David Bowie suit by Miyake sells for £8,000 in Exeter

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David BowieImage source, Dave Hogan/Getty
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The suit owned by David Bowie was left in a London nightclub, according to the auctioneers

A suit worn by music legend David Bowie has sold for £8,000 at auction.

Auctioneers said Bowie left the suit in the office of the Blitz club in London in 1982 after his cigarette burnt a hole in it.

Steve Strange, the club owner and singer with the band Visage, kept the suit until his death in 2015.

The beige two piece suit even has "little sweat patches under the arms", said Steve Ferguson, of Auction Antiques in Exeter.

Image source, Auction Antiques
Image caption,

The suit was designed by Issey Miyake

It was inherited by singer Jayce Lewis, a lifelong friend of Strange.

He said Bowie sat down in a chair in Strange's office at the Blitz club with "such a slump, that the insides of his cigarette fell out on to his suit and burnt the pocket along with a few other areas".

"He quickly asked his female assistant to go and fetch him his bag or suitcase from the car in order for him to change, which she did."

'Famous history'

Mr Lewis said he was told Bowie changed into a jacket and trousers, discarding the suit on the floor near the sofa, where it was forgotten about.

He said: "Later that night Steve spotted the suit and took it home to work out what to do with it, where it remained until his estate was sold, along with all of his other possessions."

The auctioneers said the story was corroborated by the fact the suit was the exact size for Bowie at the time with a 28in (71cm) waist.

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