Freddie Mercury’s sparkling party-worn jacket, 1977

Freddie Mercury’s sparkling party-worn jacket, 1977

Bespoke jacket of black, red, blue and olive striped lurex with pointed collar and elasticated hem, the front and cuffs fastening with circular clear plastic buttons, made in Japan with woven label inside written in Japanese lettering, ‘Freddie’; with a pair of burgundy velvet trousers embellished with diamanté in an elaborate shooting-star pattern, the front and back pocket edges and belt loops embroidered with double and triple rows of diamanté, both front pockets with three five-point crystal encrusted white metal stars joined by a single curved line of diamanté, like the path of a comet, the trouser legs similarly decorated, labelled on the back waistband ‘Peter Golding, London’; also with a black ‘silk’ scarf woven in a floral pattern and decorated with a long tasselled fringe, length including fringe – 222 cm.

(qty 3)

There are surviving photographs of Freddie enjoying himself at his 31st Birthday Party, at Country Cousin, a cabaret restaurant in the King’s Road, London, 5 September 1977, wearing this jacket and a black version of these diamante star embellished trousers (see lot 191 for an identical black pair). Photos show him talking and laughing with Elton John, Divine, Peter Straker and others. Freddie’s party invitation asked his guests to ‘Dress To Kill’.