The offered ornately designed kaftan was gifted from Elvis Presley to Celeste Geller, wife of Elvis' hair stylist Larry Geller, while they were vacationing together in Hawaii in 1977. In keeping with his interest in all things spiritual, Elvis would often wear a kaftan, a robe worn in various religious cultures and by royalty for thousands of years. In a gesture befitting a king, Elvis gifted the offered kaftan robe to Larry Geller’s wife Celeste. Larry Geller was hired by Elvis in 1964 on the film Roustabout as his hair stylist. Geller left his salon, Sebring International, which was the stylist for the stars, to accompany Elvis and style his hair for his movies, concert performances and more, from that point forward. Since he was also a spiritual advisor, Larry became more than simply Elvis’ stylist, but his friend and confidant. Elvis had an affinity for wearing these around the house.
The accompanying letter signed by Celeste Geller describes receiving the kaftan from Elvis during the Hawaii trip, and it reads in part:
In March of 1977, Elvis invited a group of friends to join him on vacation in Hawaii. While on Oahu, he mentioned that he wanted an Oriental coat - a coat to lounge in, a coat to meditate in. His road manager, Joe Esposito said he couldn't locate the type of coat Elvis had described, but I knew that I could, so I joined the search. When I located a shop which sold the coats, Elvis invited me to join him in his limo with his girlfriend, Ginger and a couple of other close friends to drive to the shop. While trying on the coats he said, "This one looks like you Celeste," and helped me try it on. He insisted that I keep it for making him so happy that day. I'll always be thankful for the memories I have of him and all that I shared with him.
This intricately designed and crafted navy blue lined velvet kaftan robe is embellished with pearl beads, gold-colored embroidery and multi-colored sequins flanking the opening, collar, cuffs, and hem. It has an incredibly elaborate design on the back and a 13-knotted gold-colored button closure on the front. The robe has no size tag, as it was likely custom-made, and measures 57 inches in length and 16 inches in width from inner shoulder to shoulder. Also included is a modern print of a photo of Elvis and Celeste taken during the 1977 Hawaiian vacation on which the kaftan was purchased. The robe is accompanied by a letter of authenticity from Graceland Authenticated. The robe presents with signs of moderate wear from use, but no major distresses except the odd missing sequin. Excellent condition.