Why Prince is as relevant as ever to the fashion world

  • In all is fabulous, purpleness self

    It has been over a year since Prince died at the age of 57, but his style is still as influential as ever, so much so that Pantone have created a new colour in his honour of him and his purpleness.

    Named ‘Love Symbol #2’, the hue was inspired by the singer’s purple Yamaha piano, and references the love symbol he used during the time he was ‘the artist formerly known as Prince’.

    pantone purple

    In a statement, Prince’s estate entertainment adviser Troy Carter, said, ‘The color purple was synonymous with who Prince was and will always be. This is an incredible way for his legacy to live on forever.’

    Call it coincidence or not, but violet shades are a big trend for autumn/winter 2017, having graced many a catwalk.

    Bella Hadid wore metallic Cadbury wrapper-esqaue boots at Alexandre Vauthier recently, Lily Donaldson wore a neon purple silk dress at Redemption, and at Alberta Ferreti, models wore those weekday jumpers with lilac maxi skirts.

    Far beyond the legacy of his favourite colour though, Prince will always be seen as a true icon (a term bandied about far too easily these days), who challenged gender and racial stereotypes with his sartorial choices, at a time when it wasn’t a done thing.

    prince fashion

    He proudly wore ruffled blouses, heels, skintight sequin trousers, and oversized suits, alongside lashings of kohl liner, simply because they showcased who he was.

    As to why Prince picked the colour purple in the first place, it remains a but of a mystery, though he did once explain the meaning behind his song Purple Rain.

    ‘When there’s blood in the sky – red and blue = purple. Purple rain pertains to the end of the world and being with the one you love and letting your faith/god”guide you through the purple rain,’ he said.

    Purple has also always been linked to royalty, and you know, he had a regal name, so…

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