Elton John

THE flamboyant frippery of veteran pop-rock singer and legendary over-dresser Elton John went on sale here today to help fund the fight against AIDS.

Ten thousand pieces of classic couture and outrageous outfits from John's eclectic fashion collection and that of his partner, David Furnish, were laid out for purchase at the new Elton's Closet shop in New York's Rockefeller Centre.
"The clothes have hardly been worn - some of them haven't been worn," John said as he cut the ribbon to open the sale.

Amid $US15 T-shirts and a $US5000 ($6858) cashmere coat, the collection featured some of John's most fantastic outfits, like the Richard James-designed polka-dot suit he wore during a controversial duet with rapper Eminem at the 2001 Grammy Awards.

But it also includes high-brow tailored suits and pieces by top designer labels such as Versace, Louis Vuitton, Comme des Garcons and Gucci, with the Elton John AIDS Foundation promising affordable prices on them.

"Come and spend some money to help other people who desperately need their lives to be changed and improved, and you'll be doing a really good thing," John said yesterday at a ribbon-cutting ceremony inaugurating the sale.

Sir Elton, as he has been known since being knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1998, has written and performed top hits on the pop charts for over three decades, including Rocket Man, Your Song and Crocodile Rock.

The Elton John AIDS Foundation has distributed over $US60 million ($82.3 million) since 1992 in support of programs to educate about AIDS prevention, to fight prejudice against AIDS-infected people and to provide services to those living with AIDS.