Jimi Hendrix was well known for his unique sense of fashion style, his highly original wardrobe, and his hairstyle. As a matter of fact, a set of hair curlers was one of the few things that he took with him to England when he first went there in 1966. Jimi was a clothes-hound, and when his first advance check arrived, he immediately went on a shopping spree in London, searching for distinctive clothing at vintage boutiques. He wanted items that fit his particular sense of style, and he found them there. He was enamored with army dress uniform jackets, and purchased at least two, including an old Hussar’s jacket adorned with tassels.

At the beginning of his career, Jimi wore a dark suit and plain silk shirts while onstage, but these suits became increasingly louder and more psychedelically patterned as his career progressed. He later sported a bright blue velvet suit, and then a bright red one, and one with very broad stripes. He often wore his antique military dress jackets, patterned silk and velvet jackets, assorted exotic vests and waistcoats, and flared pants in bright colors.

Jimi didn’t have many inhibitions, and he mixed and matched things into his wardrobe that traditionally only women wore. Many photographs of Hendrix show him wearing flowing scarves tied to one leg and one arm. He often wore brooches pinned to some article of his clothing, and he loaded up on rings, necklaces,and medallions. And when he played at the Monterey International Pop Festival in 1967, he wore a bright pink feather boa. Eric Burdon of The Animals recalls seeing a girl backstage at Monterey fling the boa around Jimi’s neck. Regardless of where he got it, he would be seen in the feathery pink accessory countless times after that.

He had a love affair with hats, as well. He was fond of a wide-brimmed Western style hat. It had a narrow purple band and he decorated it with various brooches. The hat was later stolen from him, and he replaced it with another of the same type that he tied a long purple scarf onto, and embellished with a brooch and a set of silver bangles. Sometimes he stuck an angled feather into it. He also went through a bandana phase, giving up the hats for a period of time.

He started wearing more and more fantastic, custom-made stage costumes. They all had long trailing sleeves, and one of his most famous outfits during this period was the African-styled outfit that he wore throughout most of his final tour. Some of his more unforgettable attire included a blue kimono-style jacket that he wore in three TV appearances and a white fringed jacket decorated with blue glass beads that he wore at Woodstock.

With his ever-evolving style, Jimi Hendrix was a true fashion icon of his time. He experimented with different clothing, and started trends and vogues that are still popular, both with entertainers and the public. The Jimi Hendrix Shirt, vest, jackets and accessories are fashionable even today, decades after his death.