Clothier who dressed Elvis Presley dies in Tenn.
Bernard Lansky, the clothing retailer who helped a young Elvis Presley establish his signature style, has died, according to his granddaughter.
Julie Lansky said the 85-year-old died Thursday at his home in Memphis, Tenn.
Lansky started his retail business in Memphis in 1946 with a $125 loan from his father, Samuel.
After World War II, the store started selling Army surplus goods. When the supply dried up, he opened a high-fashion men's store.
Lansky supplied Presley with the pink and black shirts, pegged pants, two-toned shoes and other flashy duds in the 1950s.
It's a statement to say that he dressed one of the most influential entertainers of all time," Julie Lansky said in a telephone interview. "He knew that for any entertainer, they had to look different."
Even though Presley's style changed over the years -- including sparkling jumpsuits -- he shopped at Lansky Bros. clothing store the rest of his life. Presley died at his Memphis residence, Graceland, in 1977.