Also opening as part of the year long birthday celebration is a special exhibit featuring Elvis' iconic stage costumes from 1969-1977. This charts the evolution of the design of Elvis' stage-wear, popularized during his Las Vegas engagements and concert tours. Inspired by Elvis' great interest in karate, simple wool gabardine suits were engineered with tunic-style tops and long, karate-style
belts knotted to one side with the ends dangling from the hip. More than 20 of these costumes, now considered works of art, will be on display in this special exhibit that is included in the VIP Tour at Graceland.
On January 8, 2010, Elvis' birthday, a special exhibit opened which chronicles a key period of Elvis' life. Starting with his birth in 1935, it follows Elvis' path through high school graduation and his last few days before stepping into the spotlight and becoming an international singing sensation. The exhibit, titled "From Tupelo to Memphis," gives fans a glimpse at rarely seen artifacts, such as photos of Elvis from his childhood, report cards and one of Elvis' first pay stubs from his days as a delivery truck driver before making his first recording at Sun Studio on July 5, 1954.
