Jimi Hendrix Fashion
HOST: (Hendrix playing The Star-Spangled Banner) His sound is unmistakable. Jimi Hendrix's music has inspired and amazed generations of rock-'n'-roll fans. But it wasn't only his music that was influential. His style and fashion sense made a great impact as well. Seattle claims Hendrix as a native son. And here at the EMP Museum, we explored some items from the rock star's wardrobe and discussed collecting celebrity clothing with appraiser Laura Woolley. Laura, when we talk about celebrity clothing, it's a tricky area for collectors because there's a big difference between clothing that they just wore and clothes that are documented.
APPRAISER:
Correct. And the two pieces we have here are the perfect example of incredibly well-documented pieces that were worn during stage performances. The first piece here, a kimono that was worn by Hendrix numerous times, but most importantly during the Newport '69 Festival that took place in Devonshire Downs in California. And he was the headliner at that show. It was also important because it was among the last shows that the Jimi Hendrix Experience played together as a band. About a week later they broke up.
HOST: And the velvet pants, he also wore with this kimono at that concert.
APPRAISER:
He did. He wore the pants with this kimono, but these pants most importantly were worn at Woodstock. Dawn's breaking on the last day of Woodstock. People are slowly starting to trail off. The lighting was great because it was early morning. And he comes out with that amazing The Star-Spangled Banner solo, which perfectly showed off his use of distortion, and all the things he was really well-known for experimenting with. What's really important for collectors is looking not only for documentation on provenance, but what moment in their career were they wearing it. And Hendrix, the closing performer there, makes it one of the top pieces that you could possibly own from Hendrix. The market for Hendrix has shifted pretty tremendously in the past few years. In today's market, I would expect a similar piece to the kimono to sell in the $75,000 range.
HOST: And then when we talk about the pants, we're in a different class altogether, aren't we?
APPRAISER:
Yeah, there really is no comparable for something that is this iconic. We'd have to go to a different market and look at the Hollywood market. And I think the most comparable thing might be the Marilyn Monroe Seven Year Itch dress, the white halter dress that she wore in the subway. Great with the skirt blowing up, which sold for in excess of $4 million. The rock-'n'-roll market's not quite where the Hollywood market is, but in the world of rock-'n'-roll, this is kind of an equivalent. So we would expect something similar of that kind of status to sell in excess of six figures.
HOST: In fashion, Hendrix was a trendsetter. But that is sort of a metaphor for what he did in his whole life, musically, culturally, artistically. Thanks so much for sharing this.
APPRAISER:
Thank you.
HOST: These are great examples of documented costumes on stage. But there's a big difference in value when we talk about wardrobe worn by the star that was in their everyday wardrobe, that wasn't a documented piece. And let's talk about that a little bit.
APPRAISER:
Well, I love Hendrix for this exact reason. If you were to look at these in a line-up, you wouldn't be able to tell which one he wore on stage and which one was everyday clothing.
HOST: That's his casual vest.
APPRAISER:
Yeah, I mean he wore clothing like this every day, which is what we love about his flamboyant style. He had such an influential look back in the '60s, it was kind of a thrown-together, gypsy style of bits and pieces, and this vest is very representational of that style. Despite the fact that there perhaps isn't a photograph of him wearing it, there's still wonderful documentation on this piece. You can back up where it came from and its association with him. A piece almost identical to this sold in 2004 for $7,000. But with that shift in the market, I would expect a similar piece to sell probably more in the $15,000 range today.
HOST: Thanks for sharing this.
APPRAISER:
Thank you.
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.