Black jacket with gold decorations worn by LaMonte McLemore of The 5th Dimension: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Black double-breasted dinner jacket worn by LaMonte McLemore of The 5th Dimension. The black wool jacket has full-length sleeves and a notched silk satin collar. There are four (4) satin-covered buttons at the center front, only the bottom proper right button functions as a closure for the double-breasted jacket while the other three are decorative. There are two (2) exterior inset pockets trimmed in black satin, one at each front side waist, and one (1) additional inset pocket at the proper left breast trimmed in black wool. There are four (4) decorative satin-covered buttons at each cuff. The cuffs are trimmed with gold woven tape. Above the tape on each cuff is a large paillette in a highly stylized floral design with gold beading and sequin flowers and black beaded leaves, with a single clear rhinestone at the center of the flower. There are two additional pailletes, one on each should reaching down the front and down the back, of a different stylized leafy floral design in gold and black beads and gold sequins. The pailletes are all hand-appliqued to the jacket. The jacket is fully lined in cream silk. There are three (3) interior inset pockets, one at each front side chest, and one at the interior proper left waist. There is a black satin-covered button on the interior proper left front that corresponds to the buttonhole on the proper right front side to close the jacket. There are three (3) designer and manufacturer labels in the interior of the jacket.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1980
• Designed by: Pierre Cardin, French, founded 1950
• Worn by: LaMonte McLemore, American, 1935 - 2026
• Subject of: The 5th Dimension, American, founded 1966
• Type: dinner jackets
• Medium: wool, silk satin, paillettes with sequins and glass and plastic beads, and gold foil tape
• Dimensions: H x W (Flat): 31 1/2 × 19 1/2 in. (80 × 49.5 cm)
• Dimensions: Waist: 23 1/2 in. (59.7 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Costume
• Topic: Costume design
• Topic: Design
• Topic: Popular music
• Topic: Rhythm and blues (Music)
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2013.198.1
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of LaMonte McLemore founding member of The 5th Dimension
• 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 underlying object's rights statement is: No Known Copyright Restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.