Elvis Presley wasn’t just the King of Rock and Roll. He was also a notable fashion icon. Take a tour of Presley’s hat collection.
We always talk about Elvis Presley’s hair or his rhinestone-covered jumpsuits, but this accessory doesn’t get nearly enough attention. His hat collection was just as extensive as the rest of his closet.
Take The Tour
In July of 2020, the Vice President of Archives & Exhibits at Graceland, Angie Marchese, took die-hard Elvis Presley fans on an exclusive inside look at the top-secret facility where Elvis’ personal items are stored.
The mystery is always a nice touch, but now we have a dying need to know where this is.
“Something that people don’t really connect a lot with Elvis, but he could pull it off, and that’s hats. So, I’d thought I would share a few hats with you. Let’s see which ones we have in this box.”
Marchese first pulls out a blue hat with a black bill that looks more like it belongs to a sailor than Elvis Presley. Also, the Graceland Vice President notes the size of the King’s head.
“This one is a 1950s, early 60s style hat. It looks like a sailor’s hat, but it actually doesn’t have the sailor mark on it. It’s really cool though because it’s got this venting up here, so if you sweat, it has this venting to keep you cool. No maker mark in it, so…. And Elvis had a pretty small head. It was a seven, seven and a half.”
Next, Angie Marchese reveals a deep red, almost maroon-colored hat. The velvet fedora was an iconic headpiece (it still is) that fans would see Elvis Presley sporting.
“Now, this probably looks really familiar. This one actually has got a maker’s mark in it. It’s by Rental’s Self Conforming, and it is seven and three eights. I know there’s a lot of pictures of Elvis wearing hats like this, especially in the late 60s, down by the gates or here in Memphis or at Hill Crest in California, so that probably looks really familiar.”
Elvis Presley’s Iconic Lids
After fishing through a few more boxes, Marchese revealed more decorative hats from Elvis Presley’s extensive collection. She pulls out another headpiece from the box like a magician and a rabbit. The hat looks very similar to the first sailor’s hat, but with a yellow symbol on the front. This one is a size seven.
“I know you guys recognize this. This is a sailor’s hat, very similar to the one he wore in the films. Elvis actually has several of these. We have three in the collection, so this is one. You can see how it is styled very similar to the one that we showed you earlier without the venting.”
Angie Marchese continues, pulling out a tan fedora from the box of tissue paper. It is similar to the one in the title picture of Elvis Presley, made from genuine suede.
“Now I know we have seen pictures of Elvis wearing that one.”
Finally, the archive expert reveals a black hat with a large buckle on the front. Picture a pilgrim at Thanksgiving dinner but with rhinestones. That was Elvis Presley around town.
“Last but not least, how about a Lansky’s hat. Nowhere else in Memphis could you get a hat like this besides at Lansky Brothers on Beale Street, and that’s exactly where Elvis got this one. Now, how cool is that! Only Elvis could pull something like this off.”
Honestly, we feel that only Elvis Presley could pull off most of the articles of clothing in his closet. Especially the jumpsuits.
