Made for Pearl? Janis Joplin clothing line

Pictured: Janis Joplin at Monterey Pop Festival  in gold Colin Rose

One of the more interesting rumors to have a caught my attention in recent months is that there may be a Janis Joplin clothing line coming to market sanctioned by her estate.  Have any of you heard about this? In late 2010, The New York Times confirmed the rumor as fact in a story about Janis’s estate.   According to the article,  Jeffrey Jampol, of  Jampol Artist Management in Los Angeles,  is developing a plan to bring Janis Joplin fashions to market “working closely with the Joplins, he has sketched a one- to three-year business plan that includes Made for Pearl, a Joplin-inspired line of jewelry, accessories and clothing based on items worn by the singer.”

Would you buy Janis inspired fashions readers? Well, I would.  Not all of Janis’s fashions mind you.  I don’t think many of us can pull off the feather boas in the hair or purple satin bell bottom pants.  But some of what she wore was really beautiful.   She wore many of designer Colin Rose’s garments from his boutique in San Francisco. Remember her gold tunic and pants at Monterey Pop?  She was dressed much better than anyone else at the hippie fest. It was her breakout part, and her stage attire played a role. Janis was savvy enough to know that she needed a distinctive look at the festival.  A few years ago one of Janis’s other Colin Rose outfits, a purple mini-dress, sold at auction.   The dress looks just as fashionable today as it did in the 1960s, and would be a good addition to a Made for Pearl collection.

Pictured: One of Janis Joplin’s Colin Rose dresses, auctioned several years ago for $14,000. (photo from Heritage Auctions)

Of course the collection should also feature her hippie peasant blouses, sequined blouses with puffed sleeves and maxi dresses. Some of those have also been sold at auction in recent years, and are styles we still see today.  Naturally, I think any collection of Janis fashions should be frugally priced.  Surprisingly, Janis was a very frugal shopper.  When she was starting her singing career, she bought clothing at Goodwill and even sewed some of her own clothes.  According to those who knew her best, Janis was famously frugal, meticulously balancing her checkbook and paying her bills herself even after she hit it big.  I wonder how many rock stars today are as hands on with their money as Janis was?

Pictured : A long dress owned by Janis Joplin with butterfly sleeves.

Here’s hoping we hear more about the plan for the Made for Pearl  fashion line soon. If any one has any information on the development of a Janis Joplin fashion line, please leave a comment here on the blog. It’s high time Janis was remembered for her style.

2013 update: The Made for Pearl collection is now online. There are bell bottom pants, a fringe handbag and bangles available similar to Janis’ clothing and accessories.  So far there are no replicas of Janis Joplin’s Colin Rose dresses.  The emphasis is on her jewelry and bell bottom pants, at least in the initial preview collection.

To see more of Janis Joplin’s style and pieces from the Made for Pearl collection, follow my Janis Joplin Pinterest board.