Black opera coat by Bob Mackie: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Black opera coat by Bob Mackie. The coat is made from a scrunched cut velvet fabric that looks like Persian lamb from afar. It is floor-length with a back train. The coat has full-length bell sleeves and opens down the center front without any closure method. The collar is made from a wide rounded panel that is slightly ruffled where it is gathered around the neckline.

The coat is fully lined in black silk dupioni. Stiffener is sewn inside the collar for structure. There are two (2) hanger loops sewn at each interior back side of the neckline. The coat has no labels.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 2001
• Designed by: Bob Mackie, American, born 1940
• Used by: Ebony Fashion Fair, American, 1958 - 2009
• Subject of: Johnson Publishing Company, American, 1942 - 2019
• Type: coats
• Medium: velvet, silk, and buckram
• Dimensions: H x W (flat): 83 1/8 × 40 in. (211.1 × 101.6 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Design
• Topic: Fashion
• Topic: Fashion design
• Object number: 2015.141.5
• 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 underlying object's rights statement is: No known copyright restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.