Prince: Billboard Music Icon or Fashion Icon?

Trick question: obviously, he's both. The Artist Formerly (and currently) Known as Prince is slated to receive the Billboard Music Icon Award on Sunday, May 19, an honor he shares with past recipients Stevie Wonder and Neil Diamond. And while we could listen to "1999," "Little Red Corvette," and "When Doves Cry" all day long--that's not even a hyperbole--what we love most about the diminutive singer is his groundbreaking sense of style. From purple velour to hooded suits, Prince has been setting and defying trends since he burst onto the scene in the late '70s and early '80s. Herewith, five reasons why we love the iconic singer.

#1.) Frilly shirts - More than Seinfeld and "Pirates of Penzance," the frilly shirt belongs to Prince. What other man could so effortlessly and unironically rock a puffy, be-ruffled blouse and still exude sex appeal? No one but Prince, that's who. Well, and Jimi Hendrix, who he was definitely influenced by…

#2.) Statement necklaces - Long before Carrie Bradshaw was rocking a nameplate necklace, Prince was sporting his own unpronounceable symbol (AKA "The Love Symbol") on a chain. He taught us that establishing and branding your personal style was as easy as draping some jewelry around your neck. Since its heyday in the '90s, the singer has put the symbol into semi-retirement, but don't think he's not still bringing it in terms of necklaces.

#3.) Strong shouldered suits - For the '80s business woman inside us all, we can look to the gender-bending blazers of Prince's stage costumes with bold, angular shoulders. While this is certainly not an everyday style, there's a bit of Tilda Swinton-esque androgyny about these suits that we just love.

#4.) The color purple - Taylor Swift has red, Adele has black, and in the '90s, the singer with a royal-sounding name adopted purple as his signature shade. Some (not us) might say there are more masculine colors on the wheel, but damn that man pulls it off.

#5.) Kohl-rimmed eyes
- The singer wants to be your lover, but we just want him to teach us how to perfect our eyeliner. Seriously, one human man should not have this much makeup game. Teach us your ways, Prince!

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