The King of Rock and Roll and one of the most iconic figures of the entire 20th century is, of course, Elvis Presley.

The 1970s may be associated with Elvis’s most famous style of dress, with the jumpsuits and the rhinestones, and the one in which he is often most immediately associated, but it was in the Fifties that Elvis originally rose to fame and saw his original musical success. In the Sixties, he was most well known for the various Hollywood films in which he starred, but it was in the Fifties and Seventies that Elvis was known primarily for his music. Compared to his Seventies appearance, his dress in the 1950s was quite tame.

Elvis’s first national television appearance was in 1956, as was the release of his début album, by which time he had already had several releases and successful tours, as well as appearances on local television stations. On Elvis’s second appearance on the Milton Berle Show in 1956, Elvis appeared without his guitar, and his gyrations caused a lot of controversy, and resulted in his being known as “Elvis the Pelvis” – a nickname that Elvis considered to be extremely childish, especially coming from an adult. In 1957, Elvis starred in the film Jailhouse Rock.

The Jailhouse Rock film is one possible source for a 50s Elvis costume. Another is the cover of Presley’s self-titled debut album of 1956.

The Head

As with Seventies Elvis, the hair is quite important. The hair is often swept back from the forehead and held in place with a lot of hair gel. A wig may be the best option here, certainly for those who don’t have hair really long enough to suitably style.

The Body

For the 1956 album, the photo was taken the previous year in Tampa, Florida, and had Elvis wearing wide lapelled light coloured suit, under which was a dark coloured shirt open at the neck. A very simple costume, that needs some extras to even be seen as a costume.

The promotional photo for Jailhouse Rock has Elvis wearing a black and white horizontally striped shirt, over which is a black jacket with white stitching and the number “6240” on the left chest. The trousers are also dark, with light stitching to match the jacket. The shoes are black dress shoes, with a high polish and no laces.

The Accessory

Most of Elvis’s early appearances, at least prior to national television, had him holding an acoustic guitar, which he played whilst singing. This makes such a guitar a good accompaniment for an early Elvis costume, at least assuming it isn’t one from Jailhouse Rock.