- 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
- polyester, plastic, metal and velvet trimming (material)
- Dimensions
- Inseam: 30 1/2 in. (77.5 cm)
- Waist: 18 9/16 in. (47.2 cm)
- L x W (pants): 38 1/4 × 18 9/16 in. (97.2 × 47.2 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
- Black tuxedo pants, part of a three-piece suit made by Jhoanna Alba for Lena Waithe and worn by Waithe to the 2017 Emmy Awards ceremony. Constructed primarily of a matte synthetic material, the pants feature velvet trim from hip to hem of both legs; a black plastic zipper; metal hook closure; two back pockets with one black plastic button, each; two front angled pockets; a velvet waist yoke, and single iron knife seam – hip to hem along the front legs. The interior is unlined.
- Place used
- Los Angeles, California, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Clothing - Costume
- 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
- 2019.1.2
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Alba
- Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.




