Vaughn Terry, a world-renowned costume designer, came to fame in the 1980s designing for, Earth, Wind, & Fire, Natalie Cole, and Bobby Brown among others. Terry and his design partner, the late Louis Wells, traveled the world styling and designing costumes for some of the biggest names in music. Most notable of Terry’s clientele was Black Music icon Prince. Prince’s world-famous lustrous purple suit worn in his 1984 American rock musical drama was fashioned and designed by Terry and Wells.

Large and raised ruffles were a notable characteristic of Terry’s work and were incorporated in many of his designs, and later developed as an influential style for costume design. Some of the costumes were made to rip apart, ensuring the “wow-factor” on stage when a performer would transition from costume to costume without stopping the show to change.

Terry shared in an interview with Women’s Wear Daily, saying “So, the lights would go down, you’d rip some tuxedos off them, and underneath would be glittery clothes. It was actually a broad range of theatrical staging, so you had to know something about clothing to actually do it, and not just pull something off a hanger.”

Terry, one of the most-notable costume designers in the field, parlayed his skill, creativity, and experience into a career with prominent design houses such as Oscar de la Renta, Donna Karan, and many others.