One of the things other than Elvis' songs and voice that people always equate with him are his costumes. Elvis' jumpsuits evolved out of his love for Karate, he wanted something that would allow him to move freely on stage.
His first stage-wear in LasVegas in 1969 was a black 2 piece outfit that resembled a karate gi. He wore this for his first engagement, but people commented on how the back of the room could only see his head and hands with the dark staging.
Pictures from the shows testify to this, it was then that the white one- piece jumpsuit appeared. The first one were what I would call "simple and elegant" usually with a macrame belt tied around his hips and tassels flowing from it.
These evolved into the studded jumpsuits with the heavy belts with chains. Contrary to popular belief Elvis never had one sequin on his outfits and the stones weren't precious but Austrian crystal cabochons.
None the less, they were works of art and required many man hours of design and decoration to complete. They also set Elvis apart from the other performers of his day. actually others emulated him as can be seen from album covers featuring the Osmonds and Sonny Bono etc.
These are my handcrafted reproductions of specific Elvis jumpsuits. I've even made a side business of creating them for others and depending on time and availability of supplies. If you would like more information email me and I'll give you pricing and a timetable.