(Jerry Garcia) | Garcia’s skull-embroidered Nudie’s Rodeo tailor pants, ca. 1973

Property of Strider Shurtliff

Jerry Garcia

Garcia’s skull-embroidered Nudie’s Rodeo tailor pants, ca. 1973 

Black gabardine dress pants (no size indicated, waist approximately 38 inches in circumference). Two front pockets, tag reading "Jerry Garcia" sewn to pocket, rhinestone embellishments to belt loops, ornately embroidered motif to the side of each pant leg, showing a skull surrounded by flowers and ribbons, with additional rhinestone embellishments, Nudie’s Rodeo Tailors label affixed inside waist; some wear consistent with vintage fashion, but very minimal.    

An iconic Grateful Dead design from The Rhinestone Cowboy 

Nudie’s Rodeo Tailors set up shop in North Hollywood in the 1940s, and from the beginning their roster of clients spoke for itself. What started with country music stalwarts like Lefty Frizzell and Tex Williams eventually gave way to the likes of Elvis Presley, John Wayne, Cher, Elton John, Hank Williams, Gram Parsons, and many others. The proprietor Nudie Cohn had a distinctive maximalist style: he made rhinestone suits with bespoke appliques and embroidered designs, with the imagery often tailored to the particular recipient (Hank Williams’ suit had a guitar, and musical notes, while Gram Parsons’ suit famously featured a marijuana leaf). 

The Grateful Dead had their suits made in 1973 prior to a stint in Texas. As told by Steve Parish: “We were in Los Angeles in 1973. We decided to go to Nudie’s Rodeo Tailors on a lark. They were famous for dressing all the country artists and we were headed to Texas soon. All the band members designed their own suits. The suits were worn for a few shows, especially in Texas where we played with Doug Sahm. Jerry gave the jacket to someone later, and the pants to Ram Rod.”

Nudie’s aesthetic has proven to be influential and enduring: modern practitioners of rodeo tailoring have their work worn at high profile award shows and premieres, and the Country Music Hall of Fame has devoted numerous exhibits to the legacy of Nudie Cohn. It is rare to find such an iconic design on the secondary market, let alone one from the golden era of the Rhinestone Cowboy.