Nudie Cohn: Difference between revisions

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Nudie returned to California in [[1947]], where he talked bandleader [[Tex Williams]] into auctioning off a horse to purchase him a [[sewing machine]]. Opening a store in [[North Hollywood]], Nudie began designing western-wear notable for its ostentatiousness, including extensive use of [[rhinestone|rhinestones]] and themed-[[applique|appliques]]. One of his early designs, for singer [[Porter Wagoner]], was a peach-colored suit featuring rhinestones, a [[covered wagon]] applique on the back, and wagon wheel piping on the legs. Nudie offered the suit to Wagoner for free, suspecting that having his suit worn by a popular singer would act, in effect, as as a [[Billboard (advertising)|billboard]] for Nudie's designs. Cohn eventually dubbed his business "Nudie's of Hollywood."

Nudie Cohn relentlessly publicized himself. He is reported to have driven to poorer sections of town and distributed dollar bills with a [[sticker]] of his face over Washington's. "When you get sick of looking at me," he'd say, "just rip it off and spend it." Nudie also cusomizedcustomized 18 [[Cadillac]] [[convertibles]] with typical Nudie icons, such a silver-dollar-studded dashboards, [[pistol]] door handles, and [[Longhorn cattle|longhorn steer]] horns. These were called "Nudie Mobiles," and have become valued collector's items.

Many of Nudie Cohn's designs became signature suits for their wearers. Included among Nudie's most famous creations are [[Elvis Presley]]'s $10,000 gold lamé suit, which the singer wore on the cover of his ''[[50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong]]'' album. Nudie also designed for [[Hank Williams]]' white cowboy suit featuring [[musical notation]] on the sleeves and [[Gram Parson]]s "Gilded Palace of Sin" suit, which featured pill bottles, [[marijuana|pot]] leaves, naked women, and a huge cross. Many of [[Roy Rogers]]' film costumes were also commissioned from Nudie's of Hollywood.