As a teenager, Elvis Presley would soak up the music of Beale Street and admire the fashions in the Lansky Brothers shop. Of course buying fine clothes was out of reach for the poor boy.
Born Jan. 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis and his parents moved to Memphis when he was 13. Money was scarce but Elvis could dream.
One day, Bernard Lansky saw the teen outside the window of Lansky’s on Beale. He invited Elvis in to look around. “He said, ‘I don’t have any money but when I get rich, I’m going to buy you out,’” Bernard recalled.
At the time, Lansky didn’t even know the young man’s name. His answer – “Don’t buy me out. Just buy from me.”
That was the beginning of a long relationship. True to his word, Elvis did buy much of his trend-setting clothing from the man who became known as the “Clothier to the King.”
While staying at the Peabody Hotel on my American Queen pre-cruise experience, I enjoyed looking through the shop and seeing the mementoes. Years back, I had been fortunate to meet Bernard Lansky and hear about his friendship with Elvis. Bernard died in 2012 at age 85.
8 Night – Memphis to St. Louis – American Queen
Elvis’ first Lansky purchase
When Elvis cashed his paycheck as an usher at Loew’s Theater, he made his first purchase at Lansky’s – a $3.95 shirt. Later, for the junior-senior prom at Humes High School, Elvis had the tailor create an outfit of black pants, pink coat and pink-and-black cummerbund.
Then came the exciting day when Elvis burst into the shop and said he would be appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show. After Lansky had outfitted him, Elvis sheepishly admitted that he didn’t have the money to pay for his fancy threads. “We were the first store to give Elvis a charge account,” Bernard said.
Among the standout outfits that Lansky’s supplied Elvis with was his famous gold lame jacket. Since moving into the Peabody Hotel in 1981, Lansky’s has been a popular shop with distinctive Elvis-themed clothing.
When Elvis died on Aug. 16, 1977, Bernard was in Dallas and hurried home as soon as he heard the shocking news. He made the final white suit in which Elvis was laid to rest.
“I put him in his first suit,” Bernard always said. “And I put him in his last suit.”
Photos by Logan Peters
* A book about Bernard Lansky and Elvis is sold in Lansky’s shop in the Peabody Hotel.
* Blue suede shots are featured in Lansky Bros.
* Elvis-themed clothing is sold at Lansky Bros.
* An Elvis photo showcases a leather jacket at Lansky Bros.
Ed. Notes: See cruises here:
American Queen Voyages Cruises
8 Night – Memphis to St. Louis – American Queen (cruisecompete.com)
| Destination | |
| Day 1 | Memphis, TN |
| Day 2 | Memphis, TN |
| Day 3 | River Cruising |
| Day 4 | New Madrid, MO |
| Day 5 | Paducah, KY |
| Day 6 | Cape Girardeau, MO |
| Day 7 | Chester, IL |
| Day 8 | St. Louis, MO |
| Day 9 | St. Louis, MO (Alton) |
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