The prestigious private school attended by Tony Blair is investigating how one of its magenta and brown blazers (pictured) came to be in the wardrobe of Elvis Presley
The prestigious private school attended by Tony Blair is investigating how one of its magenta and brown blazers came to be in the wardrobe of Elvis Presley.
Fettes College in Edinburgh, which charges £33,500 a year, also counts Tilda Swinton among its former pupils.
The school was astounded to discover that one of its distinctive jackets had once belonged to Elvis.
The item is being sold by PR Auction online – with no mention of its Scottish roots – and is expected to fetch at least $2,000 (£1,430).
The Fettes College blazer was among a massive collection of the Elvis’s possessions which were obtained from his father’s home in Tennessee in 1999.
The jacket was identified by its Aitken and Niven retailer label with the address marked ’79 George Street Edinburgh’.
Aitken and Niven supplied the Edinburgh school with its uniform until about 20 years ago, and the same blazers are still worn by the senior boys at the school, now priced at £120.
The Edinburgh school blazer was on display inside the 1950s case at the Elvis-a-rama museum from 1999 until 2006.
A spokeswoman for Fettes College said: ‘We were utterly delighted when we found out that Elvis Presley owned and wore the distinctive Fettes blazer.
‘An Old Fettesian living in the United States originally alerted us to the discovery and our archivist has been busy trying to find the link between Elvis and Fettes College.
‘Perhaps a friend of the family came to Fettes and knowing Elvis’ love of striped jackets took it back for him as a gift.
‘Even if we never find out the real reason, it is truly heartening to know that Elvis wore his Fettes blazer with pride.’
The Fettes College blazer (pictured) was among a massive collection of the Elvis’s possessions which were obtained from his father’s home in Tennessee in 1999
The school was astounded to discover that one of its distinctive jackets, modelled by a student (left) had once belonged to Elvis (confirmed in a letter of authenticity, right)
Fettes College in Edinburgh, which charges £33,500 a year, also counts Tilda Swinton among its former pupils
David Ferguson, managing director of Aitken and Niven, who long ago moved from George Street to stores in the city’s Morningside and Blackhall areas, confirmed it was a Fettes college blazer.
He said: ‘We sold these until about 20 years ago. The school have their own shop now. I don’t know how it would come into Elvis’s hands. He must have liked the colours.’
A spokesman for PR Auction said: ‘The collection in which the jacket was found, is well known to Elvis collectors.
‘In light of the new information about it originating from Scotland, how it made its way to Elvis can only be speculation and an educated guess.
‘If I had to guess I would say that it must have been a gift from a fan who recognized that Elvis wore such flashy clothing in the 50s.’
Elvis set foot in Scotland once, during a 60-minute layover at Prestwick airport in 1960, during which he was mobbed by fans.