All About Patsy Cline’s Famous Pink Suit, Hand-Sewn by Her Mother

Patsy Cline‘s big break came due to her immeasurable talent, but it was also due in part to her mother’s support and determination to help her daughter. Hilda Hensley was 16 when she gave birth to Virginia Hensley, who would later become the famed Patsy Cline, and the two were incredibly close to the point where Hilda described them as “more like sisters” than mother and daughter, according to Ellis Nassour’s 1993 biography of Cline.

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In 1957, when she was 25, Cline made her television debut on Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts. This was a program where agents, managers, and talent scouts showcased their recently signed talent, and she had been called to perform after auditioning several months before. However, she didn’t have a manager at the time and agents couldn’t be family members. So, Hilda lied, and presented herself as Cline’s manager to get them a spot at the New York City taping of the show.

While Cline had been performing and recording for a few years before her television debut, she wasn’t commercially successful. She had a handful of singles, but they never stood up to her later work. However, she had recorded “Walkin’ After Midnight” during that time but it had not been released. She performed the single and won the Talent Scouts contest, and there was a subsequent rush to release “Walkin’ After Midnight.”

[RELATED: Revisit Patsy Cline’s 1957 National TV Debut]

Patsy Cline’s Mother, Hilda, Was an Important Influence in Her Daughter’s Career

Hilda Hensley made many of Patsy Cline’s outfits in her early career. The flamboyant Nudie Suit was all the rage in the 1950s, with country stars looking to stand out on a stage full of backing singers and orchestra. There were fringes, sequins, and elaborate appliques, 10-gallon hats and shiny boots. Patsy Cline needed to fit into the current country music trends, but she wasn’t yet a household name.

Hilda clearly loved her daughter so much that she created outfits for her, hand-sewing patches and appliques onto cowgirl-style suits and dresses. Cline was wearing one of these cowgirl outfits on Talent Scouts, but was convinced to change into a cocktail dress by the show’s producer. Still, she would wear her mother’s hand-crafted outfits long after she became famous.

One particular outfit was a pink suit that Hilda hand-sewed with the names of Cline’s early singles. There were record-shaped felt patches on the shoulders, back, and pant legs, each embroidered with the names of Cline’s five singles. According to an article from Smithsonian Magazine, “Come On In” was embroidered on the left shoulder and “Poor Man’s Roses” on the right. On the left leg was “Stop the World” and on the right was “Yes I Understand.” On the back of the suit was “Walkin’ After Midnight,” the song that gave Patsy Cline her big break.

Cline wore this suit many times, including in the year after she won Talent Scouts. She performed at her hometown’s Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival wearing this iconic suit, and the love that Hilda Hensley put into her daughter’s costumes is evident in the fine detail work and personal touches.

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