Lavender satin ensemble worn by Prince: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A lavender purple satin outfit worn by Prince in numerous appearances. The ensemble consists of a shirt (2020.27.3.1) and pants (2020.27.3.2) with matching boots (2020.27.2ab).

The long-sleeved shirt is made of a flowy lavender satin. The collar has a high band and the two points fold in on themselves to meet at the bottom center of the collar. There are stains from stage makeup around the interior of the collar. There are folded pleats down either side of the shirt, similar to the fold of the collar points, forming a center line of decorative folds from collar down to near the bottom hem. The hem is open along the center line from the bottom of the pleats. The long sleeves end in wide cuffs and there is a zipper closure at back center. In the interior near the collar is a manufacturer's label, black with white lettering reading [DOMENICO SERIO].

The high-waisted pants are made of the same lavender satin as the shirt, with a dart down the front center of each pant leg. The front of the waistline has a silver hook and eye closure above a purple zipper. The back side of the pants is higher in the waist than in the front. There is a wide v shaped notch at the center of the waistline. In the interior is a manufacturer's label, black with white lettering reading [DOMENICO SERIO].

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1998
• Designed by: Domenic Serio, Canadian
• Worn by: Prince, American, 1958 - 2016
• Type: suits
• Type: jackets
• Type: trousers
• Medium: satin and zippers with thread
• Dimensions: L x W (.1 Top, width shoulder to shoulder): 31 1/4 × 17 1/2 in. (79.4 × 44.5 cm)
• Dimensions: L x W (.2 Pants, width at the waist): 42 1/4 × 13 1/2 in. (107.3 × 34.3 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Composers (Musicians)
• Topic: Funk (Music)
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Musicians
• Topic: Popular music
• Topic: Rhythm and blues (Music)
• Object number: 2020.27.3.1-.2
• 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: Unknown – Restrictions Possible Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.