Green and beige plaid opera coat with ruffles: Museum Object and Cultural History

Green and beige plaid opera coat with ruffles: Date: 1980s. Created by: Unidentified. Subject of: Black Fashion Museum, American, 1979 - 2007.

By the Pop Culture Files editorial team•Updated September 30, 2026•2 min read•✓ Fact-checked

The object in the museum catalogue

A green and beige plaid opera coat with ruffles. The coat is made from one whole width of synthetic taffeta with an all-over plaid pattern consisting of olive green, cream, white, and blue. Two panels in total make up the oversized body of the coat - one large panel for the main body and a smaller diagonal panel sewn at the back bottom hem. A continuous 3.25” self-fabric ruffle is gathered and sewn the edge of the front collar, front opening, sleeve ends, and hem. Each sleeve is made from one panel of synthetic taffeta, sewn together at the inner arm. There is no front closure opening. Three panel of peach synthetic plain weave fabric lines the inside of the coat – a large panel for the body of the coat and two smaller diagonal panels for the bottom interior, near the hem. Each sleeve is lined with one panel of self-fabric. There is no label.

Materials, dates and provenance

Date: 1980s
Created by: Unidentified
Subject of: Black Fashion Museum, American, 1979 - 2007
Type: coats
Type: evening coats
Medium: synthetic taffeta, synthetic plain weave
Dimensions: Length (collar to hem): 61 in. (154.9 cm)
Dimensions: Width (sleeve end to sleeve end): 55 1/2 in. (141 cm)
Dimensions: Chest (flat): 31 in. (78.7 cm)
Topic: African American
Topic: Clothing and dress
Topic: Fashion
Object number: 2007.3.703
Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Black Fashion Museum founded by Lois K. Alexander-Lane
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.