Bill Belew, 76, designed outfits for Elvis Presley
LOS ANGELES - When Elvis Presley made his legendary comeback television special in 1968, he not only proved by his singing and charismatic stage presence that the King was back but by what he wore in the concert segment: a tight-fitting black leather outfit.
Costume designer Bill Belew designed the ensemble, as well as a gold lame jacket and a white two-piece suit that Elvis wore in the special. Mr. Belew went on to design the flamboyant, bejeweled jumpsuits, matching capes, and wide, ornate belts that became Elvis's trademark stage-wear in the 1970s.
"As a wardrobe designer," Mr. Belew said in an interview in 2007, "Bob Mackie had a perfect muse and a perfect canvas in Cher. I got to have that in Elvis."
Mr. Belew, who came to be known to Presley fans as "The Man Who Dressed the King," died of cardiac arrest Jan. 7 at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, Calif., after a lengthy battle with diabetes, said Paul Dafelmair, Mr. Belew's longtime companion. He was 76.
During his nearly five-decade career as a theatrical costume designer, Mr. Belew created costumes for plays, musicals, operas, ballets, and television specials and series.
Over the years, he designed costumes for performers including Josephine Baker, Ella Fitzgerald, Gladys Knight, Brooke Shields, Gloria Estefan, Flip Wilson, and Doc Severinsen.
But for many, Mr. Belew is best known for his work with Presley.
"Bill Belew changed the face of rock 'n' roll fashion," said Presley costume historian Butch Polston, owner of B&K Enterprises Costume Co. in Charlestown, Ind., which sells re-creations of Presley jumpsuits and other garments.
"Bill is the one who created the jumpsuit" for Presley, Polston said. "After that, everybody wanted to dress like Elvis. He designed stuff for the Osmonds, the Jacksons, just numerous celebrities."
Presley began wearing the jumpsuits in 1970. Mr. Belew said in one interview that, in watching the reaction of fans to Presley's onstage costumes, "we began to get more elaborate."
Indeed, the costumes were given names such as the Burning Love Suit (red with several pinwheel designs), the Flame Suit (the first of two versions had large jewels in a flame design on the front, back and down the legs), and the Dragon Suit (an embroidered dragon embellished with rhinestones).
Presley's favorite, according to Polston, was the Peacock Suit. It featured a peacock on front and back done out of chain-stitch embroidery and had feathers tapering off the tail of the peacock that ran down the side of the suit.
