From the famous black leather ensemble for his 1968 comeback special to the patriotic American eagle jumpsuit, Elvis Presley’s stage attire was as crucial to his legacy as “the King” as his pompadour and swiveling hips.
One of these items—his gold lamé jacket—is in the spotlight again thanks to a new documentary.
Only four years after his dramatized biopic Elvis, which starred Austin Butler as the legendary crooner, director Baz Luhrmann is back with EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, a full-length documentary with never-before-seen footage of Presley. The movie premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2025 and will receive a wide theatrical release on Friday, February 27.
Luhrmann has posted several teases for EPiC, including a screenshot of Presley’s 1957 “gold jacket” performance in Hawaii. While the remastered footage is enough to excite fans, the story behind the shimmering garment is just as intriguing—and involves a Hollywood icon.
Whose Idea Was Elvis’s Gold Suit?
Presley released his first single, “That’s All Right,” in 1954, kicking off a meteoric rise to music stardom. A year later, he signed with RCA Records and scored his first No. 1 hit with “Heartbreak Hotel.”
In September 1956, Elvis mania truly exploded with his famous—or infamous, depending on your taste—appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, featuring exaggerated gyrations many found more entertaining than the music.
With a movie contract in hand and his star power at an all-time high, Presley wanted a unique look to match. His manager, Colonel Tom Parker, commissioned tailor-to-the-stars Nudie Cohn to make a sparkling suit for the singer to wear onstage, according to Graceland’s official blog. Cohn, whose outfits were known for flashy rhinestones and embroidery, also made clothing for celebrities such as Hank Williams, John Lennon, Johnny Cash, and Cher.
The crooner debuted his gold lamé suit—which cost $2,500 and included a jacket, pants, shoes, necktie, and belt—for a photo shoot in early 1957 and began wearing it for live performances.
Who Inspired Presley’s Famous Gold Suit?
While Elvis’s acting career is generally more associated with lighthearted musical comedies, he had a documented appreciation for the craft and some of the biggest stars of his era. The most apparent example is Marlon Brando.
Priscilla Presley wrote in her 1985 memoir, Elvis and Me, that Elvis wanted “to become a great actor like his idols Marlon Brando, James Dean, Karl Malden, and Rod Steiger,” according to Collider. The singer was particularly impressed by On the Waterfront (1954), the Academy Award Best Picture winner directed by Elia Kazan and starring Brando.
Songwriter and producer Mike Stoller, who penned some of Presley’s biggest hits including “Hound Dog” and “Jailhouse Rock,” previously told the Big 95 Morning Show he was consulted about an unspecified film project that would have been directed by Kazan and offered Presley a chance to showcase his dramatic acting akin to Brando. However, the movie never came to fruition.
"We were thrilled about this idea and we brought it to the publishers who asked us to wait outside the room while he spoke to the Colonel,” Stoller said. “When he called us back in, we were thinking how they were going to reward us for bringing this fantastic project. And instead, the Colonel said, 'If you ever dare interfere in the career of Elvis Presley, you'll never work again.'”
Presley “wanted to be like Marlon Brando” when preliminary work began on his new signature outfit, GQ wrote.
Who Designed Presley’s Suit?
The task of making Presley’s suit fell to Manuel Cuevas, a protege of Cohn who previously worked with the crooner.
Instead of copying Brando or any other celebrity, Cuevas visualized the gold suit based on the singer’s stage appeal. “It’s really no big deal, I don’t think. I just came up with it. That type of suit was his thing, and he needed to have something that defined him a little,” Cuevas told Fruende von Fruenden. “Kind of like Marlon Brando. He didn’t have that thing to define him. So, he came in and I told him what I thought he needed to be wearing.”
Presley wore the full suit onstage for the first time at a Chicago concert on March 28, 1957, and only two times after—both within the next week. After that, he regularly substituted black pants for live performances. The Hawaii performance featured in EPiC took place on November 10, 1957, and featured this alternate combination.
The gold suit was placed in storage while Presley served in the U.S. Army, starting with his basic training in March 1958 and subsequent relocation to Germany, according to Graceland.
How Long Did Presley Wear the Gold Suit?
Presley’s music and film career continued long after his return to the United States in 1960, but the reintroduction of his gold suit was short-lived.
The singer wore the jacket and necktie for his 1961 benefit concert in support of the USS Arizona Memorial, which honored the sunken vessel and hundreds of soldiers killed in the Pearl Harbor attack. However, the suit was never worn again live.
Presley never gave a public explanation for his sparing use of the full suit. However, in the 2025 biography The Colonel and the King, author Peter Guralnick shared a 1961 news release mentioning Elvis “found the cloth was so heavy that he could hardly breathe, let alone sing and move around in it.”
In any case, the suit is now an important part of the singer’s lore. It was put on display at the Elvis: The Entertainer Career Museum located at the Elvis Presley’s Memphis entertainment complex in Tennessee and has been part of touring exhibitions.
Now with the release of the EPiC movie, a new generation of Elvis fans will get to see the famous jacket as originally intended.
How to watch EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert
The full-length documentary directed by Baz Luhrmann features never-before-seen footage of Presley originally shot by MGM Studios and stored in a salt mine. Luhrmann restored the footage and turned it into an Elvis tribute. The film opened in IMAX on February 20 and hits theaters for its wide release on February 27.
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
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