Gray suit pants owned by Melvin Van Peebles: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A pair of gray suit trousers owned by Melvin Van Peebles. The grayish-brown polyester pants feature a 1.5” waistband and two 6” long waist pleats. Sewn equidistantly around the waistband are five .25” wide self-fabric belt loops. The pants close at the center front waist with a metal hook and bar closure and a 7.5” metal zipper pull with plastic teeth and at either side of the waist is a 6.25” wide welt pocket. Each tapered leg has a center vertical crease and is made from two panels of fabric, sewn together at the inner and outer leg. There are single fold 1” cuffs at the bottom. At the back of the pants are two 2.5” darts – one on each side – and below that are two 5” wide welt pockets. The back proper left pocket closes with a self-fabric loop and one round tortoiseshell plastic button. Six 1.25” plastic buttons are sewn around the interior waistband, meant for attaching suspenders. The interior waistband and pockets are lined with white cotton. There is no label.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 2000 - 2010
• Manufactured by: JCPenney, American, founded 1902
• Subject of: Melvin Van Peebles, American, 1932 - 2021
• Type: ensembles (costume)
• Type: suits
• Type: trousers
• Type: pants suits
• Medium: polyester, plastic, and metal
• Dimensions: Length (waist to hem): 44 1/8 in. (112.1 cm)
• Dimensions: Waist (flat): 16 3/4 in. (42.5 cm)
• Dimensions: Inseam: 31 1/2 in. (80 cm)
• Place made: United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Black Enterprise
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Fashion
• Topic: Fashion design
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Musicians
• Object number: 2024.60.2.2
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: No known copyright restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.