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A collection of Prince’s clothing and belongings has gone intercontinental, and the destination is none other than Newbridge, Co Kildare.
The exhibition went from Los Angeles to Newbridge and will go on in the coming months to its final destination of the Hard Rock Café, Times Square.
It is there in the bustling hub of New York that the outfits, jewellery and guitars of the singer, who died nearly two years ago, will be auctioned off.
At present the collection is on display at the Museum of Style Icons, Newbridge Silverware.
The collection is owned by Julian’s Auctions and Ireland is its only European destination.
It was brought here on behalf of Julian’s by Athlone-native Martin Nolan, who is currently based in LA.
Walking around the exhibition and giving interesting titbits on each piece, Martin explains that they expect there to be significant interest in the sale of the items.
Martin Nolan of Julian's Auctions with one of Prince's Cloud guitars.
Behind the glass there are two of Prince’s Cloud guitars. They are small and brightly coloured, one yellow and one white.
A similar one in teal, auctioned by Julian’s last year, went for €700,000.
Despite the huge interest in the guitars, it is the clothes that are the most eye-catching when you walk into the museum.
Prince was nothing if not ostentatious and I wonder, glazing at all of the glitz and glamour, if any male artist nowadays would be brave enough to wear something similar.
The first ensemble I examine is a turtleneck and pants, electric blue and made out of a stretchy material with a moiré pattern (it looks like ripples).
Each outfit is more extravagant than the next, a red tunic, a black velvet sequined coat and, of course, most are accompanied by heeled boots.
Prince was quite short, only 5ft 2in, so he favoured a heel.
Singer and style icon Prince.
Martin describes Prince as an androgynous character and one with a very original and distinctive style.
His iconic love symbol is present across the whole collection. From embroidery on jackets, to zippers on shoes and even a hard hat.
The hard hat was worn by Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton, Minneapolis, Minnesota, while touring Studio D during its construction.
Lyrics and sheet music written by Prince are also on display. The lyrics are handwritten on a foolscap page in scrawly handwriting with scribbles, crossing out and corrections.
The sheet music is neater in comparison, drawn with precision.
The Museum of Style Icons also houses garments worn by Aubrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe and Maureen O’Hara in its permanent collection.
At present, the last toile of Princess Diana’s wedding dress is on display along with her famous ‘revenge’ dress.
The exhibition of clothing and belongings from the life and career of Prince runs at the Museum of Style Icons, Newbridge Silverware until 10 May. Admission is €5 for a child and €7 for an adult.
Behind the scenes at Newbridge Silverware
Backchat: Rob Kearney – the new face of Newbridge Silverware
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