Purple Reigns on the Runway

Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called wardrobe transition. And there’s no better way to shift into a new season than to channel the spotlight-grabbing layering style of Prince, who cloaked himself in shades of aubergine and goth-black for his big-screen debut, Purple Rain. The movie, now a rock-and-roll cult favorite, came out exactly 30 years ago, just as ’80s fashion reached its screeching guitar-solo climax.

The film showcased Prince as a flamboyant, emotionally suffering leading man. Clad in 6-inch platform shoes, purple-velvet coat and Victorian-style ruffled white shirt (something the Seinfeld crew would, a decade later, dub the “puffy shirt”), he was crowned the newest rock royalty. Never mind the fact that he would befuddle us by renouncing and then reclaiming his name. With Purple Rain, Prince made his mark as the era’s most provocative eyeliner-wearing, stage-polishing, daddy-issue-battling superstar. When he wasn’t fighting with his bandmates, The Revolution, or his competitor, Morris Day, he seduced us with his fierce stage presence and impassioned musical skills. Just as he did with his onscreen love interest, singer Appolonia Kotero. With a bold look mirroring Prince’s, Appolonia used leather bustiers, big black-rimmed eyes and even bigger hair to get ahead in a cruel business.

Sure, the movie wasn’t critically acclaimed. But it was good fun. And the soundtrack, which Rolling Stone named the second-best album of the decade (behind Michael Jackson’s Thriller) is legendary.

So, with purple such a popular color this season, and ’80s silhouettes enjoying a comeback, we’re inviting you to indulge your inner rock star. Black-leather leggings and jackets, purple outerwear and accessories, ruffled blouses and rhinestone-encrusted booties are just a few of the pieces that can help you Revolution-ize your fall wardrobe. —Maryann LoRusso

Attention, fashionistas: For information on all the above Purple Rain-inspired clothes and more Princely styles, visit our Purple Reign Pinterest Page.

For more every day purple picks (just in case you don’t dress like Appolonia every day), visit our Purple Fashion page.

And finally, be sure to check out our story on Autumn’s New Hues, which includes lots of—you guessed it—the season’s best runway styles.