Once Upon a Prince Costume

After an extensive estate clean-out in Denver, the crew started picking through and sorting the load, insert Barb Johnsen. Barb refers to herself as the Gone for Good "eBay-er." Barb is an expert collector who identifies what is most valuable in a load. It is her responsibility to decide what is too valuable to be sold in the thrift store and would best be sold on the Gone for Good eBay store.

At first glance, Barb assumed the outfit was a girl’s elaborate riding show attire. The costume was a three-piece suit with matching boots. It was a simple white silk blouse fitted to drape over the body loosely and come to a V-shaped point. White fringes hung along the bottom of the sleeves and mid-section with nine purple and gold flowers embroidered across the front and back of it. There was also a blazer and pants of the same style with several purple buttons.  

The boots rose plausible concerns to her hypothesis though. They were white, ankle-style booties, adorned with the same flowers. What was peculiar, however, was the three-inch heel along the back of the boot. A huge indication that it was not a girl’s riding outfit. Barb knew it would have been difficult to strap into the stirrups with these heels. She started searching for a tag.

What brand was it? What year was it? She needed answers. When she stumbled upon a single tag sewn in to the neck of the blazer, she stopped dead in her tracks. There was no designer or brand stated, there was simply one captivating word. There before her eyes in a dark purple, all caps, sans serif font: PRINCE.     

Next, she checked the boots for information and what she found there was even wilder. A post-it stuck to the inside of the left boot that read:

This has been presented to (owner of the home)** in July of 1991 by Jim Shearon, designer for rockstar Prince

**Identity of the homeowner is protected by the Gone for Good confidentiality policy

Barb started searching the web for Jim Shearon. Sure enough, he was the designer for Prince, among many other stars of the 80s including Barbara Streisand, Cher and Janet Jackson to name a few. Next, she searched for a way to contact Paisley Park, the estate and recording studio of Prince. With all of the information she had gathered, it was easier than she thought.

She took several photos of the costume and emailed them directly to the estate’s staff. After a couple of weeks, the staff emailed back to explain that they believed the outfit was made in the late 80s and while they could verify that it was made for him, they weren’t sure if he had ever actually worn it on stage.

Barb was able to sell the outfit on eBay for over $8,000.00 to a fan in North Carolina. It is now on display in her home in a room dedicated to Prince. Imagine if this wonderful piece of history was just hauled off to a landfill and no one ever cherished it again. This is why Gone for Good has experts like Barb to inspect each piece.

It’s true, not every piece is a diamond in the rough like this but Gone for Good’s policy to make sure they repurpose everything they find leaves shoppers with the hope that there is always a chance. Another item this valuable could turn up at any time and the uncertainty of their philosophy is truly the beauty of their mission.

For more information about the Gone for Good eBay store please call (720) 594-2292.