ELVIS

The King and his clothes.

Since his death in 1977, there has been no shortage of books about Elvis Presley, and each generally attempts to provide new insights into the legendary performer. Gibson is no different, in that she makes the claim that Presley’s sense of style matched his sometimes introverted, sometimes confident personality, both on- and offstage, whether he wore blue suede shoes, black leather pants, or bedazzled leisure suits. In other words, Gibson argues that one’s image, developed over time, can profoundly change one’s sense of identity and self-worth. Gibson certainly proves her thesis; however, in an age when images are so pervasive and research on the subject is so widespread, is this point in any way unique? The author, with jubilance and a conversational tone, believes it is; some readers may feel otherwise. Because of the narrow scope of her argument, the book largely becomes another linear historical survey of the entertainer’s life from his youth, when he thought he could become a caped superhero, to his death as a bloated, wasted shadow of his former self. Gibson names the looks that Elvis sported—from the “Young Pretender” and “Rockabilly Rebel” to the “Star-Spangled Superstar”—and how those styles influenced fans and future musicians, including k.d. lang, Harry Styles, and Lana Del Rey. Also included in the book are delightful photographs showing readers Elvis’ clothing styles, looks that Gibson explains chapter by chapter. Even with these images, though, much of the book reads like another straightforward chronology of a celebrity already revered by so many.

A close look at Elvis Presley’s panache.