White suit jacket worn by Melvin Van Peebles: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A white Juicy Couture suit jacket worn by Melvin Van Peebles. The polyester jacket is solid white with vertical white stripes woven into the fabric. It features a half clover notched lapel made from one panel of fabric for the back. The two lower front lapel panels are a part of the front panels of the jacket. The jacket closes at the lower front with two cream colored plastic buttons and on either side of the front panels are two vertical shaping darts. There is a flap pocket on either side of the hip. Each sleeve is made from two panels of fabric and there are four cream colored plastic buttons at each cuff. The top button on the proper right cuff is broken. One panel of fabric makes up the back of the jacket and there is a vent at the center back at extends to the hem. Polyester cotton blend fabric lines the inside of the jacket and there is a bronze-colored printed graphic of a man’s face at the center back. He is wearing sunglasses and [THE DOORS / OF / PERCEPTION] is formed in the negative space of the left lens. At the proper left interior of the jacket is a welt pocket and over the pocket is a white rectangular brand label with a black crown and shield emblem with three five-pointed stars and the text [JM] embroidered onto it. The shield is framed by mirror images of two stylized lions and below it is a pink rectangular box with the text, [JUICY COUTURE] embroidered inside. A smaller fabric tag displays the jacket size, [42]. Sewn to the inside of the welted pocket is a second fabric tag with black printed text with materials, dry cleaning instructions, and inventory numbers. Printed on the back of the tag are cleaning instructions, cleaning symbols, and the style number. A small, white fabric tag sewn underneath reads [PO# 57219].

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 2002-2006
• Manufactured by: Juicy Couture, American, founded 1997
• Worn by: Melvin Van Peebles, American, 1932 - 2021
• Type: jackets
• Medium: cotton, polyester, and plastic
• Dimensions: Length (collar to hem): 32 1/4 in. (81.9 cm)
• Dimensions: Width (shoulder to shoulder): 21 1/4 in. (54 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: 2024.60.1.1
• 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.