Prince’s Purple Rain shirt and other clothes go up for auction

Fans of Prince, who was known nearly as much for his extravagant wardrobe as for his chart-topping hits, will have a chance to bid on some of the late musician’s clothes in an online auction this week.

The collection of more than 200 lots was assembled by a French collector who initially hoped to open a museum celebrating the musician, but later scrapped the plan, according to RR Auction of Boston, which is overseeing the sale.

The collector had approached people who worked closely with Prince to gather the items, believing that the trendsetting artist, who died in 2016, was not only a musical virtuoso but also a fashion star, according to the auction house.

One of the highlights of the auction is a white ruffled shirt worn by Prince during his 1985 American Music Awards performance of the song Purple Rain.

The auction house estimated its value at 15,000 dollars (£12,200).

The auction traces Prince’s evolution in music and fashion from his Purple Rain to his death, according to Bob Livingston of RR Auction.

“What this auction really does is it shows the influence and legacy of Prince with his fashion choices and how it relates today, when you see all these artists on tour, you know, different costumes, different outfits, reinventing themselves for each tour,” he said.

Also up for auction is the outfit Prince wore from Under The Cherry Moon, a 1986 film starring Prince that also marked his debut as a director. The auction house put an estimated value on it of 45,000 dollars (£36,650).

Other items include a pair of high-heeled blue boots from the Act I Tour valued at 20,000 dollars (£16,300); a custom-made gold stage outfit with love symbols estimated at 10,000 dollars (£8,150) and a blue Schecter Cloud guitar played by Prince, valued at 4,000 dollars (£3,260); and a chain hat.

The auction includes original Polaroid photographs, master tapes of hit albums and official documentation about his films and music videos.