Prince Year by Year: 1977-2016 Photographs

As this collection of yearly Prince photographs demonstrates, the prolific, genre-blending musician's fashion sense evolved just as often as his music during his four decades in the public eye.

Looking back, it seems clear that the Minneapolis genius had a very simple strategy for not being able to afford top-of-the-line clothes early on: wear as little as possible. It's pretty much impossible to find a picture of him wearing a shirt in the early '80s, and often he performed live sporting just underwear and a trenchcoat.

As Prince's career took off in the mid-'80s, it wasn't long before he moved past his 1999-era thrift-store-cool look and could afford not only the most expensive garments, but reportedly his own personal in-house tailor. Accordingly, he began dressing like nobody else ever had before – or, most likely, ever will again.

The below photos also showcase Prince's multiple hairstyles, which traveled full-circle from a big, puffy afro to tight curls, and from long to short with a brief detour into something called "the typhoon" before ultimately returning back to an even wilder afro. You'll also get a look at a number of the fantastic guitars Prince used over the years.

Hopefully, all these pictures will help you celebrate the tragically abbreviated life of this one-of-a-kind musical genius.