Handmade faux fur garment worn on Soul Train by dancer Johnette "Suki" Dodson: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This handmade faux fur garment was worn as part of a costume along with a pair of black fishnet stockings and a necklace by dancer Johnette “Suki” Dodson on the television show Soul Train in the early 2000s. The garment is comprised of separable sections, an upper and a front bottom section (a) and a back bottom section (b). The top is made from a hand-decorated strapless off-white store bought bra with padded cups and a double hook-and-eye back closure. The cups of the bra are covered in dark brown faux fur, while the wings are covered in orange and black tiger faux fur. The faux fur that covers the wings extends beyond the ends of the bra straps and is left loose so that the ends can be tied in a short knot at the center back. A small panel of the faux tiger fur is sewn at the center front of the bra between the cups. A wide strip of faux tiger fur connects the top section and the front of the bottom section. This strip attaches to the center bottom of the bra and to the center top of the front bottom section. The front bottom is made from a triangle-shaped panel of the dark brown faux fur, with a short strip of the faux tiger fur sewn at each side.

The separable back bottom (b) section of the costume is made from a half-oval panel of the dark brown faux fur, and also has side ties made from the faux tiger fur. The front section of the bottom and the back bottom section tie together, but the bottom pieces are not otherwise sewn together or connected. The back bottom does not connect to the top section.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 2001-2004
• Created by: Johnette Dodson, American
• Worn by: Johnette Dodson, American
• Manufactured by: Unidentified
• Subject of: Soul Train, American, 1971 - 2006
• Type: costume
• Medium: synthetic fiber, elastic and metal
• Dimensions: H x W x D (Flat Overall (a)): 25 × 37 × 2 1/4 in. (63.5 × 94 × 5.7 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W x D (Flat Overall (b)): 10 1/2 × 26 × 1/2 in. (26.7 × 66 × 1.3 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W x D (On form (a and b together) ): 26 × 19 × 5 in. (66 × 48.3 × 12.7 cm)
• Place used: Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Costume
• Topic: Dance
• Topic: Design
• Topic: Fashion
• Topic: Music
• Topic: Popular music
• Object number: 2014.227.4.1ab
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Johnette Dodson known by her stage name "Suki"
• 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.