A custom-made silk faille jacquard paisley top with embellishment worn by Boy George on a trip to Egypt in the 1983, during which he wrote the lyrics to Culture Club's massive hit song "Karma Chameleon. 

The mantle was originally a sleeved caftan style garment, but was later altered into an embroidered mantle. Mikey Craig, Culture Club base guitarist, also wore this item on stage at the Odeon in Hammersmith with Boy George, December 18, 1983. In 1991 Boy George wore the mantle on the cover of his 1991 album, Martyr Mantra. The cropped top is custom-made with a gold lurex rick-rack collar with pearls, porcelain scarabs, and coral beads. The top is trimmed with gold-tone circle piette sequins. There is no label present, the interior is lined with cotton. 

Boy George recalls how he would style the members of Culture Club, creating custom looks, DIY aesthetic, for a bold style that made the band stand out from their contemporaries. He recalls how he wanted to move away from Duran Duran and the commercial looks of Miami Vice. His manta is “Fashion for the Fragile, Style for the Brave.” The originality of Culture Club is what connected with an audience. In 2017, Boy George discussed the backstory of wearing the outfit in Egypt during an appearance on Piers Morgan's Life Stories, explaining that he wore a hotel plastic wastepaper basket on his head. Boy George said, “I wanted to do this Nefertiti turban and the only thing that was the right shape was this plastic wastepaper bin, so I cut the bottom out stuck it on my head and wrapped a turbine around it.” 

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Provenance: From the Collection of Boy George

A portion of the proceeds will go to benefit MusiCares.This lot/property comes with a printed photo.

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