was releasing albums starting with 1978’s For You. But it was 1984’s film and soundtrack to Purple Rain that catapulted him into true pop icon status. For much of the film, Prince wore a ruffled white shirt, like a time-traveling musician from an 18th-century royal court. It’s the shirt he wore in the film’s finale, where he played the songs “Baby I’m a Star,” “I Would Die 4 U,” and the titular “Purple Rain.” And that shirt is now going up for auction at Bonhams, with a starting price of $55,000 dollars. It’s expected to sell for up to $90,000. You can check out images of the iconic shirt below:
According to Bonhams, Prince’s Purple Rain shirt is white silk, with a gathered high-neck collar, and three layers of ruffles. It has long sleeves, ruffled faux French cuffs, faux pearl buttons down the front, and shoulder pads. There’s even a Prince purple/white label sewn to the inside neck. It comes with a letter of authenticity from Juanita Escovedo. It states that the shirt was made during the making of Purple Rain, and given by the Purple One to his protege Sheila E. The iconic drummer later sold it as part of a fundraising effort several years later.
Purple Rain was a cultural game changer, not just for Prince, but for pop music in general. The film produced four top ten hits, with “When Doves Cry” and “Let’s Go Crazy” both going to #1. The Purple Rain effect didn’t just extend to Prince and the Revolution. Music from other artists featured in the film, like The Time and Apollonia 6, all had hits on the radio and MTV that year. Because of Purple Rain, the Minneapolis sound extended all around the globe. So getting to own a piece of that era is owning a piece of pop culture that ripples into the present day. The Bonhams auction ends on January 22, at 12:00 PST.