Elvis Presley had a unique appearance and style. From the beginning of his career and certainly through the end, Elvis stood out among performers. Although his extreme fashion statements never became mainstream, it was those differences and extremes that set him apart and made him such a timeless figure in not only the music industry, but American culture as well.

Early in Elvis' career (1954), Sam Philips of Sun Records said of Elvis' performances in Texarkana, "he didn't look that pretty then or that good-looking...[but] he stood on his own." (Last Train to Memphis, 141).  It wasn't Elvis' good looks that carried his career but his stage presence, something that was enhanced by his appearance and costumes.

Elvis' style paralleled his music; both were a fusion of styles.  In his music, Elvis used elements of rhythm and blues, gospel, and country -- music previously exclusive to either blacks or whites.  In the 1950s, his appearance was, like his music, a combination of lower-class Southern black and white styles. His greasy hair copied white truck drivers and his clothing was purchased at black stores, such as Lansky's (The Elvis Reader, 98).  In the 1960s, Elvis developed a more conservative yet sexualized style.  In the 1970s, he took on a theatrical style that borrowed elements from many ethnicities, such as the karate kicks he was famous for in his later years.   

Although Elvis once said his "long hair and unusual apparel were merely tools of his trade" (Careless Love, 426), he and his appearance certainly had a powerful influence on other performers, as well as mainstream America, which often copied his haircuts and clothing.  Elvis also influenced his inner circle, known as the "Memphis Mafia," who wore matching outfits and the same pendant necklaces that Elvis wore. Elvis claimed his appearance was also a connection and an in with the younger generation.

Despite Elvis' importance and everlasting influence on American pop culture, he never assimilated into the society he influenced throughout his life.  As written by essayist Linda Ray Pratt, "He remained an outsider in the American culture that adopted his music, his long hair, his unconventional clothes, and his freedom of sexual movement." (The Elvis Reader, 97).  Because Elvis was always, as he often described himself, a freak in our society, he was, and will always be, a cultural icon that others could imitate, but never replace.