Gown worn by Ava Cherry: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Red and black beaded gown designed by Tony Chase and worn by Ava Cherry in performances with Luther Vandross.

The body of the gown is red and is covered with wavy strands of thin, red beads, which were sewn on. The sleeves have shoulder pads inside. The shoulders, neckline and chest, hips, and the forearm section of the sleeves have geometric designs in black and clear beads. The sleeves have red zippers starting at the wrists. The hips have a peplum going around them. It has pointed and rounded edge flaps of varying sizes. The reverse side of the peplum is lined in red. There are several areas on the dress where the red beads are missing. In addition to the missing beads, there are a few loose threads on the dress. The gown has a large slit which goes up the center front of the dress. The gown also has a long train, with edges in varying lengths. The geometric beaded designs carry over to the back of the gown. At the back of the neck there is a metal fastener and a black zipper. The back of the train features an intricate, beaded geometric design.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1980s
• Created by: Tony Chase, American, 1952- ca. 1990
• Owned by: Luther Vandross, American, 1951 - 2005
• Worn by: Ava Cherry, American
• Type: gowns
• Medium: polyester, silk, rhinestone, plastic, and thread
• Dimensions: H x W (Height, flat; Width, shoulders): 86 × 18 in. (218.4 × 45.7 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Width- hips): 17 in. (43.2 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Width- train, flat): 34 in. (86.4 cm)
• Dimensions: L x W (Length- sleeve): 21 in. (53.3 cm)
• Dimensions: L x W (Length- slit): 19 in. (48.3 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Costume
• Topic: Rhythm and blues (Music)
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2018.86.5
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Seveda Williams in Celebration of the Musical Legacy of her Uncle, Luther Vandross
• 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: Unknown - Restrictions Possible Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.