Costume dress worn by Diana Ross as Billie Holiday in Lady Sings the Blues
- On View
- Musical Crossroads Gallery
- Museum Maps
- Objects in this Location
- Exhibition
- Musical Crossroads
- Designed by
- Mackie, Bob, American, born 1940
- Aghayan, Ray, Iranian American, born 1934
- Koch, Norma, American, 1898 - 1979
- Worn by
- Ross, Diana, American, born 1944
- Subject of
- Holiday, Billie, American, 1915 - 1959
- Date
- 1972
- Medium
- wool twill with metal hooks
- Dimensions
- H x W (Flat): 48 1/2 × 19 in. (123.2 × 48.3 cm)
- Description
- Teal twill wool long-sleeved mid-calf length dress worn by Diana Ross as Billie Holiday in the Paramount Pictures produced 1972 film "Lady Sings the Blues." The dress has a mock turtleneck and no waist seam, but center front and back seams. There are diagonal light green stripes of wool that angle in a point-up double chevron on the bodice and wrap around to the back. The dress closes at the center back from the neck to below the waist with eleven (11) self-covered teal buttons and self loops, and thirteen (13) hooks that attach to the loops. Additionally, there is one (1) black snap at the top of the neck and two (2) snaps at the bottom of the back closure. Thread-wrapped metal is sewn at the interior of the upper part of the shoulder seams to make the mock turtleneck stand out from the neck. The dress is not lined and is hand hemmed.
- Place used
- United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Clothing-Costume
- Clothing-Fashion
- Type
- dresses
- Topic
- Actors
- Clothing and dress
- Costume
- Costume design
- Design
- Fashion
- Film
- Jazz (Music)
- Motown (Music)
- Musical films
- Rhythm and blues (Music)
- Singers (Musicians)
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2012.64.4.1
- Restrictions & Rights
- No Known Copyright Restrictions
- Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.