Created by
Alba, American
Worn by
Waithe, Lena, American, born 1984
Subject of
National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, American, founded 1955
Date
2017
Medium
Lamé brocade, silk (fiber), polyester, metal and velvet trimming (material)
Dimensions
L x W (jacket): 28 15/16 × 18 1/2 in. (73.5 × 47 cm)
Chest: 19 11/16 in. (50 cm)
L x W (Sleeve): 23 1/16 × 9 1/16 in. (58.5 × 23 cm)
Waist: 22 13/16 in. (58 cm)
Caption
Lena Waithe is an American actress, producer, and screenwriter known for her supporting role and writing credits in the Netflix series Master of None (2015) and her original Showtime show The Chi. Waithe, a gay African American woman, used her own coming out story as the inspiration for the acclaimed Master of None "Thanksgiving" episode she wrote and starred in. Waithe wore this custom designed suit to the Primetime Emmy Awards in 2017, where she and Master of None creator Aziz Ansari won for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. Waithe became the first African American woman to win the award. During her acceptance speech, she sent a special message to the LGTBQ community by stating, "Things that make us different - those are our superpowers."
Description
A black and gold brocade tuxedo jacket, part of a three-piece suit made by Jhoanna Alba for Lena Waithe and worn by Waithe to the 2017 Emmy Awards ceremony. The exterior of the jacket features an all-over bright and faded gold leaf pattern on a black background. There is a silk shawl collar and lapel, below which is one black fabric button, and a small breast pocket at the proper left side. There are bust darts on each side, right and left besom pockets, and four black fabric buttons at each sleeve’s wrist. Princess seaming shapes the front of the jacket, continuing onto the back where there are two vents. The interior is lined in a highly patterned, greyish light bronze silk. The shoulders are padded, significant tearing in the lining at both shoulder/armpit seams, exposing the ivory color padding. A square black fabric tag that reads, ALBA, in embroidery, is sewn across from the buttonhole on proper right of the jacket. At the buttonhole, there is a hook and eye closure. On the proper right, another fabric tag is embroidered with the words: [DESIGNED FOR / Lena Waithe / ALBA] in black and grey. Alongside the lower half of the silk lapel, on the left and right interior, are open half-pockets.
Place used
Los Angeles, California, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Clothing - Costume
Type
jackets
tuxedoes
Topic
Actors
Clothing and dress
Comedy
Design
Fashion design
LGBTQ
Television
Women
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Lena Waithe
Object number
2019.1.1
Restrictions & Rights
© Alba
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd52b68f822-20a7-4d55-bff1-eb39b34effeb

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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