Freddie Mercury's formal navy suit worn for an ITV awards show, 1989, and on other occasions, with accessories

Freddie Mercury's formal navy suit worn for an ITV awards show, 1989, and on other occasions, with accessories

A bespoke three-piece formal suit of navy self-striped wool, the double-breasted jacket with pointed lapels, flap pockets, slanted breast pocket, six black buttons to front fastening and four to each cuff, lined in navy blue satin with two inside pockets, the corresponding trousers with pleated front and concealed hook and eye fastening to waistband, lined in navy satin and a corresponding double-breasted waistcoat with pointed lapels, jetted pockets and six black buttons, the back of navy blue satin with adjustable strap, lined in ivory satin with a fine blue and burgundy stripe, all unlabelled but probably made by David Chambers; with an ivory cotton shirt with dot pattern weave, labelled ‘Tokio Kumagai, homme’; a tie of crinkled ivory silk labelled ‘Diamond by Tie Rack’; a cream satin evening scarf with short fringes either end, 114 cm. long (this scarf possibly dating from the mid-1970s); a white cotton handkerchief with the ‘P’ of the Pierre Cardin logo embroidered to one corner; and a pair of navy blue leather lace-up shoes, the insole labelled ‘Roland Cartier’, with leather soles, size 8 ½

(qty 8)  

This suit was worn by Freddie on various occasions in the mid to late 1980s, most notably in 1989 for the ITV awards show 'Goodbye To The 80s', when Queen won ‘Band Of The 80s’ – footage of the event shows Freddie on stage with Queen wearing this suit being presented with the award by Jonathan Ross and Cilla Black; also worn for Peter Straker’s 39th birthday party, Paramount City, London, 1986, where Freddie is photographed dancing with Anita Dobson, in publicity photographs with soprano Montserrat Caballé for the album Barcelona, 1987, the front cover of which features a photograph of Freddie wearing the waistcoat and trousers in this lot, and the bow tie from lot 2288; it was also worn for an event at the Royal Opera House Terrace Bar, 1987, where Freddie is photographed with Montserrat Caballé and Elaine Paige, amongst others. A photograph of him wearing the waistcoat and trousers in this lot, and the blue bow tie from Lot 261, was selected for the front cover of his eponymous posthumous album, 1992. Footage of Freddie wearing this suit can also be seen in the BAFTA-nominated BBC Imagine Documentary Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender, 2012 (Part II).

LITERATURE

Freddie Mercury, The Great Pretender, A Life In Pictures, Welbeck, 2020, p. 132 (illus.), the waistcoat and trousers worn with the blue satin bow-tie included in lot 261

Queen, The Complete Illustrated Lyrics, Backbeat Books, 2012, p. 25 (illus.), Freddie wearing an identical cream satin scarf to that included in this lot, worn for a publicity photoshoot, 1975)

The Definitive Biography Of Freddie Mercury – Bohemian Rhapsody, Lesley Ann-Jones Hodder & Stoughton, Paperback Edition, 2012 (illus. between pages 232 & 233)