Freddie Mercury's early stage-worn wrap-around top, and a pair of black satin flared trousers, 1972 -1975

Freddie Mercury's early stage-worn wrap-around 

hand decorated by Freddie Mercury, and a pair of black satin flared trousers, 1972 -1975

a dancer’s top of black wool with three-quarter length sleeves and long ties to wrap around the waist and tie at the side, the right shoulder and upper arm hand-sewn by Freddie with red, dark pink and pale pink diamanté, the left front similarly decorated, unlabelled; with a pair of bespoke black satin flared trousers, fastening at the waist with three black buttons, the interior waistband with black cotton lining, unlabelled.

(qty 2)

This combination of wrap-around top and satin flared trousers was a staple of Freddie’s stage wear from early 1972. In June 2023, Wendy Edmonds [née de Smet] confirmed the account of how she came to make costumes for Freddie that was published in Queen in Cornwall by Rupert White (2011). Wendy Edmonds created Freddie’s famous ‘Mercury Wing’ catsuits (see lots 44, 150 and 151), but prior to that Freddie asked her make dancer’s wrap-around tops for him: "I made him these wrap-around tops to wear on stage. He was very specific about what he wanted and he’d ask me to copy things. So he had these little women’s ballet tops, crossover things, and he’d give me the stretch velvet and say ‘Can you copy this?’"

Wendy has examined all the wrap-around tops included in this auction. She has confirmed that she made one plain black velvet wrap-around top (lot 105) and that Freddie gave her a plain black woollen one to copy, (either this or lot 40) and that all were hand-decorated by Freddie himself: "Freddie knew how to sew. He was pretty good, so for example, he’d….sew on sequins himself”. See also lots 118, 141-143.

Freddie appears to have stopped wearing this style of top as stage wear after 1975 when he started wearing his famous catsuits.

LITERATURE

Rupert White, Queen In Cornwall, 2nd Edition, Athena Publications, 2022, pp.276-277

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