Twenty-nine of Prince’s most iconic style moves

Prince gave us “When Doves Cry”, yes, and for that we will be forever in his debt, but he's also, without doubt, one of the greatest style icons of the century. The Minneapolis-born musician completely disrupted the idea of gender fluidity in clothing, with a kaleidoscope commitment to androgyny that – much like his contemporary David Bowie – fundamentally changed perceptions of how men “ought” to dress. Prince’s vision was singular, but his approach to style was fearlessly fluid.

High heels, lace gloves, sequins, tassels, feathers, lurex and military-inspired tailoring: Prince Roger Nelson was, after all, a man who embraced maximalism. In the near four decades from when he sashayed onto the world’s stage with his debut album, For You, in 1978, until his untimely death in 2016, he honed a fun, flamboyant aesthetic so legendary that “Prince” is now up there with the most popular Halloween costume characters of all time.

While each album saw the birth of a new Prince “persona” – the suspender-clad sex god of 1980’s Dirty Mind tour gave way to Purple Rain’s besuited doe-eyed dandy – playful experimentation provided a constant, unifying thread throughout his career. In much the same way he melded musical genres to create a sound that felt totally new and exhilarating, he brought disparate style influences together to create an irresistibly alluring, 5ft 2in package that felt completely novel yet cohesive.

It’s been five years since his passing, aged just 57, but the influence of the artist formerly and forever known as Prince can be seen everywhere today: from the colour-block suits and ruffled shirts of the Purple Rain era to the high-waisted trousers and layered necklaces worn of the Live Experience Tour in the early 1990s. 

In terms of Prince’s wider cultural influence, note his fingerprints on the opulence of Balmain, the polka dot prints at Henry Holland, embellishment at Gucci or the suits at Haider Ackermann. And it's not just at the fashion houses. You can see his influence, direct or otherwise, all over the outfits musicians wear today. Just look at Orville Peck’s fringed mask (remember Prince's chainmail police hat from 1993?), Harry Styles’ gender-bending wardrobe, Frank Ocean’s make-up or the vintage Versace two-pieces beloved by British rappers.

He was a man of multifarious identities and a true fashion firebrand, but the most important thing about Prince’s style wasn’t what he wore, it was how he wore it. Confidence and commitment were everything for the pioneer, who taught fans, above all else, to embrace their eccentricities. As he sang on “Style” in 1996, “Style is not lusting after someone because they’re cool, style is loving yourself till everyone else does too.” 

Herewith are Prince’s 26 most iconic outfits, from the stage costumes that polarised polite popular opinion to his awards ceremony sartorial wins, via the courtside outfit that made international headlines (because only Prince could make a bejewelled cane look sexy).