Hi Orgers!

Okay, a few days ago, I was watching the "Best of Soul Train" and there were 2 performances by Shelia E. I was wondering, why, in the early days, did she dress exactly like Prince? (My mom even said she was dancing like him!)

Even before I knew she was associated with him, I saw her in "Krush Groove" and she was dressed like him.

I was just wondering why she dressed like him.

Thanks.

Was that the Soul Train performance where she wore that big Victorian wrap thing that was like a cape?

As silly as it sounds, I've often thought that one of the reasons that Sheila (please note the spelling ) wasn't more popular was because of her clothing, which was either too slutty (but not in the fun Madonna way) or too just plain weird for girls to emulate. I mean, there are other reasons, but that seems like a big one to me. Just my opinion.

Anyway, to answer your question, I think Prince dressed her like him; she probably didn't choose the clothes she was wearing. Or at least they probably came up with the designs together. Sheila's look was a construct, and I think for a time she was an extension of the Prince brand and image. Plus, Prince had (and probably still has) a tailor/clothing designer, who would've been put to work for Sheila as well, so all the clothes would have a certain similarity that way.

I think Sheila and Prince was/is close and you know she said she didn't know how to sing but Prince covinced her. So I'm pretty sure when it came to her doing something on stage other than playing the drums etc... Prince schooled her. So I guess her watching him perform and probably telling her to do it like this or that her performances wound up looking like his. She did almost everything from the way he got on the floor to the way he held the mic. The only thing she didn't do were the splits. Also like posted above it's kinda obvious that Prince had those clothes made, who knows maybe he wanted her to act/look like him.

yea,I agree...b4 Sheila seemed 2 be trapped behind the drumset...and when she finally came out she needed 2 be on the ball so Prince gave her some of him and shoc-alaca-boom...we get Prince's older sister,Sheila I liked her acting like a female Prince...because she was so good at it!
I remember seeing KrushGroove 4 the first time and I just knew it was Prince and then she turned around...and Im like huh?

Back in the day, all Prince people dress like Prince. He still likes his women to at least coordinate they're colors with his.

wlcm2thdwn said:

That's True!

her clothing was a prime decision on why she wanted 2 b his drummer and 2 be taken seriously as a musician instead of a sex kitten

I've often heard that Prince wanted all his women to look similar to him. (And facially at the time Vanity, Apple, etc. did look like him)

Maybe Prince was going a little further with Shelia by dressing her like a girl version of him.

That's all I can come up with--he wanted his women to look like him.

actually it was a unified "look" for everyone back then. Not exactly the same - but all played off each other. Kinda cool when you think about it. Plus they were all"on" all the time. Prince still is, the rest of them decided to be more themselves over time I suppose.

I was totally infatuated with Sheila's Romance 1600 era... Although the vibe was similar to Parade, the art direction on that album was brilliant and unlike anything in pop at that time.

wlcm2thdwn said:

except lisa...


well, and the doctor.

sheila E also changed her image around that era too because she want to be taken seriously as a musician and didnt want to be view just as a sex symbol or a Prince girl.

Whenever you're associated with Prince, you pretty much have to follow his lead. And if you don't, well let's just say you won't be around too much longer.