Collection Home

Collection Search Results

Search:
Filter:
Close Facet Modal
Basic Advanced
Filter Results
Applied Filters: clear all filters
Your search found 1 result(s).
Print
  • CC0 Creative Commons - No Rights Reserved icon

    Costume dress for Lady in Purple from for colored girls... on Broadway

    Designed by
    Dearing, Judy, American, 1940 - 1995
    Worn by
    Collins, Risë
    Subject of
    Black Fashion Museum, American, 1979 - 2007
    Dr. Shange, Ntozake, American, 1948 - 2018
    Date
    1976-1978
    On View
    Culture/Fourth Floor, 4 054
    Exhibition
    Taking the Stage
    Medium
    synthetic satin and crepe with metal closures
    Dimensions
    H x W x D (On form): 40 3/4 × 17 × 14 1/2 in. (103.5 × 43.2 × 36.8 cm)
    Description
    Sleeveless dress costume for the character Lady in Purple from the original Broadway production of Ntozake Shange's choreopoem "for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf." The dress is made from purple satin synthetic fabric with the crepe finished wrong side facing. The bodice has a sweetheart neckline, scooped back, and front shaping with princess darts, ending at the natural waistline. The neckline and armholes are edged with the purple satin, with the shiny satin side facing. There is a length of self-fabric piping around the waist, again with the shiny satin side facing. The full circle skirt falls at the knee and is hemmed with a chain stitch in purple thread that is covered with serged stitching in pink thread. The dress closes at the center back with a metal zipper, with two (2) small metal hook-and-eye fasteners, one at the top of the back and the second at the waist. There is a length of cream grosgrain ribbon sewn to the interior proper right and left back waist with a single metal hook-and-eye closure on the ends of the ribbon. The bodice is lined with purple synthetic satin, while the skirt is not lined. There are two (2) male metal snaps, one at each front armhole interior, sewn over the seam of the bust dart; there is no evidence of the corresponding female sides of these snaps.
    Place used
    New York City, Manhattan County, New York, United States, North and Central America
    Collection title
    Black Fashion Museum Collection
    Classification
    Clothing-Costume
    Type
    dresses
    Topic
    Actors
    Broadway Theatre
    Clothing and dress
    Costume
    Poetry
    Women
    Credit Line
    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Black Fashion Museum founded by Lois K. Alexander-Lane
    Object number
    2007.3.36
    Restrictions & Rights
    No Known Copyright Restrictions
    Usage
    CC0
    GUID
    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd58ee66a64-6b1c-4096-9b18-1c6cb585a9a0