Freddie Mercury's signature black and white zig-zag scarf with black jacket and blouse, 1970s

Freddie Mercury’s signature black and white zig-zag scarf, with black jacket and blouse, 1970s

The double thickness scarf of fine knitted self-stripe ‘silk’ with a double row of black zig-zag patterning at either end and black and white fringing, 136 cm. long (including fringe); with a fine wool black jacket, the front decorated with four diamond shapes picked out in white metal studs, the collarless jacket with padded shoulders, rounded lapels, fitted waist, raglan sleeves and single button fastening, lined in black silk, labelled ‘Rothmoor / The New York Store’, the interior side seam with gold-tone metal tag with the Rothmoor logo of a Scottie dog, stamped ‘Genuine Rothmoor Coat’; and a short black silk blouse, the deep v-neck and cuffs with black lace trim, fine pin-tucks to the shoulders and elasticated hem.

This scarf appears to have been a favourite of Freddie’s, worn throughout the 1970s. The combination of the scarf and jacket in this lot was captured by Brian May in a photograph he took of Freddie in January 1977 at the start of the A Day At The Races tour: “with his new state-of-the-art Polaroid instant camera….I snapped him in a snapping moment on stage during a sound check”.

The scarf also features in a very early photograph of Freddie and Roger Taylor on their stall in Kensington Market included in the group of Polaroids (Lot 60, Polaroid No. 67). Some of the jackets Freddie wore with this scarf are also included in this auction, see the ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ jacket (lot 42), the ‘EMI’ jacket (lot 157), the fur jacket (lot 107), the yellow embroidered jacket (lot 148) and the Fila jacket (lot 194). The scarf was worn on stage infrequently but did make an appearance worn with the fur jacket at the soundcheck for the Christmas Eve Hammersmith Odeon concert in December 1975.

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LITERATURE

Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender, A Life In Pictures, Welbeck, 2012, p.71 (illus. Brian May’s photo of Freddie Mercury) & p.65 (the Hammersmith Odeon on stage shot)

SPECIAL NOTICE

This lot is being sold for private use only. No right to reproduce or otherwise commercially exploit the copyright or other intellectual property in the lots is included with the sale of lot. Queen Productions Limited and Queen Music Limited and other rights holders reserve all their rights.